So, Harry
James Potter finally grows up and the series is coming to a halt? Hmm, not sure if I like that. Harry Potter was not only legendary but he's truly cute and adorable as a child. I know, I know, we all have to grow up... Yuck, that takes the fun out of life, don't you think?
Before we get on with life, as we all do, let's take a look at these kids who have made the series of films such a joyful journey, even for the adults. Cute, aren't they? Reminded me of Drew Barrymore in E.T.! Oh well, the coming of age must be hard for all concerned!
It's been more than 10 years since I saw the first film and many kids have grown up reading about Harry Potter since. I must qualify by saying that I didn't read any of the books. Not a single one. To me, the films were sufficient. I watched everyone of them and had enjoyed most of them. Frankly, I don't remember every single one of them, nor do I follow the plot closely enough. Hence, I'm not so sure how much you'd enjoy it if you had not seen it from the very beginning. It's a question you've to contend with yourself. Hence, I can only write this review based on the assumption one had seen all those prior films and are able to follow the story. I do think it'd be a good idea to acquire all the early films and watch it in one go before you head for this one though. I might just do that myself sometime before the finale next July!
This movie is the beginning of the end. It's the prelude to
death; the theme which the author seems to have implied. Since this is a world based on wizarding, it is probably hard to understand the prevalent themes in the movie from the perspective of a child. If it's for children, then I fear children today grow up too quickly and are faced with themes which they might not be ready for. Fantasy, coming of age, love, illusions, fear, death, etc... they seem way beyond what a normal child can grasp!
In this episode of Harry Potter, I get the feeling death is imminent. Whose? I've no clear idea since I didn't read the novel. But the mood is ready for a showdown. There's darkness all over and fear is something the audience is left holding with. Fear and the conquering of one's fear had been the predominant underlying emotion in almost all of Harry Potter's films. When it comes to fear, the movie is pretty consistent. What it has shed in this particular film is innocence. Innocence and the fun-filled wizardry are gone. I missed seeing these kids flying across the sky on brooms. Truly, that's what I missed most in this movie. The brooms! LOL...
What I did enjoy in this film is the illustration of the story of the Deathly Hallows. That was truly well done, imho. It renders meaning and life to the entire film. I truly enjoyed that part of the movie. The elves are fun and very lovable. Dobby's loyalty is commendable too & the director did that scene particularly well. That was a touching scene and I've enjoyed it tremendously!
The film ends with an impending showdown in the works and for that we'll have to wait till next summer. In the mean time, if you're living near Florida, you might want to head to
Wizarding World of Harry Potter and have some thrills of your own with regard to the brooms ;-) You see, Harry Potter lives on, regardless!!!
(P.S. Please, please don't tell me there's no brooms there! I want to be on those brooms!)
As with life, I've no idea how it's going to turn out. I never planned mine as many do, but what had turned out has been far better than what I had envisioned or even if I did plan for it, I couldn't have come up with it. Hence, the limit of my imagination. And herein lies the beauty of it all, I may not have any idea of what I'd write or even liked the process of writing, but I certainly like what I had written! That's what kept me going on, I believe :-)