Yay! Finally Saw the Final Harry Potter

You see, when a major movie comes out, we wait and wait until all the crying kids, twitchy teens, and the rest of the crowds have all seen it. Then we venture out on a weekday for the earliest showing. Of course, we love the kid stuff, too, so if there’s a daycare van unloading in front of the ticket window, it’s an automatic postponement.

But this time it was perfect. It was 10:30 AM Thursday at the local AMC 30. Yes, there were quite a few cars in the parking lot, but the few kids trooping in with their harried moms made for the Smurfs or Captain America. Most the couples heading toward the sleek circular ticket terrace were like us: graying with a slight arthritic limp.  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 did not disappoint. Normally I’m not big on distopian settings, which pretty much describes the wizarding world with the rise of Voldemort. But by now the characters are so near and dear I want to follow them no matter what. J. K. Rowling is that brilliant.

The kids, meaning Harry, Ron and Hermione, are still endearingly young. But now, on the run against deadly evil, they display incredible resourcefulness and quick-minded maturity.  The real hero, of course, is Hermione. Not taking anything away from Harry. He stands up and does what he needs to do. Ron’s value, aside from his loyalty and great lines, is largely accidental. He just happens to pop up at the right time or overhear some piece of critical info. The point is that they wouldn’t have gotten one meter on their way without Hermione’s cleverness and attention to detail.

The most important thing for me is the emergence from tragedy and near total destruction to the fresh and new. In the end, a new generation melts through  the pillar at Kings Cross Station at Gate 9 ¾ to clamber aboard the gleaming red Hogwarts Express. Gotta love it.