Harry Potter at the beach

Last night, in preparation for today's journey to the theater, we re-watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. I enjoyed it, as I had the first time, but I also realized yet again that as someone who had read only the first two books in the series, I did not possess all the background knowledge the movie seemed to assume.

Today's sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, probably assumed just as much but was so action-packed that I never felt the lack. The movie possessed many flaws, but overall it worked and provided an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the massive saga. A good half of the theater broke into applause at the ending.

The central issue with this film series is whether you're willing to take it on its own terms and buy into the way its universe works--a world in which death is not the ultimate ending, the foresight of some characters verges on the unbelievable, and bits of plot from many books earlier prove to play critical roles later. If you are, you'll love this final film. If you're not, stay home.

I gave myself over to the Harry Potter world, and so I greatly enjoyed this final film of it.