Friday, July 15, 2011

The Midnight Experience

My sister and I rocking our HP 3D glasses at midnight
So I just got back from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 3D at midnight. I went with my sister who is in no means a Potter fan. She goes to these things because I drag her; she has never read the books and barely made it through the last two films. She is still confused about what the Deathly Hallows actually are and why it is so important that Snape is the Half-Blood Prince.
Herein lies problem number one. My friends who are as obsessed as I am are spread throughout the country and world. Most of them are in NY, but one is in Nevada, one in Wisconsin, and the other, France. So while mass texting in our separate theaters was fun, it wasn't the same as sitting in the same theater holding hands during Part One and crying on each others' shoulders about Dobby's death.
Problem number two was the moron I was sitting next to. He kept checking the time on his phone throughout the film. While the theater echoed with sobs upon seeing Fred and then Lupin and Tonks' bodies, he turned to his girlfriend and laughed. When I started making choking sobbing sounds as Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest, he scoffed. His girlfriend made him sit through the credits and he complained the entire time. Then he said that Will Dunn (Albus Potter) was the boy from Super 8. No. Just because he is young and has brown, curly hair, does not make him the same actor. I feel like more than anything, he hindered my enjoyment of the film because I felt like I had to stifle my emotions. 
So much of a film comes from the audience reaction. That's why I like going to midnight films so much; all the uber fans go to the midnight premieres so usually you get a good crowd. My theater was very tame. There was a smattering of clapping and some cheering at the expected places, but not what I expected.
However, the main problem I think I had was that I hyped the movie up so much in my mind. I imagined it was going to be exactly how I pictured it when I was reading the books and that is never the case. Yes, I liked the film. It was really good. Yes, I cried, numerous times. But was it everything I hoped for? I'm not sure. I am an extremely hopeful person. So much so that it gets me in trouble because my expectations are always too high. And I had Great Expectations for this film.
I'm not saying I hated it, I just don't have the same end of movie euphoria as everyone else right now. Honestly, I feel kind of empty inside, the same way I felt two years ago when the final book came out. I also think I haven't really had time to process the whole thing. That's why I'm going to see it later today with my Dad in IMAX. I also plan on seeing it eventually in its regular format with my mom (I live with a bunch of muggles, no one in my family has read the books). I am hoping that seeing it a second and third time, with a new crowd will give me a different perspective.
Also,one last note, this is just a quick post to get my initial feelings out. I promise to be more eloquent with my next post and more explicit on what I did and did not like. I just hit the 24th hour of me being awake so I'm surprised that my fingers can still find the right keys.
Rating: Needs Milk

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