Tonight, not only did I step into the final entry of what is one of the greatest sagas in cinematic history but I also entered a two-hour epic that would wrap up my childhood completely...and set me off to my future as an adult. Harry Potter has been a saga aimed at many ages, but these were the films of my childhood and for them to end on the last year of my life as a minor is a fantastic experience. We all know how hard it is to say goodbye to a friend, and Harry Potter has surely befriended us and taken all our hearts over the past decade. He's the best friend a movie-fanatic could ask for and it's tearful to see him go. You can't be willing to watch him go in 2D, if you are a real friend to Harry Potter you'll dig up the extra cash and say your goodbyes the right way--in IMAX 3D. In 2001, the film series may have began but truly Harry Potter really entered our world in 1997 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Released with the word "Philosopher" in the UK, Americans swapped the word with "Sorcerer" because they believed children wouldn't want to read a book with the word "Philosopher" in it. *Head scratch* J.K. Rowling deserves a huge thanks because she is the reason I got into reading books as a kid. If it wasn't for the magical, creative, and beautiful universe of Harry Potter, then I'm not sure how'd I'd look at fantasy novels today. I really do look forward to what Rowling does in the near-future, she is a fabulous author and has created one of the most epic phenomenon's of all time and if it wasn't for her brilliance we would never of had such a fun time with these films over the past ten years. Where do I even begin with dissecting such a story? Over the past ten years we've all noticed that Harry Potter isn't just a tale but a legend of a boy and seven years in his magical, new life. I say new because Harry never knew he was a wizard until his eleventh birthday, and then from there we witnessed him adapt to his new lifestyle as not just a new come wizard, but also a very famous one. From watching a child grow from eleven to seventeen, it has been a long, never once exhausting legend of the boy who lived. But if we're going to dissect such a legend, we should always start from the beginning... Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (2001): Meet Harry, a young eleven year old lost from the world. Living with his evil uncle and aunt along with a vicious, bratty little cousin due to the murder of his parents, ("Car Crash") Harry has never lived once happily. That is until mysterious letters enrolling him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry appear and his uncle hide them away. To get away from the madness, the family go far where mail will never find them, but huge, scary (at first), and sweet ol' Hagrid himself saves Harry from it all. Telling Harry who he really is, using a famous quote from the film-series, "You're a wizard, Harry.", Harry responds only with, "I'm a...what?". You gotta love the British accent during that line. Showing Harry the world of Wizardry, he sets him off well with school supplies (nothing like our school supplies though). On the train to his new world (finding it thanks to Platform 9 3/4), Harry meets Ronald Weasley, a ginger boy amazed with meeting Harry. Only recently learning of the capper behind his scar from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Harry is somewhat devastated learning that his parents were murdered by a dark wizard. Harry and Ron instantly hit it off and remain together from there, both being put into the House of Gryffindor ("not Slytherin, not Slytherin, not Slytherin") opposed to three other Houses. From there, Harry's life instantly changes where he feels a sudden stab of pain in his scar when looking a Professor Snape. Who is this Snape? Something is going on in Hogwarts and are Harry, Ron, and Miss. Smarty Pants Hermione Granger willing to risk their stay at Hogwarts to unravel a mystery that'll set them off into seven years of danger and adventure? Well...of course they are! Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (2002): All summer Harry has been awaiting his return to Hogwarts and to reunite with his two best friends, Hermione and Ron. Visited by Dobby, a house elf, the young creature warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, of course, pushes Dobby's warning aside and returns for another great year. After a struggling attempt to get to Hogwarts with his friend Ron, the two boys slip away from being banned from the school. Something strange must've went down for Harry and Ron not being able to get through Platform 9 3/4? But, what? Soon later, Harry starts to hear whispers that lead him to discovering a message that reads, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.". This message strikes tensions and puts the professor's in scare and all Harry, Ron, and Hermione are wondering is what the Chamber of Secrets is. After suspecting Draco as the heir, Harry finds a book that belonged to someone named Tom Riddle. Harry sees Tom's memories from fifty years past and starts to gain closer to understanding the mystery behind the Chamber of Secrets. Who is Tom Riddle though, and does he connect to Harry's past? It's a very strange, dark second year at Hogwarts...and they only get darker. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): On the train-ride back to Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn of the Dementors (guards of Azkaban, a prison), who are searching for Serious Black, a stranger searching to kill Harry, the question is...why? A new professor, Lupin, instantly bonds with Harry where he shows him a charm that will defend him against Dementors. With Serious coming to kill Harry once and for all soon, is killing him really Serious' intentions...or is something much darker going down? That's for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to use their wits and magic to solve yet another mystery on the grounds of Hogwarts! Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2005): Striking the first PG-13 Potter film in the saga, you can expect loads of action in this one. Being the first Potter film I'd call epic, it still remains that way six years later. After learning of the Death Eaters, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return for their fourth year at Hogwarts. This year, a competition is taking place where competitors will face-off in three tasks and the winner will receive a trophy. Naming the competitors is the Goblet of Fire, where only older teens can compete. When Harry's name is drawn, question rises throughout the school--even jealousy. Dumbledore, in shock, has no choice but to allow Harry to compete because once the Goblet of Fire has chosen you...there is no backing out. Searching to find out how Harry's name was cast in the Goblet of Fire, Harry wonders if it is a hatching plan to kill him. The story here is beyond epic and even casts the first performance by Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. You have to admit, his first scene here in the series is damn epic!Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (2007): The rebellion begins! While it may be the dullest, most stolid adaptation in the film-series, it still gets the story down well enough not to completely change the book. The Order of the Phoenix is an organization founded by Dumbledore, and they inform Harry that the Ministry of Magic does not believe in Voldemort's return. At school, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge, who refuses to teach any magic because she suspects Dumbledore is planning to rebel against the ministry. In order to prepare themselves for a war against Voldemort, Harry must train an army of wizards behind Umbridge's back! Are these teens strong enough to fight against the Dark Lord?Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (2009): This would be, in my opinion, the slowest of all the Potter films but still a better adaptation than Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort has tightened a strong grasp onto the Muggle and Wizarding worlds and has chosen Draco to perform a secret mission. The thing about this Harry Potter film that makes it different than others is its more of a soapy drama. By all means, this is what brings this movie along and keeps it perfect. Along with learning how to keep up with potions from a mysterious book written by the Half-Blood Prince, the romance factor that mixes in with teenage feeling is the real win when it comes to this installment. Its also when the very loveable Albus Dumbledore meets his death to the coward that is Snape. Characters: Harry Potter: The boy who lived! Grown up not knowing of his true self until his eleventh birthday, Harry has always felt distant from the world living with his uncle, aunt, and cousin. Harry has a destiny, we all know that the second we capture his character in the first film. His destiny lies beneath all of his journeys at Hogwarts, and even deep, very deep into his soul. He is brave, honest, and a very unusual wizard...but he is a movie hero just as famous, just as great as Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones! Daniel Radcliffe has dedicated a decade of his life to fans across the globe and without his performance, Harry Potter would never have been as famous on-screen as he is today!Ronald Weasley: Ron is a frightened character by just about everything in the first few films, but you see him adapt to adventure and danger as he ages he sees his friendship with Harry not by choice but destiny. You also notice his love for Hermione Granger and root for the two all the way! He's funny, sweet, and one of the most loveable characters in the saga! Team Weasley! Rubert Grint is a fantastic, brilliant actor who has done a truly remarkable job at playing the character nothing more than wickedly.Hermione Granger: A half-blood brought up by Muggles (humans) and always on top of her game she is the greatest weapon Harry and Ronald hold because of her wit, power, and bravery. I wasn't the biggest fan of her in the first film/book, only because I found her insanely annoying, but obviously has the films went on she became a favorite heroine of mine. She gets easily offended by the word "muggle", only because it makes her feel un-welcomed in the wizarding world, but in reality she is one of the strongest characters in the series. Without her, would Harry even be alive by the final movie? I think not. Thanks to Emma Watson, Granger has been brought to life no better than perfect. Dumbledore: Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and also an idol to Harry Potter, he is an old soul who walks young Harry through his dark path in which the destiny he will soon have to face. Dumbledore is a real epic character and his death in the sixth movie is greatly hurtful. But of course with an epic character it never really is the end at their death, is it? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: The Dark Lord, ah screw it! Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort, who is Harry's greatest foe due to the murder of his parents, has a prophecy with Harry by which he must kill the boy. Played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes, the character couldn't have been played more sinister, dark, and scary other than how Ralph has portrayed him. Ever since his first performance in 2005 with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he has marveled every fan of the book and film series. He is a villain as evil, vile, an as loveable as Darth Vader, and that really says a lot.Severus Snape: He is a dark, vicious man in shape and form but has been loved by many throughout these movies. Suspected by our favorite magic trio from Year One, Snape was always a prime suspect in our hearts, no matter how much we all liked him. Played by the great Alan Rickman, you honestly cannot expect a more vile, realistic, and acetifying performance from any other actor for the role.There are so many other characters to talk about with the Harry Potter universe. There's Ginny, Fred, George, Nevel, Dobby, Bellatrix, Luna, and a whole bunch more! It's all of the fun, different characters in these movies that really leave us craving the next chapter more, its too bad this is the final entry and we have to say our goodbyes. Thankfully, this 8-part epic will always have a place to live on my shelf and I'll be visiting all of these wonderful characters over the years plenty more times to come.TOP 5 FAVORITE HARRY POTTER SCENES:5.Harry's first Quidditch match (2001): This was a fun, very inventive, and creative scene that I absolutely loved seeing. This was the scene that honestly got me so hooked with Harry Potter because I thought the creativity behind this made-up wizarding game by J.K. Rowling was so sweet beyond relief. Not just that, but seeing this on the big-screen back in 2001 was wicked epic, especially how great the effects were for then.4. Harry, Ron, and Hermione running from Death Eaters in forest (2010): I thought this scene was beyond awesome. The direction and tension David Yates performed on this scene was way too epic to take in. The fast shots of the forest and seeing our characters run for their lives and make wand-attacks doing so was really cool. Not just that, but their was no soundtrack added to the scene. It was dead silent which really built up a lot of tension during the scene.3. Voldemort's Return(2005): In the Goblet of Fire, seeing Voldemort moving and breathing was incredibly amazing. From that scene I knew the next few Potter films to come would be beyond epic and dark. From that end scene, I got to see the vile cruelty inside and out from the character. It was a excellent scene in the Potter series, therefore it deserves it spot here on this list.2. Harry and Hermione Dancing (2010): I can't really explain why this is one of my most treasured Potter moments. It's hard to explain, really, but there was something about this dance scene between Harry and Hermione that I love so much. Every time I see the scene I get the same twisted feeling in my gut, and I can't help but smile at the two dancing. Call me whatever, but its such a beautiful scene. 1. The Finale (2011): The final battle at Hogwarts is beyond epic and one of the coolest on-screen wars I have ever witnessed before in cinema. Seeing the final battle between good vs. evil, Harry vs. Voldemort is something that truly shouldn't be missed. It's colorful, dazzling, and completely breathtaking. How can you not love this?!TOP FIVE FAVORITE POTTER FILMS:5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: This was the first dark Harry Potter film land the creepy, violent storyline behind Tom Riddle drags me every single time. It's also the longest Potter film and never once quits on us with a slow, dreary pace. It's fast, dark, and always on a high-note keeping the adventure high all the way to the end.4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Cuts off some of the violence and says hello to the affection and teenage love-feelings they all of course feel. Being the most dramatic in the series, I thought it was interesting to see all of these characters, where they connect the most here. Sure, it doesn't contain much action but there is an epic conclusion its way to fill that void. Lets take a breath of something else before that is crammed. 3.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This is the most well-raved Potter film, probably because it contains a very well-crafted storyline and totally kicks the hell out of one and two when it comes to creativity and inventive imagination. 2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: With an epic storyline and fantastic flow of action, how can this not be one of the best Potter flick?! The action flows great, the story is always kicked in motion, and the ending gears us for a future of Potter films that will all lead to an epic war between good vs. evil.1.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: I see both parts as an equal film, but the reason to why its my favorite is because it is the most epic ending any fan could ask for. Filled with packer-punch action and adventure at its most intensity, no other Potter film could ever reach these levels more perfectly. Plus, its our goodbye to one of our favorite characters in cinematic history. This is for sure a favorite.-------------------------------------------------Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (2010-2011):Where did we last leave off Harry, Ron, and Hermione? Oh, that's right! With the extremely sad death of Dobby and with Voldemort's possession of the Elder Wand. We know something is about to go down for sure, folks. Deathly Hallows part 1 does a great job getting the story out of the way, where part 2 leaves us an epic wave of fantastic action and a visual masterpiece. Going back to where it all begins, Hogwarts becomes a battleground against Harry's side and Voldemort's side. You honestly couldn't ask for a more intense, well-made conclusion.David Yates really brings out his talent here. The shots of the Dementors guarding Hogwarts in the beginning was such an awesome shot, and Harry and Voldemort crawling for their wands had such a gritty, sensational look to it where I couldn't help but drop my jaw. Yates has certainly proved himself as the best director behind this film series, sorry Chris. Snape was a very likeable character here and I loved the scene where Harry sees his past. I thought the scene was shot perfectly, acted perfectly, and written perfectly. Seeing Snape's side to the story made you feel so bad for him, almost cry even (I hung in there, people). The scene was certainly the most emotional, and it was good to have something like that here in the conclusion to help keep itself at a dramatic level too. Saying goodbye is never easy, but say it the right way by paying extra for the IMAX. So many shots here in the film look so much more epic with IMAX outlining it and it'd be a shame to miss out on it. This film is literally the best movie experience I've ever had. People cheered for the characters, got excited when they needed, and clapped at epic moments. It was an amazing time at the movies and the perfect way to say goodbye to a friend who has told you his tale of heroism for the past decade. Ten long years folks! One decade...gone. Its sad to see Harry Potter go but he will always live on with me. Walking in to this epic finale I knew it'd be the end, but it didn't actually hit me until I was walking out. From there, my heart started thumping and my eyes got all watery. It might just be a movie, but this was my childhood...and now its over. Goodbye Harry, you will be deeply missed. -Your fan, Corey. Thanks for the read!
July 19, 2011Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_deathly_hallows_part_2/
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