books

In this post I will honor the ending of something truly magical that has kept me interested for more than a decade

I still remember how stunning the books were the first time I read them. Magical, fun and exciting. I don’t think many was expecting the movies to be quite as good, but when they finally came out they were breath-taking for me as well. I am of course talking about the magical world of Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter film series, which is based on J. K. Rowling’s books, is the most successful movie franchise of all time. In just a less than a week the final and eighth movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, will be released. In this last installment Harry will continue his quest with Ron and Hermione as they try to destroy the last pieces of Lord Voldemort’s soul hidden all over the world as horcruxes.

How it all began

According to Wikipedia and various interviews it all started in 1997 when producer David Heyman read the first book because his secretary recommended it. At first he didn’t like it because of the title but after reading it he became an instant fan. After that J. K. Rowling sold them the rights to make the first four films if they promised to use British actors.

In 2000 director Chris Columbus was chosen to direct the first movie, probably because of all his other movies for children. Like Home Alone which I personally think is very similar to the first Harry Potter film.
A year later in 2001 it was finally released and Chris became the director of the second movie too which was released only one year later.

Since then 5 more movies have been released. While preserving many of the same actors the movies have had several new directors and composers.
I think this little video will make you agree with me that time has indeed gone fast!

Really amazing how time flies fast, isn’t it? Seems like yesterday I watched the first movie, Philosopher’s Stone, and now it’s quite surreal after all these years, that there won’t be a next movie to look forward to.

The attention to detail

Many people don’t like all the movies. Some think the first two movies are the best and other like the darker and more serious ones.
Personally I think all of them are nothing less than perfect. And it’s all because of the attention to detail. Many series delivers a great movie at first but all the sequels just turn into something not quite as good. For me this has never happened with Harry Potter and I think it’s fantastic they could make 8 movies and still keep us all excited.

Another thing I’ve really enjoyed through the years is the soundtrack. Think about it, what would a Harry Potter movie be without the music? Different composers, like John Williams and Nicolas Hopper, have worked on different movies and I really think they’ve all done a very, very good job.
For me music is very important and no Harry Potter movie has disappointed me. I already own some of the soundtracks and I will order the rest when the final soundtrack comes out.

The crew won an award earlier this year for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema where one of the producers, David Heyman, walked up to do a very beautiful and sad speech. Watch the emotional video below.

I must admit I really like that (Hey)man! I really think he deserved it together with the crew and actors after some great movies. They couldn’t have done a better job. And we must’nt forget J. K. Rowling, of course.

Eventually I really think the movies will stand out as some of the greatest for years to come. It’s not just eight movies, it’s so much more than that. It’s a world of magic, love and friendship. Together with only the best movies series, like The Lord of the Rings and probably The Hobbit (coming 2012 and 2013), we will all continue to watch them for the rest of our lives. Like the books, of course. So in some ways this isn’t really the end, maybe a new beginning? Harry Potter and the rest of the universe will never die as long as the fans continue to have him on their mind.

And we will let our children read the books and watch the movies too, of course! : )

My favorite moments

I’ve watched all the first 7 films several times and I do of course have som favorite moments. Here are 10 of them, watch out for spoilers:

• HP1: When Harry finally receives his wand from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley. I like this scene very much, wands are always interesting! And we get to know about the connection between Harry and Voldemort for the first time.
• HP2: After Harry comes back from the Chamber of Secret he visits Dumbledore who tells him: “It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.” One of my favorite quotes which I think really makes sense.
• HP2: The last scene where Hagrid finally returns from Azkaban. I think it’s one of the most emotional scenes in all the movies.
• HP3: Professor Lupin tells Harry on the bridge about his family who was killed by the Dark Lord. I really like this scene, especially the music which is perfect.
• HP3: The scene where Harry saves himself and Sirius Black from the dementors. I will never forget when he yells: “Expecto Patronum!“
• HP4: Harry fights against Lord Voldemort after winning the Triwizard Tournament. Really dark and scary scene where we get to see that “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” really has returned!
• HP5: After Voldemort duels against Dumbledore he tries to possess Harry’s mind for a few seconds until Harry fights back by remembering his friends and family.
• HP6: The scene where Dumbledore is killed by Snape. Afterwards everyone at Hogwarts raises their wand. Really emotional scene which I think was just right.
• HP6: The last scene where Harry and his friends decide to go look for the horcruxes after Dumbledore’s death. Phenomenal scene with fantastic music by Nicolas Hopper, best possible ending for the movie.
• HP7 P1: The death of Dubby. A sad scene where Harry decides to burry the house elf himself.

Those are some of the moments I’ll always remember when I look back. But since I’ve grown up with these movies I could easily come up with 10 more.

Thanks for everything

To sum it all up, the Harry Potter films have really been something very special for me. It’s been amazing to grow up with them and it’ll be so sad to finally say goodbye. In the end it’s really because of some amazing people who’ve worked on the film series for years. I wish I’ll meet a few of them someday just to shake their hand and say thanks.
I’ll probably be doing a review of the last movie but it won’t really be neccessary. It’s without doubt the movie of the year and it’s going to be fantastic. Hopefully I will shed a tear during the last scene.

Thank you, J. K. Rowling, David Heyman, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and the rest of the cast and crew of all the eight movies for making my life a little more magical than it was 10 years ago.