Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

My wife told me a couple of weeks ago that we would be going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as a family.  Harry Potter has really been a part of my girls life since it has gotten started about ten years ago.  The books have made the rounds in the family and now the movies.  It has really had an impact.  I think the youngest two have read the books multiple times and we own a few of the movies and several of the soundtracks. 

I have read about the first four books and then got diverted and never have returned to the books.  I think I have seen the first 3-4 movies then missed a couple and then I saw the Hallows part 1 a couple times.  The last time was last night to get ready for seeing this movie in the theater.  I was glad that we watched it again so I didn't have any lag time in figuring out what was going on at the start of this movie.  This movie starts fast and doesn't give you much time to catch up.  

So we got our tickets in advance and went to the theater earlier than we normally would so we could have our choice at seats.  We got there so early that the credits were still running from its last showing.  I'd never gone to a movie early enough to see that.  The theater wasn't quite packed but it was fuller than I have seen since it was built.  I noticed the ages of the people there were largely about my girls ages which range from older teens to mid twenties.  There were some parents and some younger children too. 

The movie literally started off from the end of the last one.  That very last scene from Deathly Hallows 1 is shown and then goes right into this movie.  I liked Hallows 1 all right but wasn't overly excited about it.  I was kind of expecting to like this one about the same. 

What I found though was that it was a great movie.  The action was much higher and interested me from that aspect.  However, what really interested me was the good versus evil theme that was very strong here.  As a matter of fact there were some very strong Christ parallels, if you look for it and can accept comparing Harry Potter to Christ.  If that bothers you then there are some other things that do not parallel the gospel. 

It really was an enjoyable movie and all the family enjoyed it.  So did the people.  There were a couple of --I guess you would have to call them "minor swear words"--and one mother versus daughter scene at the end bothered me a little because of the satisfaction the victor had--but aside from that I could see shades of epic battles from the Book of Mormon, Lord of the Rings, and Old Testament battles as we watched the good versus evil.  Lots of people were killed but very little graphic slaughter--and what was a bit graphic (I can think of two instances) was much muted over what has become acceptable in other movies nowadays. 

So it all boils down to a great movie that struck a couple of cords with me despite my not having read all the books, nor having kept up with all the movies.  One thing that strikes me about this movie is the modesty was excellent.  There was a slight amount of romance which was acceptable for all ages (a couple kisses) and was actually improved over the one questionable scene in Hallows 1.  So this may fit your criteria for a family show that is acceptable to all the family members.  I think some of the scenes could be a bit much for youngsters, so I wouldn't take them under age 8 or so.  One of my girls has been really sensitive to movies (her first movie was the original Shrek and she wanted to leave after five minutes) but she handled everything well. 

I'd be interested to hear what you see as parallels to Christianity if you see it. 

Older Harry Potter and wife

P.S.  It's possible you will think the movie is over at least once before it finally ends.  Seeing the adult Harry Potter and friends with their children is a good flash for those of us who remember being a teen but now find ourselves middle aged. 

P.P.S. it is fun to see Neville return and oppose Satan, oops I mean Voldemort saying in essence that good can be in our hearts even if our exemplar is not here.  Again Neville is made fun of but steps forward at the right time and does the right thing just when it is needed--yeah for the underdog!