My Thoughts on Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II
Tonight I went to see the final installment of the Harry Potter movie series. I went in with not a few hopes and expectations and soon found myself enjoying every minute. Unlike so many of my friends, I do not judge the film directors too harshly when they choose to make changes to the story line. I feel that I am not qualified to make those judgments having never been in their position and thus I do not waste any energy on those thoughts. I just allow myself to become immersed in the story as told on screen. I especially enjoyed the scenes in which Neville finally comes into his own and faces his fears head on only to realize that he has what it takes to be self-assured and confident in his choices. The scene that meant the most to me was the one in which Harry, while attending to a dying Snape, realizes for the first time what huge sacrifices and immense bravery this man had demonstrated in all that he had done to ultimately protect Harry from Voldemort until Harry was ready to face his nemesis. This scene’s exquisite bittersweet pain is not fully appreciated until the final scene of the movie in which is heard Harry’s having named his son, Albus Severus Potter. I also found the out of body scene in which Harry finds himself in the company of Albus Dumbledore in a heavenly representation of King’s Cross Train Station, to very much fulfill my imagination’s picture of this scene. One final thought on this film. I was touched by the realization that J.K. Rowling and the film director chose to not have the scene with the final demise of Voldemort become a scene of vengeance. Instead, it is a scene where we see the ultimate demise of a man who through his own choices and evil deeds, self-destructs. I think the thing I take away from this film, amongst others, is that true love, sacrificial love that does not hold on too strongly to its own perceived rights will never fall to self-seeking, power hungry and narcissistic souls like Voldemorts’. Ultimately, I am once again reminded that there are ultimate, unchangeable truths and these will always point those of us who follow him, back to our savior, Jesus Christ. Many thanks to J.K. Rowling, the directors of the Harry Potter films and the wonderful cast that brought these stories to life on screen and ultimately led me to read the wonderful books that these films were based upon.
