Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

When I want to see a movie in a theater I usually have to see it late at night, after the witching hour. How appropriate for the latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise. Of course, that puts me smack in the middle of the midnight madness with all those teen-age wizarding geeks. Last night there were a whole mess of drunken, obnoxious and aggressively silly teens surrounding me with their texting madness. I wanted to commit Harry Pottricide. These were kids caught between their childhood Potter-fan mania and their I'm-too-cool-for-Hogwarts young adulthood. To be honest, most of them were just having a great time, unapologetically happy, dressed in their red and gold Griffindor scarves with penciled in lightening-bolt scars. Hey, who am I to talk? I made my college choice (USC) based mostly on an obsession with "Star Wars".
Last night, my favorite moment was spotting an average looking sixteen year old boy in a green tee-shirt. When he turned his back I saw a piece of notebook paper with the word "Muggle" duct taped to his back. The sign was misspelled and written sloppily with a sharpie. Ahh, a young man caught between two worlds.
As for the movie, it has nothing to do with children or children's literature. These are adults fighting an adult war in an action thriller full of adult themes. It banks on the fact that the fan base has grown up just as Hermione, Ron and Harry have grown. Harry and Ron sport a hefty five o'clock shadow. In fact the entire film has a shadowy tone and temperament. Just as in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", childish things are left behind and the allegorical threat to the world as we know it hangs in the balance.
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their own to destroy the remaining horcruxes that stand in the way of Voldemort's destruction. A horcrux is a kind of receptacle for the soul and Voldemort has hidden parts of himself in them so that he might be immortal. The destruction of the Horcruxes is the only way to insure the destruction of Voldemort. Sound complicated? Not if you've read the book or followed the movies. But if you haven't, don't bother with this film. It isn't for the uninitiated. And that's the way it should be. The end of this story is for the people who have bothered to read or watch the beginning and middle of this story. If you haven't boarded the Hogwarts' Express by now why should we waste time explaining it to you. The Deathly Hallows is for the hard core fan, and there are plenty of those. Like Frodo to Mount Doom, we are heading for a dark place where death is possible and redemption is not a guarantee. It's a great ride and I'm glad I paid my dues along the way so I get to go on it. But again, it ain't for the kiddies.
If there is any problem with these books or films, it's that J.K. Rowling's strength isn't to be found in plot development. In every new book, she has relied on introducing some kind of McGuffin, an object to be sought and found by the main characters that really isn't that important to the overall arc of the story. So every new book has a Sorcerer's stone, or Goblet, or prophecy orb, or horcrux that everybody is hot to find. Once they have it, it turns out not to be so vital but it's really about the chase. The most famous cinematic McGuffin is the Maltese Falcon. In Harry Potter they can really be distracting. They have to be explained and that always stops the forward progress of the story. Here, the Deathly Hallows turns out to be a series of three objects that we have never heard of before. They seem so important to Voldemort and thusly to Harry that you would think that someone might have mentioned them in say, Book Three. Forget it. They're really just a McGuffin. Plot isn't really the strong suit of this story. But character is.
And so I should say something about the three young people who we've come to know as Ron, Hermione and Harry (Radcliffe, Watson, Grint). Perhaps the most interesting thing about watching these characters over the years is the way the actors that play them have developed into really fine performers. They have learned their craft on the job. This film actually belongs to Rupert Grint, whose character Ron Weasley showcases his learned ability to display the nuances and struggles of friendship. He's really terrific in the role. And all three look like they've acted together for a decade---because they have. It serves the franchise well. I hope they go on to outstanding careers.
Part One is the set-up for the final battle, the lines are drawn and we are reminded who the soldiers will be, and what side they fight for. But this film is not all set up. It carries its own dramatic tension. But it also carries the promise of an epic battle to come. I can't wait. I'm hooked. I've got my notebook paper, sharpie and duct tape all set. And come next July, I'll be taping a sign to the back of my shirt that reads "Proud Muggle". See you then, my new-found, opening-night, wizarding brethren. See you then.