Every so often, a large group of seemingly insane people of various ages can be seen lined up in front of movie theaters. On Nov. 18, I was one of those people.
The occasion was the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. I arrived at the theater at 2:30 p.m., and the waiting began. Why, you may ask, would anyone in their right mind stand in front of a movie theater for 10 and a half hours? I do not really know if I can give a valid answer except that, well, it is worth it.
Let me start by saying this: There are two types of Harry Potter fans. There are the ones who openly express their adoration of the series and those who keep it bottled up. At events such as these, both types of fans are united. By sitting in front of the theater for literally half a day, you see a large variety of people brought together for a common interest.
For me, this premiere experience was inferior to the one I experienced with the sixth movie, simply because we were forced to enter the theater three hours before the movie began. The cinema workers may have been trying to do us a favor, but, honestly, we would have preferred to wait outside where we could stretch our legs and make Starbucks runs.
Instead, we sat in the same chairs for a total of five and a half hours. Needless to say, my legs were not pleased with this situation. We ended up sleeping on each other’s shoulders, because we were unable to bring our various entertainment items with us.
Now we get to the most important aspect of the evening: the movie. Here are a few of my choice words to describe it: mind boggling, ominous, gripping, sentimental and comedic. While not all of those words seem to go together, this contrast adds to the experience.
Even in some of the darkest scenes, little bits of humor were slipped in. This was vital in order to keep the viewers from completely drowning in the character’s emotions. While it might seem that these mood-lightening additions would appear awkwardly placed and inappropriate, they were not.
While I preferred my previous overall experience, this movie was far superior. Maybe it is because I am just so excited about it right now. Of all the movies, this one was the most true to the book, only leaving out minor dramas and details.
The way this movie was able to follow the book so closely is probably due to the fact that the producers split the seventh book into two separate films. J.K. Rowling was barely able to fit all of the information into a 700-page book without making the reader’s head explode, so there was no way it would all fit in a 147-minute movie.
What I most enjoyed about this film was the rawness of it. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was sugar-coated. For the first time in the films, it was blatantly stated that if Harry failed, the world would fall to pieces.
As the movie wore on, the characters became more and more emotionally drained. In my opinion, the actors did a fantastic job of portraying the absolutely desperate situation that Harry, Ron and Hermione were in.
In case you hadn’t figured it out by now, this movie blew me away. Even though I only got two hours of sleep before heading to school the following morning, it was definitely worth it. I genuinely enjoyed the movie and the entire experience. As a result, I plan to see the movie again and to attend the midnight release of the final film installment in July 2011.
For more coverage of Harry Potter, read the Nov. 17 column, Riddikulus with Elise & Sydney: The premiere.
