When the last installment in the Harry Potter series hit the shelves fans both rejoiced and mourned the end of their beloved magical story line. It is finally over, the good guys have won, and we Muggles are left to live our non-magical lives once more. Luckily, with the books and DVDs we can re-watch and re-read any time we wish, but it’s not the same as the anticipation of the next installment in the story of our favorite wizards. But this post isn’t about the passing of the series, it is about the final installment in all its glory.
Since we missed catching Harry in the theaters (the life of a mom), I was excited to rent it from RedBox. Now, I know RedBox is not new. In fact, I have even posted codes for free rentals on my blog before, but I had never actually rented a movie from RedBox. So I was a RedBox newbie. The first thing I did was make sure my local RedBox had Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 available. Good news, both locations right up the street had it. I also learned I could reserve the movie and pay for it online, but I decided to risk it because I wanted to rent it in person from the RedBox.
Before heading out, I also did a quick Google search for free RedBox movie rental codes (I am always a deal hunter first). Volia, there was a code for a free rental yeay! Movie night is even better when it is free movie night. I was impressed with the ease of using the RedBox machine. I don’t know what I expected, but I was impressed. With just a few quick key strokes and my movie popped right out. I remember the days of renting VHS movies from the store with my dad. We would spend an hour picking out a movie and checking out for $4-5. Even full price, RedBox movies are only $1.20. Now that’s a business model I can get behind. Heck, it is even cheaper than renting a movie from the cable company. (Hint, if you are planning to rent a movie, like RedBox on Facebook for a free rental code – that’s where I found mine.)
While I am not an uber Potter fan, I am certainly a fan and having read the books, there weren’t any major surprises in the movie (except maybe a few of the details at the end of the movie, which I won’t giveaway). Where The Dealthy Hallows Part 1 ran a little slow (trying to fit in so many of JK Rowling’s important details), the final installment picks speed from the opening credits as the end of search for the three Horcruxes draws near.
Out of all of the Potter movies, The Deathly Hallows Part 2 hinges the most on previous story lines. So while I highly recommend the movie, if you’ve never seen a Potter flick (or read a book), this is not the movie for you. Even my husband, who has been forced to sit through each of the precious movies needed a few reminders as to the importance of what was happening in the movie.
The beauty of The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is that amidst fight against Lord Voldemort and the tragic losses in battle, the movie never lost sight of the fact that under all of the magic and mystery it is ultimately a story about three kids who grew up before our eyes (the actors too, but that’s another story). Harry, Ron and Hermione were just kids when they first charmed us with their magical ways, and along the way their friendship was real with bumps and bruises. But in the end these three friends stood side-by-side with their classmates and good magic and friendship won over the dark lord and darkness. Perhaps the real connection they had with each other is what helped keep us all memorized. Since the characters themselves were such an intricate part of the franchise, the closing movie scene back on platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station were just as powerful and important as winning the epic battle against Voldemort.
As the story closes on the last chapter of Harry Potter and his magical world, the final installment did what we all hoped it would. It brought conclusion to the story line and, of course, the end to Voldemort. In the way that only a magical story could, many of the beloved characters who were lost along the way were revisited in the final movie showing again that even their loss was not in vain as they will (in a magical way) live on. And Harry Potter will live on in the hearts of today’s fans, and the fans of the future as the next generation of Potter fans are left to discover the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Disclosure – This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I have never read the books or watched any of the movies. I keep telling myself that I should start….