I Come From the Land Down Under!: Rath's Reviews: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

While I may not have the ability to go to $4 movies anymore (maybe the single biggest routine that I miss being down here), I do live near a movie theater with "cheaper" $8 movie Tuesdays. It is a really nice theater called the Ritz:

and it has an incredible main theater:

I guess it will have to suffice while I am away ;-)

I should also mention before I get into my review, that Sydney also boasts the world's largest IMAX screen which my friends and I went to to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3D. Lets just say it was obnoxiously big...so clearly I want to put one in my house one day!

Now on to my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II review:

It was incredible. Essentially the perfect ending to a story and a world that has been a HUGE part of my life. I started reading the books in 5th grade and I am now a senior in college. I can remember waiting in lines for the books, reading the books in Hawaii, dressing up for Halloween as Harry Potter, seeing the movies with middle school friends, high school friends, and college friends, dressing up for movies with Londyn, and now seeing the final film in Australia. Reading back through that list I get slightly teary eyed realizing just how many of my childhood/teenage/adult memories are intertwined with the series.

The movie itself had a perfect balance of action, drama, and comedy. I can remember when Harry Potter first came out there was a huge outcry against it because of the witchcraft and such. This final film really made me really realize how much this isn't a tale of witchcraft or magic. Its a tale about good vs. evil, friendship, loyalty, and love; and its probably one of the best stories EVER told (there is a reason it is the highest grossing film franchise of all time -- yes even more than Star Wars and James Bond, which has 22 films in its name). There are emotional scenes which really cut to your core, especially if you have been with the series the entire time. They make you realize that this really is the end, and for me that was very sad. Snape's revelation, without spoiling anything, was possibly one of the most moving scenes I've ever seen in a film and I already knew about it from reading the books! I simply can't imagine how incredible this movie series is to people who are experiencing it not knowing what happens.

The technical side of the movie is fantastic as well. Not only is the film entertaining, it looks phenomenal. The special effects will most likely get it an Oscar nomination, the cinematography is well done, the score is the same as all the other films (aka perfect), and the acting is superb. That is in fact the last topic I would like to touch on. The young adults who started the movies at 11 years old as Harry, Ron, and Hermione have emerged as what could be some of the best actors in our generation. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and the ever-so-lovely-want-to-marry-her Emma Watson have grown up working with some of Britain's finest acting talent and it has clearly paid off. As a parting image here is how much they have grown up and how much I have grown up from 11 years old to 21 years old.