Hello again, and welcome to Part 2 of this two part retrospective on Harry Potter. In Part 1, I talked about how I was first introduced to this wonderful series, my philosophy on books and their movie adaptations (movie first, book second) and I talked about the first four films in the series. If you didn’t catch Part 1, you can check it out here. Today I’ll tell you why I broke my movie first, book second rule with Harry Potter, and I’ll finish up talking about the films, from Order of the Phoenix to Deathly Hallows Part 1. Plus what I’m hoping for from the final film of this series.

Fair warning: I will be talking about Deathly Hallows in detail. If you haven’t seen Part 1, I recommend not reading that section. I will, however, keep any talk about Deathly Hallows Part 2 spoiler-free for all those who haven’t read the book.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dir. David Yates, 2007

Order of the Phoenix is a movie I have a great admiration for. I consider what director David Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg did on this film to be quite an accomplishment. They took the least interesting Harry Potter book and made an enjoyable movie out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but for hundreds and hundreds of pages, nothing of importance happens. At least nothing of vital importance. The end of Goblet of Fire set up this arc that takes the story through to the very end. The first half of Order of the Phoenix, however, has almost no impact on the overall arc of the series. It isn’t until the final chapters of the book when everyone heads for the Ministry of Magic that anything of real substance takes place. That’s also where the film kicks into high gear and we see the first real wizard battle of the series take place. It’s quite a sight.

Favorite Scene: Since I can’t decide between them all, the entire sequence in the Ministry of Magic, even though it takes place over a vast majority of the end of the film. From finding the prophecy and the appearance of the Death Eaters, to the wizard battle and the death of Sirius, to the brief battle with Voldemort and Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic scenes are by far my favorite from this film.

Before I get into talking about Half-Blood Prince, this is where my movie first, book second rule was broken. After seeing Order of the Phoenix, I decided that I wanted to start reading the books. My roommate at the time was a huge Potter fan, having read the entire series several times. My plan was to read all of the books up through Order of the Phoenix, then wait until I saw Half-Blood Prince to read that one, and so on. My reasoning behind this is something I explained in Part 1, but in addition to that, when I saw the movies, I didn’t want to know what was going to happen. I liked the suspense of not knowing what happens next.

So I began the process of reading the books. The further I got with them, the more I realized that stopping at Half-Blood Prince was going to be a difficult choice. After finally finishing Order of the Phoenix, I waited a couple weeks to see if my desire to continue reading was still there. It was. The books are just too damn good. So after taking a couple months to read the first five books (at a pretty leisurely pace), I knocked out Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows in a week. Having read the final two books so quickly, there are a lot of things I don’t remember, so seeing Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows for the first time is almost like having not read the books to some extent, even though I know the overall arc of what happens.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dir. David Yates, 2009

Half-Blood Prince is probably the most interesting viewing experience I’ve had on any of the Potter films. It was the first of the series in which I read the book first. However, prior to seeing the film or reading the book, the end was spoiled for me by an inept Potter fan in 2005. I mentioned it briefly in Part 1. It happened at the midnight showing of Goblet of Fire, less than a week from first being introduced to the films. We were all sitting in the theater about an hour before the film started, with many people dressed up as they usually do for midnight releases. In walks a guy dressed as Dumbledore. What happens next? Some idiot shouts “Snape kills Dumbledore!” A week into my experience with the series and I already know the end of Half-Blood Prince. I was slightly irritated to say the least.

There was some consolation, however, not knowing when, why or the circumstances surrounding it. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I was still affected by it when I read the book and when I saw the movie. It’s just that kind of moment. As for the film itself, when I saw it, the one thing I was struck by the most was how funny it was. There are some very serious and dark things happening in this film, and through it all, David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves find a way to infuse the film with a great sense of humor. Half-Blood Prince is really a precursor to Deathly Hallows. It sets up everything that is going to happen in Deathly Hallows. So Half-Blood Prince is really the penultimate-penultimate film.

Favorite Scene: (tie) The scene in the cave as Harry and Dumbledore attempt to find a horcrux. Seeing it in the theater, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people jump at the same time. My other favorite scene is the final confrontation in the tower after Harry and Dumbledore return from the cave. Yes, it was spoiled for me, yes I knew what would happen, but it is still a great scene. Powerful and poignant.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Dir. David Yates, 2010

One of the things I really enjoyed about the latest Potter film was how different it was from anything that preceded it. The first part of the book is a huge divergence from the previous books. It is essentially a road story. Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding at every turn. They’re not at Hogwarts, they’re not in any of the familiar places because they can’t be. As a film, it is slower-paced than most of the Potter films, but I think separating the book into two films really lets the film breathe and take the time it needs to take setting up the payoff that will happen in Part 2. The way the story is set up in Half-Blood Prince with the seven horcruxes, everything that takes place in Deathly Hallows is a vital part of the story coming to its conclusion. Putting everything into one film would be a disservice to the source material and a strain on audiences seeing what would have had to be a 3 and a half hour movie.

It is really hard for me to judge the film because it is incomplete. We haven’t seen half of it yet. The most important through-line of these films, as I mentioned in Part 1 talking about Sorcerer’s Stone, is the chemistry between the three leads and how important it was to cast each role correctly from the very beginning. This film more than any other, really relies on Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson because so many scenes in this film have only them in it. All three are flexing their acting muscle in this film and it is pretty remarkable how far they have all come as actors. Daniel Radcliffe, especially at the end with Dobby’s death, was fantastic. Go back to Goblet of Fire and watch him at the end after he comes back from the graveyard with a dead Cedric Diggory. It’s like night and day.

Favorite Scene: The tale of the Three Brothers was done exceptionally well. I’m sure it was difficult for the filmmakers to figure out how to do it because it is a story that has to be told, and all that is happening in the book is them sitting in the Lovegood house listening to Hermione tell the story. The animation was beautiful, and I think it was a highlight for many.

Ok, I did mention in Part 1 that I would talk about what I feel has been plaguing the series. It has been the unfortunate absence of John Williams. I will give credit to Patrick Doyle, who followed up the best soundtrack of the series in Prisoner of Azkaban, with a strong effort for Goblet of Fire. Since then, however, I was disappointed with Nicholas Hooper’s score in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. Not in the sense that they were bad scores, but they were not in any way memorable. When you think about the music from the series, the only themes I think of are the ones created by John Williams. The music for Deathly Hallows Part 1 was pretty sparse at times, but the music that was there, I thought, was pretty damn good. Not up to par with the first three films, but definitely better than any of the Hooper scores. With the movie being such a drastic departure in tone and setting, you have to expect the score to follow suit, and it did.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Dir. David Yates, July 15, 2011

In just 8 months, the final chapter of this wonderful series will be in cinemas for all to enjoy. Some of my favorite chapters from the entire series have yet to be seen. As promised, I won’t give anything away. For those of you who have read the books, you’re probably looking forward to the same scenes I am: Gringotts, Hogwarts, the Forest. It is going to be an epic final film. Deathly Hallows was my favorite book, mostly because I’m a sucker for a great ending. The filmmakers were wise enough to not force all of this wonderful material into one film, and for those who haven’t read the books, you’ll understand why next summer. I’ll see you at the cinema!

I hope this retrospective has been as enjoyable to read as it has been for me write. Harry Potter is not everyone’s cup of tea, or pumpkin juice for that matter. It took me a few years to embrace it. At that point in my life, I was probably a bit of a film snob and I felt it was just one of those series for the kiddies. I love being surprised. And Harry Potter was a huge surprise. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. I took a leap of faith, and have been reaping the rewards ever since.

Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.

Thanks for reading. Mischief managed.