By: Charlotte Sanders

At over 5,700 locations across North America, anxious fans lined up for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. You could practically feel the anticipation in the air as teenagers ran around in their Dumbledore or Hermione costumes, crying out spells from the famed books and continuously asking the person next to them “How excited are you?!” The Harry Potter series, which is all about a boy wizard at a magical school called Hogwarts, has been adored by millions all over the world, and by people of all ages. For this reason, it was crucial for the final movie to do the beloved books justice. So was the first installment of the Deathly Hallows a success? In my opinion, yes it was. The screenwriters stuck to the plot with impressive accuracy and it payed off. I’ve yet to hear a real fan complain about the movie. Yes, there were awkward parts added into the script such as Hermione and Harry’s cringe worthy slow dance or Harry doing up Ginny’s dress, but overall, the script seemed to please even the craziest of the die-hards. The acting by the leading trio has improved tremendously from the first film, and it’s interesting to see the difference in their performances, as they’ve grown up on screen in front of our eyes. As for the plot, although Harry, Ron and Hermione (played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively) are no longer behind the shield of the Hogwarts castle, there were hardly any slow moving points of the movie, keeping the entire audience on their toes. The various settings were remarkably accurate to the descriptions from the book, such as the reproduction of Harry’s birthplace, Godric’s Hollow. After everyone in my theatre walked out, completely satisfied with the way the movie turned out, I was surprised by how harsh the review were. The Globe and Mail opened their review stating, “Happily, the end [of Harry Potter] is nearly upon us”, while Wired.com declared that the movie “had hit a flat note”. Unfortunately, the films cannot please everyone, and we should remember that the middle-aged critics aren’t the targeted readers of this enchanting series; the books are meant to please us, the teenaged fans, who have been reading the series since the age of six and have been excitedly awaiting the next movie or book about the boy wizard. As long as the fans are completely satisfied with the portrayal of their favorite books, the movie will have served its purpose.