Goodbye HARRY POTTER
In all, the end of the last movie left everyone satisfied. It was edge of the seat thrilling, emotionally fulfilling, and a great end to a new modern classic that shaped many people’s lives.
Its safe to say that the Harry Potter series of books and movies are a phenomenon. As everyone who lives outside of the deepest Amazon Basin knows, the last installment of the Harry Potter movies opened this past week to a new opening weekend box office record (that is until The Dark Knight Rises opens, and even then, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II may still hold). There were monumental expectations surrounding the last movie. How does one wrap up an epic story that introduced an entire generation to the printed word? A book series for which people lined up at stores at midnight with every new installment? A film series that caused people to line up around the block for every opening? What is there to say that everybody hasnt already read, blogged about, and then rode at a theme park in Universal Studios, Orlando? How do you end the ultimate tale of bildungsroman? The story of how Harry Potter came to be, is, in itself, a remarkable tale. Everyone loved hearing the rags to riches story of JK Rowling and how a single mother became one of the richest people in the U.K. using only her brain, her pen and her talent. Using influences from Tolkien to Norse mythology and liberally layering in her own heart and soul using her mothers death and her disastrous first marriage as a source of pain, nobody got complex teen emotions like Rowling. And she still bakes her kids birthday cakes. Hogwarts made us feel like it was the school where you wanted to go. For everyone who ever felt out of place, odd, or awkward, opening one of the books blasted you to a world where everyone belonged. The rich kids of Slytherin were not the cool kids, they were the douches you loved to hate. As well, like most schools today, there was always danger in the background - life or death danger that reflects the goings-on in todays scary and confusing world. How could any film summarize this entire series with such high expectations behind it? The easy answer is to guarantee that your audience comes away satisfied. No small feat, but, due to the brilliance of David Yates, this goal was achieved. Yates, the director of Harry Potter's 6, 7A, and 7B (as the Deathly Hallows movies are euphemistically known) is quoted in interviews as saying that he took liberties with the script when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened. He assumed everyone had read the books, knew the stories, and understood that if Yates stayed completely faithful to the books, the last three movies would each have running times of around 20 hours. The producers of the movies gave Yates the massive job of ending the show, and he did it beautifully some might even say, perfectly. 
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, there was a lot of set up. A LOT. A lot of setting-the-scene and highlighting Harry, Hermione and Rons boredom, frustration, fear in undertaking a mission that could get them all killed. It also left us hanging. At the end of 7A, it felt (deliberately) like part one of a two parter. Nobody wanted to wait for the second half of Deathly Hallows - they wanted it now. In other words, it left you dissatisfied. As Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II approached, everyone was quivering with anticipation. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was fantastic possibly the best movie to date. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 deliberately left you hanging and wanting more, so how could Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 possibly be as good as it was supposed to be? It was inevitable that it would fail. It couldnt possibly be that good. The book was a 3-lb tome that wrapped up storylines that were set up from beginning of the series, and even a genius director like David Yates couldnt possibly pull it off. Collectively, everyone waited for the reviews and previews to get the word and the verdict, universally, was that this was the best HP ever. Ever? YesEVER. 
From start to finish, Yates throws you in. The approximately 2 hour movie went by in a flash, and there was not one superfluous beat. In addition, other moments that were downright confusing in the book were smoothed out and explained so that a wide audience who hadnt read the books could follow the plot (Im referring to the Elder wand loyalty snarl and Harry as Horcrux confusion). And then theres the matter of Snape. Alan Rickman, a member of a powerhouse cast and one the juiciest characters in the series, was the biggest heartwrencher of the bunch. Rickman reveled in Snapes dastardly ways and delivered hilariously thrilling pronouncements when punishing Harry, but in his final moments, revealed his softer side with no gooey sentiment. In an already emotional film, Snapes moments were so genuine and heartfelt that we loved him and forgave him when Harry finally understood his motivation. In terms of straight filmmaking, Yates delivers in that arena as well. The movie is almost top to bottom action. He maintains a spectacular pace and visually beautiful action and fight sequences. The attack on Hogwarts is both thrilling and, dare I say it, believable. Harry and Voldemorts final battle isnt finished in two shakes of a wand. It goes on and on and on until they are both exhausted, bloody and drained. They can barely move as they face each other for the last time, and you as a viewer, felt their fatigue and fear. The pitched battle between Harry and Voldemort was the culmination of 7 years of Hogwarts and 14 years of books. It delivered and made you absolutely positive that the good guy won and the bad guy got blowed up good. Even the final bit where you find out the trios future was played down. We, the viewers did want to know what happened to everyone, but that was not the point. The point was that Harry won. Good triumphed over evil at a terrible cost to all wizarding families. The entire point of HP7B was the exposure of what we sacrifice in war times. All was well in the end, but it didnt come easy or cheap. In all, the end of the last movie left one satisfied. It was edge of the seat thrilling, emotionally fulfilling, and a great end to a new modern classic that shaped many peoples lives. Everyone has a different story about how they discovered the Harry Potter books, and now, hopefully, everyone will have a common experience on how it ended.