Last night I attended a media preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Admittedly, I have not seen all the Harry Potter films.
Also admittedly, I don't remember the contents of the final book all that well -- though I have read all seven of J.K. Rowling's tales of the boy wizard.
It was kind of fun to not know completely what was going to happen next, or compare to the book for accuracy. As such, I enjoyed muchly the action-packed movie, which was peppered with moments of levity.
Here's what I took away:
1. This installment is dark. Both story-wise and colour scheme-wise. I actually loved the cool blues and greens used throughout the movie. Very atmospheric. Breathtaking scenery backdrops too.
2. I loved any scene that involved the main characters being teen angsty. Ron Weasley, so moody! More than that, I loved the kissing scenes involving main characters. Oh young wizard love! (And weird glossy hallucination-y wizard erotica covered by clouds).
3. Over the weekend my roommate asked if I thought Ron Weasley was hot. I responded "sometimes." Watching the movie, I confirmed I was lying. I find him hot a lot of the time.
4. Despite his questionable morals, Draco Maffoy is hot too. Don't pretend you disagree. Just look at him at last night's premiere in NYC.
5. No I did not get all teary-eyed toward the end of this installment when a certain house-elf so heroically saved Harry and the gang at quite the cost to his own well-being. (Okay, yes I did wipe a tear away).
6. Weird and unexpected dance break between two main characters. Awkward, and I'm pretty sure unnecessary. (Here's who).
7. Minimal screentime, but glad we got to see: Neville Longbottom, Dudley Dursley, Hagrid, the Weasley gang and Hedwig.
8. Cool and unexpected animation break to quickly contextualize remaining action in the final act.
9. That Hermione Granger really is a great friend. And a good person to have around when you're searching for horcruxes: so prepared, level-headed and logical.
10. Damn it seems so physically and emotionally exhausting being Harry Potter. I jumped out of my seat five times just watching his life for two and a half hours. Magic is cool, but I'm still pretty happy being a muggle.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 hits theatres on Friday!