*SPOILER ALERT*
“It all ends” proclaim the foreboding posters plastered across the city. Can’t you just hear the Harry Potter music in your head? And so it does end, in the most thrilling and emotionally intense installment of the record-breaking franchise. Though it is a bittersweet film in so many ways, I’m sure fans will agree that it has been handled with real class, reminding us the multitude of reasons why we love this world that JK has created.
There’s no intro, no extensive ‘previously seen in Harry Potter’, to bring you up to speed- it simply kicks off where the last one left, highlighting the fact that it’s very much the second half of one larger package. As Harry, Hermione and Ron strive to destroy the remaining Horcruxes, Voldemort seeks to destroy Harry and the wizard factory of Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a welcome return in this film, it’s a character in this series, much like any of the others- and we’ve missed it. But now, the school becomes a war-torn battleground between good and evil. Characters such as the great Maggie Smith’s Professor McGonagall and Neville Longbottom (more like Babe Longbottom) come to life here, and lest we forget Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) who just steals every scene she is in with her ethereal charm.
To me this film is about Professor Snape and Harry, more than Voldemort and Harry. The montage of Snape’s entire backstory is spell-binding. The reasoning behind every one of his actions is outlined, in arguably the most touching part of the film. That reasoning is love. This whole world is about love and loyalty in the face of darkness. The true love story which is the ‘crux’ of so much of this series is the Snape’s love for Harry’s mother. This touching tribute by Alan Rickman for being given the opportunity to play this role, is a must-read.
The one gripe I have with the film, is not even about the film itself, but is about the 3D screening. I find 3D movies to be simply too dark. I could barely get through Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (that probably had more to do with the horrendous train-wreck of a script than the 3D but I digress…) This Roger Ebert article on why he hates 3D is an interesting read, and Christopher Nolan agrees, “On a technical level, (3D) is fascinating but on an experiential level, I find the dimness of the image extremely alienating.” Also, I was amused that despite the impressive CGI and technical prowess of the film, Hermione in the ’19 years later’ epilogue looked younger than her daughter- surely they could have aged her a few years!
But this is an epic, truly moving conclusion to the film franchise of our time. The first movie was released shortly after September 11, and for a decade we have all believed in magic and dreamt of life at Hogwart’s. Even as we left the screening, my friends and I stood at the station, and contemplated running through the train platform walls. Because that’s what JK Rowling is trying to do here, that’s what she wants to leave us with. An extended exchange between Harry and Dumbledore encapsulates this sentiment, “Tell me one last thing”, says Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”, Dumbledore replies “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
