Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

The first time I ever heard about these stories was on a drive through the Rocky Mountains. We could only pic up one station (CBC) and on that day the announcer had the author J.K. Rawling on for the full hour. He had heard what a sensation her books were in England and now Canadian children were finding out about them too. She gave a sorta primer lecture about what Hogwarts was and who Harry Potter was as well what made his story so interesting.

After hearing the passion she had for the stories I bought the first one and have read all seven volumes since. It's hard to believe that the second to last movie starts this week. The books were already out years ago so everyone knows the stories. The genius, in my opinion, is how the cast and crew have stayed together and produced something truly magical. Something never seen before and something we will never see again.

The only unfortunate part is that by splitting the final book into two movies that you have alot of time to fill in the middle just to get to the real finale of the story.Deathly Hallows part 1 could have been half as long and I would have been just as happy.


Many kids have known nothing but the world of Harry Potter for their whole lives and having grown up with the characters, now have to take the lessons learned in that world and move on with their lives. That is not such a terrible thing at all.

The books have a lot to say about loyalty, love and friendship but I believe they are most about being brave enough to face your own destiny - and realizing that the journey is one that you don't have to make alone.

How great it is that my niece is getting to the age when she wants to read the books for herself, now that my brother-in-law has finished reading the first two volumes to her. What a terrific gift Rawling gave to the world. The movies were also created with love and reverence for the source material so they are terrific companions to the books. On film, Harry will never age. No matter what he does from now on, the character he gave life to will live on forever.


I really enjoyed this seventh movie in the series. I can argue that to cut the finale into two movies disrupts the action but that is a minor complaint. I never became bored with the characters or the situations they encounter. I find every inch of this world to be endlessly fascinating. The filmmakers did a great job in casting a dark and gloomy pale over every person and every setting.

As the movies progressed Voldemort started as an unknown bogeyman that only whispered it's terror but now has moved onto become a truly terrifying villain. I loved the way his rise to rebirth has mirrored Harry's own time growing up. The battle between good and evil was inevitable right from the beginning.

I, for one, will be there this summer to watch it all end.