Graduation.
Like numberless legions of other Harry Potter fans, I went to see the final installment of the movie series this past weekend. As some friends and I were saying, in many ways, this marks the end of an era on a very personal scale. In many way, this film in itself, both in its existence and especially in its content, is like a personal graduation -- a commencement -- an end of a kind of childhood. Underneath the magic, it is about growing up -- about making the hard choices, about becoming responsible adults with a clear-eyed view of reality and a sense of right and wrong even in -- especially in --the toughest of circumstances. Maybe I can explain this way: The time to be delighted and awed by enchanted ceilings and floating candles at that first dinner at Hogwarts is over. The dining hall has become a battlefield hospital in a full-blown wizard war with life and death, and freedom and tyranny in the balance.
The themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and doing what is right instead of what is easy ... These are ultimately all about growing up. I had gone into this film with plenty of apprehension. I loved the books, and the movie series had been somewhat of a mixed bag. This final adaptation, though, bore its own unenviable weight of expectation. I remember grabbing the seventh book when it was published in 2007 and reading nearly nonstop until my eyes hurt. I desperately wanted the movie version to ... well, maybe "do justice" to the book is too much to ask? How about ... to be not a total letdown. It wasn't. It was magic on an entirely different level and emotional register. It was riveting narrative magic, and for once the special effects acted in service to the story and the characters. You want an epic conclusion? I GOT YOUR EPIC CONCLUSION RIGHT HERE.
For those of you in a hurry, I'll just say this: The Battle of Hogwarts itself is worth the price of admission. For the rest of you: more thoughts after the jump. < River Song voice > Spoilers.
