2011-07-16

Loving Harry

There I was wearing my cape, with a packet of tissues, anticipating the start of the last movie installment of Harry Potter. I ooohed, aaaahed, clapped, teared-up, anticipated and yahoo-ed throughout the movie. I dreaded the end of the movie anticipating a hollow in my heart after the credits rolled, but it did not come. Instead, I felt satisfied. I felt closure.

* * * * *
Harry Potter and I knew each other for 11 years, when I was introduced to him in 2000 by a friend who has the same penchant for books on fantasy, magic and children. It was when Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley to buy things for school that I knew I would be with this boy until the end of the series. It was when Ollivander and Harry had their conversation at the wand shop that I felt the magic. It was when Harry and Ron shared their first chocolate frogs that the wizarding world became real for me.

What is it with Harry Potter that it took the world by storm? Many fantasy geeks would argue that "The Lord of the Rings" is better-written and has a more complex mythology. I wouldn't argue against that. One could say that Tolkien was a pioneer in creating fantastic worlds and characters and peoples beyond Aesop's fables and Grimm's fairy tales. The same could be said of his friend CS Lewis and his "Narnia Chronicles." Yet for both writers, the world took a while to realize the genius of their work. But when people finally did, they paved the way for the likes of Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket and JK Rowling.

Rowling was lucky in the sense that the world has gotten used to magic and fantasy (though she had her share of "HP is the work of the devil" haters). It took a few years for the her wizarding world to fly, but when it did, it was like riding a Firebolt to fame. Every other attempt to follow suit was a ride on a sad Cleansweep 7.

What kind of magic did Rowling cast? It has been pretty much established that it had to do a lot about love. But I also think beyond the typical battle between good-evil, it was her care in details that made the world not just like Harry and his gang, they wanted to be like them! It did not matter if you were 12 or 21 (my age when I began) when you started reading the book. I remember discussing with Pia how butterbeer would taste like, and closely approximated it to Zagu's brazo de mercedes brew. Pia was also our generous donor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from the US, of which I knowingly chose weird flavors like grass and pepper (vomit and booger were still in production) which tasted the way it was advertised. I had to finish off with buttered popcorn so as not to have the same aversion to the treats as Dumbledore. Crissy brought home Chocolate Frogs from Australia, which included a limited edition card. I was half-expecting the frog to move about once I opened, but to no avail. Rowling presented broomsticks like they were the latest car models, that one is better on the other, taking into consideration the maker, the model, the drag and what have you. The spells were delightful (Riddikulus, Expecto Patronum, Petrificus Totalus, Avada Kedavra, Crucio, etc. etc) and the magical items awesome (floo powder, portkey, sneakoscopes, remembralls, howlers, etc. etc.) and the mytichal creatures mystical (grindylows, cornish pixies, centuars, giants, house elves, ghosts, etc. etc.). I could go on and on and on. For me, it was all about the intricate details that Rowling put together to make the wizarding world more magical, more fantastical and more real to its readers.

The details also went into the people. The characters in the book were quite complex. With the teen-agers, you can imagine the insecurities they had to deal with and realize you were once or are like that. Hogwarts students had to deal with bullying and pranks and falling in love. They had to face the dreaded exams or deal with terror teachers. And in the end, they had to deal between the choice of good and evil, right and wrong. They had to grow up in a world at war.

As for the adults, many had complex histories (it is now I realize that we know little of McGonagall. Hmmm.). You had an truly evil Voldemort who never experienced love and therefore could not understand it. You had an unfathomable Snape, whose enduring love for Lily Potter kept him from going to the dark side before or during Harry Potter (thank you, Star Wars!). You have Horace Slughorn, who along with Snape, showed that being Slytherin does not necessarily make you evil but emphasizes on slyness and cunning. You have Remus Lupin, whose kindness of heart is shadowed by the stigma against werewolves. The list goes on and on and on. Bottomline is you get to know the characters in the book as persons and not just names.

Rita Skeeter wrote sensationally. Rowling wrote lovingly.

And so in the last 11 years, I, along with millions of Potter fans, saw many characters grow up, some grow old and a few pass away. The younger fans grew up with Harry while I felt like the three's bigger sister, proud with their achievements, sad with their pains.

We alternately waited for the next book or the next movie to come out. The anticipation is sometimes more exciting than reading the actual book or seeing the actual movie. What made the anticipation delightful was it was shared with many people. The funny thing is, Harry Potter is one of those things you don't mind the world likes/loves along with you. I mean, I know friends who lose interest in music or books because other people caught on. But Harry... you want to share him. You want others to experience the magic as you have.

* * * * *
The anticipation for Harry Potter truly has ended when the last movie installment has shown. Waiting for this last unkown Harry Potter franchise rooted itself in nostalgia, led me and a lot others into tears thinking it was THE end. It was like knowing family will be going away.

And yet, when I saw the final movie, I did not feel the sadness that I expected. What I felt was closure... even peace and contentment. It is AN end, but not THE end. Rowling and Dan Radcliffe were right when they said, "The stories we love best lives in us forever."

Harry Potter will live on in the pages of the seven books, in the cel of eight films and especially in the hearts of its fans.

So along with the thousands of fans camped out waiting to watch the UK premiere of HP as Jo Rowling was making her speech, I shout "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" to her. It was a wonderful ride of which I would be sure to take over and over and over.

Thank you for the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. He is truly "The Boy who Lived."

2011-07-15

Fave HP 7.2 moments

Beware: Spoilers ahead.

I want to emote about the finality of the anticipation of Harry Potter with this movie. But thankfully, the movie did well in providing a closure to the wonderful, magical journey I had with Harry and the rest of the wizarding world. The drama may be for another time since I still have two to three weeks to cling on to since the movie just started showing.

So for now I relive moments in the movie that had a lot of impact on me. I want to write it down and relish them without watching the movie over.
  • Dobby's tombstone. "Here lies Dobby. A free elf." Dobby knows much more about freedom and choice more than most people we know.
  • Snape's silhouette framed by a tower window then cut to the scene of Hogwarts students marching into the castle. Once the camera pans to Snape's face, you see he takes no delight. Also, the scene below is a contrast to the colorful, noisy greeting of Hogwarts in the past movies.
  • The Gringotts dragon. Such a beautiful, majestic creature! My heart bled with its chained neck. Beautiful creatures like that should be allowed to roam free!
  • The Gringotts massacre. I don't remember having read this in the book. And I hope it really wasn't there. Poor goblins! But uhm, why were those security wizards dressed like regular cops?
  • Hermione as Bellatrix. HBC does great in impersonating Hermione impersonating her character. Priceless. Ron wears a wig and goatee as H's companion. That look actually suits him!
  • Neville coming out the portrait with Arianna Dumbledore. That was a wonderful moment in the book for me too! I missed seeing Hogwarts in the first half of the book and first installment of the movie. And of course, knowing he will soon be out, Mayette and I were squealing "yey, Neville! Neville."
  • Harry meeting with other Hogwarts students. The look on the students' face, especially Seamus, when they discover had no plan. Priceless! :P
  • Snape fleeing Hogwarts. That short duel with McGonagall was the first sign of the coming battle. She may look old and a bit Miss Minchin like at times, but she's a bad-ass witch so don't mess with her!
  • McGonagall animating the Hogwarts statues. Like a giggly school girl she tells Molly "I've always wanted to use that spell!" I was laughing so hard I had to clap. And so did a good number of people in the cinema.
  • McGonagall instructing Seamus to work on pyrotechnics. If you did a marathon of the movies like I did, you will notice that Seamus gets blasted in the face almost all the movies. I was so happy with that reference but only a few seem to have got it. :/
  • The shield slowly covering up Hogwarts. I don't remember if there was music playing, but I was literally at the edge of my seat as it was happening.
  • Voldemort speaking to everyone in Hogwarts. His voice was soft, yet the malevolence was creeping on my skin. Wow.
  • Tonks and Remus holding out to each other when the shield was about to break. A pair of lovers, a pair of warriors.
  • The twins having their last conversation before the battle. I couldn't hear what they said to each other though. But still... my heart was in knots knowing what is to happen to one of them.
  • Neville aangas-angas with the Voldemort followers when they could not pass the shield. Then running as fast as his feet would take him when the shield broke. When he re-appears he goes, "That went well." Though I wish he said "I'm okay" because that was his dialogue everytime he fell in the earlier movies.
  • Ron and Hermione finally kissing! When and how. Big moment. Of course, clapping from most of the audience here. Sa wakas lang no!
  • Snape's death. It broke my heart.
  • Snape's love for Lily Potter. It broke my heart again. His love for Lily was as true as her love for Harry. Alan Rickman, you did justice to Snape. Thank you
  • Fred getting disarmed. Nooooo!
  • The death toll in the Great Hall. The undramatic manner of the showing the dead Fred, Remus and Lupin. As no fuss as it was in the book. Which makes it more heartbreaking.
  • Snape saying "always," Lily saying "always" in separate scenes. Sigh!
  • Draco crossing from Hogwarts flank to the Death Eater's side to be with his parents. Disappointing but expected.
  • Voldemort thinking Neville was joining the death eaters. "I was expecting someone better. I'm sure we will find something for you in our ranks" And the mockery in his voice as he said it.
  • Neville daring to speak up against Voldemort. Go Neville, true Gryffindor!!
  • Harry at King's Cross with Dumbledore. Conversations between those two are just full of quotable qoutes!
  • Neville cutting Nagini's head off. Yeaaaah!
  • Battle between Harry and Voldemort. (but not as Epic as the Voldemort-Dumbledore duel though)
  • Luna and Neville sitting quietly together. The pride in Neville's face. Win!
  • The last scene with the triumvirate 19 years later.

I did feel disappointed that they did not show Harry repairing his old wand with the elder wand. I really, really love that scene in the book. But oh well...
    So obviously, I enjoyed the movie. And I am glad to have known Harry Potter and his magical world.