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Hello, Lovelies! After my massive NYC Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premiere camp-out extravaganza, I’m back and plugged into my laptop once more. And boy, do I ever have things to say!

First of all, whoever was in charge of putting on that premiere sucks. There was a group of us that had been there for five and six days, and they almost didn’t give us wristbands to let us in. They eventually did, but stuck us in the last section of the red carpet, where all the actors were really rushed and didn’t take much time to sign for us. Alan Rickman just walked by, and Matthew Lewis never even made it to our area. So I waited five days for a single autograph from Tom Felton (who also brought us pizza on our last night!) and a glance and a wave from Alan Rickman.

Seriously cool and everything, but the crown jewel of my experience ended up being the biggest surprise: the wristbands we were given included a screening of the movie! Sure, I may not have been mentally prepared to see it, but I got over that pretty fast. How could I turn this down?! 

 

(Before reading on, know that this post contains ambiguous spoilers for those that’ve read the books. They’re rather huge if you haven’t.)

I was extremely nervous as the WB logo at the start of the film appeared on screen. The book was so amazing, and its on-screen counterpart had so much to live up to. But as I left the theater two hours later after dry sobbing for nearly the entire time (my five days living on the street left me more than a bit dehydrated), I can honestly say that it more than did so.

Those of us that’ve read the books countless times and know them backwards and forwards need to remember that an exact recreation would be impossible. So of course, some things were different. There were several things that were cut out, but overall I was okay with them, because they weren’t essential to the plot. For the first time in the series, there were several little things added that actually made the film better in my eyes. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say that some new additions had me bawling.

I wasn’t disappointed by anything. Well, okay, a thing or two, but that’s just because of who my favorite character is (don’t click if you don’t want to know), and I’m always disappointed in this respect. The Gringotts sequence was done really well, and the action scenes during the battle were fast and furious, just as impressive as the Department of Mysteries scene in Order of the Phoenix.

 

As a huge fan of Snape, I was terrified of how “The Prince’s Tale” would come across on screen. If they screwed up the best chapter in the series, heads would roll. Fellow Snape enthusiasts, let me put your minds at ease: OH. MY. GOD. I loved Alan Rickman before, but his performance absolutely blew my mind. I was a complete and total mess. It was reworked a little bit, but I love what was changed, and spent the entire sequence clutching my face and trying not to wail. Seriously. And his death scene? Knife through the heart. I fully agree with the people saying that Rickman should get an Oscar for this.

Speaking of amazing, Neville was a complete BAMF. And McGonagall? Almost beyond comprehension. I want to be her when I grow up. You won’t be disappointed by Mrs. Weasley, either!

I could go on forever and probably confuse you with my vague ramblings, but I’ll try to wrap this up. The Resurrection Stone scene was almost word for word with the book, King’s Cross was good as well, and Ron and Hermione’s kiss, while different from the book, worked in its own adorable way. Voldemort’s defeat was very different from what happened in the book, and while it would’ve been great to see the scene I’ve been picturing, it worked too. And I was very surprised at their lack of shyness in showing dead bodies. Nothing too graphic, but still enough for me to gasp.

 

Bottom line? If you’re a Harry Potter virgin, don’t try to get into it now. The story jumps right in where the last one let off with only a teeeeeny recap, so first timers will be lost. But if you love Harry, or even just like him a little bit, Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a must see. I dare you to remain dry-eyed (unless you’re like me and spent the lead-up standing outside in 90 degree weather for 10 hours).

Get excited, Lovelies! Are you planning on seeing it? Or a more appropriate question might be… are you planning on seeing it on Thursday night at midnight?