At the 12:05 a.m. Friday showing of the final installment of the ¿Harry Potter¿ franchise, it was standing room only inside the lobby of Danville Cinemas 8. (Kevin Allen/kevin.allen937@topper.wku.edu) |
The Harry Potter franchise has been wooing fans not just for a season or a year — a generation literally has grown up with the movie franchise since its beginning 10 years ago. Even longer, if you count the books that debuted in the U.S. in 1998.
It’s being called the motion picture event of a generation, and I have to agree. But I’m not alone.
“I’m kind of sad — been reading the books since elementary school. It kind of makes me feel old,” said movie-goer Cayce Whything, 21. “It’s like the end of my childhood.”
It is Whything’s generation that showed up for the franchise’s final installment. Theaters all over the U.S. sold out of tickets for the midnight showings of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Thursday night in Danville at Cinema 8 was no different.
“These people are brutal,” said Ashely Brown. “I dragged my pregnant sister here with me and she almost got trampled on!”
“I knew there’d be a big line,” said Chelsea Washington. “We bought our tickets two weeks ago, I don’t know why we didn’t get here sooner, we should have come three hours ago.”
Fans started to line up inside the theater as early as 9 p.m. for the 12:05 a.m. show. Some in full costumes, other’s with simply a cape or lightning rod drawn on their foreheads.
“I always wanted to dress up for the Harry Potter movies and since this was the last one, I decided to,” said Hanna Hardwick.
The attire varied, but the sentiment seemed the same. There was a bittersweet feeling in the air as it started to sink in with many that the series they grew up with was coming to an end.
“It’s very bittersweet knowing that there’s not going to be another one,” said Cassi Blevins, 25. Blevins and her mother were one of the first people in line.
On the other hand, there were a few movie-goers who decided to focus on the excitement of the premiere. “I’m thrilled to be here, it’s my first midnight premiere, I’m ecstatic,” said Alyssa Royalty, 18.
I could relate to the feelings of most of the people crowded in the cinemas. I, too, am a part of the generation that grew up reading and watching Harry Potter.
The day leading up to the premiere, my feelings were similar to that of a child on Christmas Eve. I was completely giddy. I remember the first book coming out when I was in the fourth grade. Now I’m a senior in college and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. Over the past 13 years, I have become totally invested in the story and its characters.
I won’t spoil the movie for anyone, but I will say this: I laughed, I cheered and I cried — not necessarily in that order. The battle scenes were epic and visually appealing, just as I had hoped. The emotion was raw and portrayed by the actors better than ever. It was the best mix of action and emotion of all the Harry Potter movies. As Larry King stated, simply, “It was perfect.”
Most fans felt the same way.
“It was phenomenal! The movie of the season,” said Royalty, adding it is her favorite Harry Potter movie. “You can tell all the fans are pleased with it by just looking at everyone’s faces.”
Although I felt utterly and totally satisfied when the credits rolled, it was also a very sobering moment. The gifts had been opened and the turkey eaten; Christmas is over.
Blevins agreed, saying, “When you read the last book, you knew it was over but you still had the movie to look forward to. Now it’s really over.”
For some the reality may be too much to bare.
“I told my co-workers that I may have to take the next week off because I’ll be to crying myself to sleep,” said Nick Wade.
Brown simply stated, “I’m so upset, I don’t want it to end.”
Whether you’re a hardcore Potter fan or a casual on-looker, no one can deny what a historic moment this is. Arguably the biggest movie franchise of our lifetime has indeed ended, and as movie reviewer Leonard Malton said, “You may never see something like this quite again.”
My advice: Don’t miss it.
It’s being called the motion picture event of a generation, and I have to agree. But I’m not alone.
“I’m kind of sad — been reading the books since elementary school. It kind of makes me feel old,” said movie-goer Cayce Whything, 21. “It’s like the end of my childhood.”
It is Whything’s generation that showed up for the franchise’s final installment. Theaters all over the U.S. sold out of tickets for the midnight showings of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Thursday night in Danville at Cinema 8 was no different.
“These people are brutal,” said Ashely Brown. “I dragged my pregnant sister here with me and she almost got trampled on!”
“I knew there’d be a big line,” said Chelsea Washington. “We bought our tickets two weeks ago, I don’t know why we didn’t get here sooner, we should have come three hours ago.”
Fans started to line up inside the theater as early as 9 p.m. for the 12:05 a.m. show. Some in full costumes, other’s with simply a cape or lightning rod drawn on their foreheads.
“I always wanted to dress up for the Harry Potter movies and since this was the last one, I decided to,” said Hanna Hardwick.
The attire varied, but the sentiment seemed the same. There was a bittersweet feeling in the air as it started to sink in with many that the series they grew up with was coming to an end.
“It’s very bittersweet knowing that there’s not going to be another one,” said Cassi Blevins, 25. Blevins and her mother were one of the first people in line.
On the other hand, there were a few movie-goers who decided to focus on the excitement of the premiere. “I’m thrilled to be here, it’s my first midnight premiere, I’m ecstatic,” said Alyssa Royalty, 18.
I could relate to the feelings of most of the people crowded in the cinemas. I, too, am a part of the generation that grew up reading and watching Harry Potter.
The day leading up to the premiere, my feelings were similar to that of a child on Christmas Eve. I was completely giddy. I remember the first book coming out when I was in the fourth grade. Now I’m a senior in college and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. Over the past 13 years, I have become totally invested in the story and its characters.
I won’t spoil the movie for anyone, but I will say this: I laughed, I cheered and I cried — not necessarily in that order. The battle scenes were epic and visually appealing, just as I had hoped. The emotion was raw and portrayed by the actors better than ever. It was the best mix of action and emotion of all the Harry Potter movies. As Larry King stated, simply, “It was perfect.”
Most fans felt the same way.
“It was phenomenal! The movie of the season,” said Royalty, adding it is her favorite Harry Potter movie. “You can tell all the fans are pleased with it by just looking at everyone’s faces.”
Although I felt utterly and totally satisfied when the credits rolled, it was also a very sobering moment. The gifts had been opened and the turkey eaten; Christmas is over.
Blevins agreed, saying, “When you read the last book, you knew it was over but you still had the movie to look forward to. Now it’s really over.”
For some the reality may be too much to bare.
“I told my co-workers that I may have to take the next week off because I’ll be to crying myself to sleep,” said Nick Wade.
Brown simply stated, “I’m so upset, I don’t want it to end.”
Whether you’re a hardcore Potter fan or a casual on-looker, no one can deny what a historic moment this is. Arguably the biggest movie franchise of our lifetime has indeed ended, and as movie reviewer Leonard Malton said, “You may never see something like this quite again.”
My advice: Don’t miss it.
