The last of Harry Potter?

So, after much too-ing and fro-ing on Facebook, I finally managed to arrange to see the last Harry Potter film with a fellow fan. Wow. I had worried that the film would drag like the previous two, which were tedious to say the least, but this one kind of made up for it. :)

Okay, first a warning - potential spoilers coming up! If, like me, you've already read all the books prior to seeing the film, then you know the story. Of all the films this seemed to follow the book the most closely, although there were certain elements removed, and others that just seemed a bit of a bolt out of the blue or grasped from no-where if you haven't read the book. The story behind the Grey Lady seemed to have been seriously edited or lost along the way, which jarred slightly. The part of Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, had been hugely reduced. I had considered taking my nine-year-old daughter to see the film, but the final scene at Gringotts seemed far more bloody and grim than I remembered from the book - unnecessarily so. I think probably most Potter followers have already got the idea that Voldemort is a BAD man and I don't believe that needed underlying quite so graphically. It also came as a major relief for Hermione and Ron to FINALLY get it together. I've fretted that ten chapters is a long time to get two of my characters to realize they love each other - seven books to do so appears extreme! And if, like me, you're a bit of a sap, prepare to take a generous supply of tissues for at least one section of the film that almost had me bawling out loud even in a public cinema.

The action is pretty much non-stop and all the familiar favourites are there. The final battle over Hogwarts is impressive and heart-wrenching. Clumsy plant-obsessed Neville turns hero and there's a brief happily-ever-after section at the end.Overall I'd rate this an A and I can't wait to buy the DVD to complete the set. I don't think I'll bother watching Part One of the Deathly Hallows again though.