Deathly Hallows

How is it that I've done so many blog posts, but I've barely talked about Harry Potter?  This is the first book my friends and I talked about, the first time they could share in my love of something: books.  The first three came out sometime while I was in Elementary School, so of course we had games of Harry Potter.  Then, in Junior High, the movies started coming out, and we could look forward to that, then more books.  It wasn't until college though, that I truly and irrevocably fell in love with the books.  And I got involved in Harry Potter Club.  I met my best friends there, it was a great reprieve from studying, and reread the books countless times when I wanted to read something between classes but didn't have time to start a new book.

Harry Potter, like Twilight after it, started a its very own subculture.  Fan girls, a place at Hot Topic, music, clubs, Quidditch (yes I was on a team), fan fiction, an amusement park, etc etc.  The list goes on and on.

One of the most unique things about the series, is that it goes from Middle Grade to YA.  And not just any YA, rather dark, deep, and resonating YA.  It's always relevant to a teen's life--love, loss, coming into one's own, friends, school, the world bigger than you--but it manages to go beyond just one person. 

OK, enough of me gushing about the books (I think I restrained myself pretty well).  Last night, or rather just thirteen hours ago, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One came out in theaters.  And of course I was there in line.  Ready to roll my eyes at the script writers, laugh at Hermione's rampant eyebrows, snicker at teen awkwardness, I only had to restrain my inappropriate snarky comments a dozen of times (though I might let loose on a second viewing just for fun).

The movie did a good job of quickly reviewing what they neglected to add in previous movies (though it still seems as though Ron doesn't have a brother Charlie).  My friend, who is very rusty on the book's specific plots, found the movie very easy to understand.  I actually found that there were whole paragraphs and conversations taken word for word from the book (yaaay!).

My favorite part about the movie though (and all the movies actually), is the relationship between Harry and Hermione.  The movies have done a great job at building their (platonic friendship) relationship, that theirs is the most realistic of relationships in the movie--not that Ron and Hermione's, or Ron and Harry's is nonrealistic.

The bad things... I'm still running on a high of the first viewing (which is why I'm doing the review now rather than later when the cynic pops in to say hello), but I do remember my head hurting during the Trio/snatcher chase scene through the forest.  The camera was shaky, I couldn't follow the action, and the trees kept getting in the way of my eyes following the action.

Also, I miss the peacocks at Malfoy's Manor.  The Malfoys on the other hand, were splendid, each and every one of them.

Right, that's all for my review.  Go, cry your eyes out (if you know where they split the books, you'll know why), and take advantage of the fact that there is only one movie left (no more midnight premiers for me after that, heinous!).  On the whole, this is the best movie to date.  I'm excited for Part 2.

Happy Watching!