The long anticipated last installment of the Harry Potter films rolled into theaters yesterday. I feared that my expectations were too high and that I would inevitably be disappointed. I wasn't. The film is deeply satisfying, just as the final book was -- albeit with many of the subplots missing or glossed over. There's just no way to cram a 700+ page novel into two feature-length movies. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) have grown nicely into their roles and remain the embodiment of Rowling's imagined characters until the end.
Hermione and Ron's kiss, however, is far superior that of Harry and Ginny (Bonnie Wright) who should have practiced a bit more. Almost every character reappears in this final film for at least a few seconds. Much has made about the significant representation of scene-chewing English luminaries of stage and screen in these movies. The outstanding performances in this film come from Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), and Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore).
Throughout the audience, I noticed teenagers sitting with their grandparents, the very same situation Max and I were in. I wondered if they, too, had read the books together. We started when Max was seven and ended when he was eleven -- both of us rereading the books by ourselves. It was bittersweet and lovely to watch the story end. Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for creating Harry Potter's world and bringing delight to so many children and adults.
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it
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