Harry Potter - It All Ends
 

Yeah, I think the Harry Potter finale is enough of a subject to be worthy of a separate thread. It's not just a movie, it's EIGHT of them. It's not just a film series, it's a cultural phenomenon of astonishing proportions.

Now that the series has concluded, in both literature and film, let's discuss the final movie and anything else Harry Potter in the benefit of hindsight.

Next person who asks me if I'm gonna go see Harry Potter gets a falcon punch.

Ohh! Which book is Falcon punch from? Is it made with butterbeer?

We had tickets for the midnight show, and then my daughter got sick, so we punted. I had my toast all ready, too.

Is a Falcon punch all pretty, but softcore?

I think it's quite a thing to have produced that many movies without the usual "sequels suck" phenomenon. Of course, it helps to be based off a series of books written AS books, and not "ooh that made money what can we keep doing with the characters now?"

Are you going to see Harry Potter?

I thought the last film was lovely, moved quickly, and got me all choked up in just the right spots. It's going to be a long time before I undertake any re-reading or re-watching of this series, but this was about as good a way to go out as I could imagine. Several movies of this series left me feeling exhausted and straining to remember important left-out details or wondering if it was worth bothering to. I left this one thinking "just right." Probably the most favorable response I've had in the immediate aftermath of seeing any HP movie.

I was vaguely disappointed. Of course, I didn't like the book - so this rather faithful adaptation didn't have much chance to impress me.

It was beautiful. Well-acted. Nice, um, cinematography and effects and score. Fast-paced, action-packed, all that. Emotionally bankrupt and distant is how I perceived it though. Not a single time did I get choked up or thrilled or frightened or surprised.

Of course, I pretty much hate understories. And as the finale of the piece, it had to wrap up all the decade-long understory - but it did so perfunctorily and by-the-numbers. Boring. But .. that's how Rowling's last two HP books were - great.big.bores.


Death Eaters attack Hogwarts in the long-anticipated battle between the forces of good and evil. Yawn. Each character gets their single moment in the sun, often out-of-the-blue and gratuitously. Yawn. Wizards Duel and Wizards Duel redux. Yawn and double yawn. Even Harry's bit in wizard purgatory with Dumbledore was played for yawns, imo.


Don't get me wrong. The movie, like I said, was fast-paced, action-packed, well-acted, and gorgeous. The story is just lame as can be, and that's all Rowlilng's doing - - but it is what it is, and I think it's a dumb story that no film could overcome.

Most understories are bare bones nothingness that can only end in ways seen sixteen miles off. The last hour of Harry Potter 7.2 seemed like going through a checklist.



It's hardly coincidence that my favorite of the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, which has the best story, the best performances, the best score, the best art design, the best tone, and the best direction by far and away - is also the ONLY film in the series with no Voldemort and none of the Harry v. YouKnowWho storyline.



I really like the film and book series through book 5. After that, Rowling went off a cliff. It's one thing to make the stories more 'adult' and 'dark,' but no one wants a series about magic and fantasy to be brooding, meandering and dull.

With the double disappointments of Half Blood Prince and Deathy Hallows, I think I'm glad the series is finally over.

Prisoner of Azkaban is the only one of the movies I've seen all the way through, too. :)