I am a self confessed Potter fan, and have been since I was about 10 years old. I spent my childhood waiting eagerly for the next book to come out and spending hour upon hour reading them until I'd finished. The last 4 books I read non-stop the day they were released (they went well into the early hours of the morning). I've probably read the entire series about 14 times over- but let's not start to brag, we all know that there are fans out there that are far more crazier than myself... and I salute them.
For me, Harry Potter was a world that whilst scary and unpredictable at times, became an escape from the unpleasant mundane normalities of everyday life. Now some people would argue that, that is simply what a story is for- to transport the audience into another world. Entertainment is not just expression or an art form but a way in which we can transport our minds (and our hearts) into a completely fictional world. For me, HP wasn't just that it was falling in love with the complete goodness that seemed to ooze out of every character and the overwhelming charming-ness of the entire magical world.
The films, however were not the same for me. They didn't harness that same connection that J.K Rowling had with you from the very minute she describe Dumbledore's eyes as he stood in the driveway of Number 4 Privet Drive. They seemed disconnected, and like many adaptations, failed to express all that was detailed in the literary version.
It wasn't until the Half-Blood Prince that I truly started to enjoy the films, and maybe that was because the first couple of films has a lot of baggage in that they had to explain to much that we (and Harry) learnt in the beginning of the series. The last few films also had an amazing style to them that had obviously over the years been cleaned up and perfected. So when the last film was released on Tuesday night it was with such immense pleasure that I felt my imagination has come to life.
The film was spectacular, in fact, I don't think I will ever be able to describe the feeling in words. The entire cinema was cheering as Bellatrix was killed, and Neville beheaded Voldemort's trusty snake Nagini. You could hear the sobs as Snape's final heroic act and long kept secret was finally revealed. It was Snape's story that really got me, and Alan Rickman's amazing portrayal of the love that he held for Lily was so spot on, I could just give him a hug.
The film took certain liberties in terms of the final battle between Voldy and Harry, and whilst this could have easily pissed off an entire world of dedicated lovers, I felt that it was just perfect in creating the much needed suspense and the catharsis that is sometimes so hard to depict on screen.
For the week leading up to the film release I spent my days watching speeches by the cast and the reflections that the entire world made on the series and how much it has changed our lives. It seems silly and cheesy to say that a book or a film has changed your life, but there is so much to gain from these books wether it be their morals about good and evil, love and family or just the idea that magic could really exist in this world.
At the beginning of this year I had the word 'imagine' tattooed on my wrist, because I believe that it is one of the most powerful tools that we have been given in this world. Harry Potter taught me to imagine, to believe in magic - of any kind, and for this I say THANK YOU.
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