The Student News Site of Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy Roundup

The Student News Site of Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy Roundup

The Student News Site of Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy Roundup

Follow Us on Twitter

Final chapter of ‘Potter’ marks an end for the magic

By Sean Harris ’11
THE ROUNDUP

Spanning seven beloved books, massive box-office earnings and an uncountable amount of rabid fans, the “Harry Potter” film series is not really a collection of movies, rather a collection of cultural events.

But starting Nov. 19, the saga of the boy-who-lived is coming to a close with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1,” a two-part finale that will finish in July 2011.

The story picks up immediately following the last film. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) have decided to drop out of Hogwarts to search for the seven Horcruxes.

Horcruxes are mystical objects keeping Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes) alive, and when they’re all destroyed, Harry can have his long awaited rematch with Voldermort. But with Voldermort gaining power once again, Harry’s journey will be far from easy.

It’s undeniable, even to the non-fans, that “Harry Potter” has had a major influence on culture, just based on the sheer amount of people who have had an appreciation for the series.

Although it’s less about the movies and more about the books, which featured a magical world that sucked readers in creating one of the most commercially successful series ever.

If anything, the movies were a cash-in on the already immense popularity of the series, but far from cheap cash in.

The “Harry Potter” film franchise is the highest grossing franchise ever, grossing $5.4 billion in just six movies, beating the gross of 22 “James Bond” films.

This box office success has sent competing film studios scrambling in an effort to make the next “Harry Potter” a la “The Chronicles of Narnia.” It also might have convinced greedy Warner Bros. execs to split the final film into two, making it twice the revenue.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so cynical; perhaps splitting the books into two parts is exactly what they should’ve done from book four onward. If it works, it might remove the rushed feeling present in almost all the other movies.

I’m still skeptical of the movies, because while I love the books, I have never seen a “Harry Potter” movie that I’ve absolutely loved.

I do enjoy them, but part of that enjoyment might be due to my own memories of the books. I can’t imagine seeing the movies if I wasn’t already a fan of the books.

Despite all this, there was a twinge of bittersweet nostalgia when I saw the trailer for the final movie. The same feeling I got when watching the opening scene of “Toy Story 3.”

“Harry Potter” was a huge part of my childhood. Even when I finished the final book back in the summer of 2007, I knew that I would still have the movies in my life.

In that way, “Harry Potter” was not yet over.

Now that those are coming to an end too, it really feels like another reminder that my childhood is slowly coming to an end.

J.K Rowling said that there is a possibility of more books in the future, but I don’t think it will be the same.

Now that it’s all over, fans will just have to keep the magic alive themselves.

Leave a Comment
Donate to Brophy Roundup

Your donation will support the student journalists of Brophy College Preparatory. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Brophy Roundup

Comments (0)

All Brophy Roundup Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *