Harry Potter has been a phenomenon since the first book was published and the movie rights were picked up by Warner Brothers a year after the UK publishing date. The books have been the reason behind the rise in literacy around the world. And the movies have been record breaking across the board. The boy who lived stirred a generation. Movie goers got to watch JK Rowling’s “Big Seven” (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Matt Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Bonnie Wright) grow up on the silver screen. In turn, the series has gone on to inspire an entire genre of music (Wizard Rock), a theme park (located at Universal Studios in Orlando), video games, conventions (like this week’s Leaky Con), balls, festivals, sports and so much more. But the greatest thing this series has created was a sense of community among Potter fans, who call themselves “Potterheads.” Sit down with a Potterhead and you can’t help but experience the story anew through their enthusiasm. And each and every one of them can tell you a story about how Rowling (who they lovingly call their Queen) changed their lives or made them see the world in a different way. But 21 years after Harry Potter was first thought of on the train, the series is finally coming to a close. There are no more books. There are no more movies. There’s no more of the Big Seven. And no more midnight premiers. It’s the end of an era. You can’t do a movie review of the final part of the final book without first looking back on the series. The field was set by director Chris Columbus for the first two films who did an amazing job casting the kids and setting the scene for Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the world that had been nothing more than fantasy for so many. The cast was all-star with the late Richard Harris (Dumbledore), Dame Maggie Smith (McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Snape), Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley) and Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley). Columbus handed the reins over to Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón who took the series and added the first needed splash of darkness for Prisoner of Azkaban. Adding Gary Oldman to the fray as Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black and (after the death of Richard Harris), Michael Gambon who portrayed Dumbledore shortly after monumental success portraying another legendary wizard (Gandolf). Mike Newell became the first British director for the series for Goblet of Fire which featured Twilight star, Robert Pattinson, as the loved Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory. The film also featured David Tennant (the 10th Doctor from the Dr. Who series) and Ralph Fiennes as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (okay, I’ll say it, Voldemort). Then finally David Yates was handed control of the series to take it on its home stretch from the fifth film to the final eighth film of the series. Adding Helena Bonham Carter to the all-star cast and a whole slew of names that would make your head spin if we tried to name the rest. And now, the final midnight showing of the greatest series of our time and the fans can’t help but hold back the tears as the final scene of Part I flashed onto the screen. The movie took an escape from the classic “Harry Potter” coming from the clouds thing to remind people of the last scene, but then it was off. Deathly Hallows Part II is what every person loves about movies, you have romance, action, sacrifices and death. And it’s missing the one thing that people probably hate the most, those bothersome times where plot points are explained way too much. Because it’s had 7 movies prior, Part II is able to ignore the “oh, that’s Hermione” bits of the movie and go straight into the “let’s ride this dragon!” Being a Potterhead myself, I want to gripe about the changes and applaud the things that stayed the same. But other fans who haven’t seen the movie would complain I was spoiling it. To that, I usually reply “Didn’t you read the book?” But this movie is different. The days leading up to the worldwide midnight release, there were select people who got to see the movie early and I was like every other Harry Potter fan whining “don’t ruin it!” So, I’ll honor that. But to sum it up, the Battle at Hogwarts was a flurry of lights that, after such a dark movie, I had to shield my eyes from (maybe sunglasses were necessary). And for avid fans, tissues were definitely a must. I found myself sobbing time after time as my favorite characters died (even though I already knew they would). The famous epilogue of the series was handled well (though as a personal preference, they should have had it as a hidden scene after the credits, Pirates of the Caribbean style). And seeing everyone’s favorite characters 19 years later was a bit comical, they look pretty weird in parent clothes. But the part the stole the show in my opinion, just like it did in the book, was the chapter The Prince’s Tale. Snape’s heart wrenching story won the hearts of so many readers and that chapter became an instant favorite in the series. And the way they handled that chapter was so delicate, so beautiful that I couldn’t help but sob as Snape’s memories danced across the scene. But for people who aren’t avid Harry Potter fans, for those who didn’t complain about Ted and Grawp (because you don’t know who they are), I’d suggest you watch Part I very close to going to see Part II. If you don’t remember the plot to Deathly Hallows, you may very well be lost. Oh, you’ll enjoy the fighting and the graphics (the statues fighting was absolutely amazing!!), but you’ll also annoy your Potter friends with the “who’s that?” when the Snatchers find their way on screen once more. All-in-all, Deathly Hallows Part II is a great way to end the era and I couldn’t think of anyone better than David Yeats to carry it home for Potter fans. I’m prepared to go see it every week from now on, so if you need a movie buddy, hit me up. In the words of the Weasley Twins, Harry Potter and the Mauraders, “Mischief Managed.”