Nine Hours at Loews: Confessions of a Harry Potter Enthusiast

Thursday night, Nov. 18, I spent the entirety of my evening at Loews in Mountainside.

I was there with my best friend, Jack Trimble, from the hours 6 p.m. until about 2:45 a.m. Many people would ask, what could possibly motivate someone to spend roughly nine hours in a movie theatre? The answer to that question, at least for me, is Harry Potter.

I have been an avid fan of the series from the very first book. I was nine years old when I was first given the book as a Christmas present, and from that day on I was hooked. When the movies started to come out I would see them opening weekend. When my friend got his driver's license in our junior year at Westfield High School, we began to see the movies at midnight. That same friend accompanied me Thursday to the "Harry Potter Adventure".

This adventure included viewings of the fifth and sixth movies prior to the midnight release of the newest movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow: Part 1". My excitement for this movie is difficult to put into words. I think it suffices to say that any reader of the books was left disappointed with the sixth movie.

"The Half-Blood Prince" had left some major holes and crucial parts of the book were left out. Particularly one battle scene in the culminating act of the book that was simply omitted from the film. So needless to say when I heard that the 784 page final installment of the series was being split into two movies, my faith was restored and my expectations were high.

We arrived at Loews just before 6, after grabbing some expensive snacks we sat down in the theatre for the first movie of the evening. Both of us had planned on arriving thirty minutes early to get good seats because both of us are over six feet tall and prefer the handicapped aisle with ample room to stretch. I was slightly shocked to find only about ten other people in the theatre with us. After thinking about it I realized that not many people are willing to sit in the same theatre for nine hours, and that the event was not very well publicized.

During the first movie of the evening, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", I began to get a little bit bored about an hour into the movie. Thoughts were running through my head that I was not going to be able to sit here through three movies. This was made worse by the fact that even though we had gotten our first choice of seats, our fellow enthusiasts may have been the worst people to spend nine hours with in the world. The couple, with an entire empty theatre to choose from, decided to sit directly behind us. We had seen the couple in line and I had decided that, despite the gentlemen's wardrobe choice of sweatpants with jean shorts over them, they were fellow fans that were there for the same reasons we were, to enjoy the movies. During the next few hours I realized that my first impression could not have been more wrong.

Throughout the first movie several jokes were cracked by this man seated behind me. I let them slide for almost the entire first movie. After all, the theatre was almost empty and my friend and I had been having side conversations as well, who wouldn't in a nine hour experience. But there came a point where my friend and I were becoming frustrated by a constant stream of loud jokes that were never approaching anywhere near being funny. My first attempt to put a stop to these jokes was laughing loudly at them, in an obnoxious manner. I thought that the sarcasm in my laugh would be noticed and that the "jokes" would cease. However I only seemed to egg on the man and more jokes followed that I let slide.

The second movie, my least favorite of the series, was practically the same as the first. But with only ten or so people in the theatre who was I to tell another person that they could not talk, especially when I was talking a good amount myself. My breaking point came shortly into the midnight movie. I have been waiting anxiously for this since July 2009, when the "Half-Blood Prince" disappointed my sky-high expectations.

Midnight came and I got goose bumps as the Warner Brother's logo appeared indicating the beginning of the movie. The man behind me felt it necessary to comment that the logo looked "old and rusty," just another in a series of terrible jokes. Calling them jokes isn't even an accurate way to describe them. There finally came a crucial point in the movie where I turned around and told the man to be quiet, in not those exact words. I am a very reserved guy, I don't let too much bother me, but even I have my limits. I received a defiant "no" to my request, and several other people in the audience chose to speak up as well, and it felt great. Not a peep from this guy for the rest of the movie, and as soon as it ended I fled the theatre, as I said I am a passive guy.

The movie itself was nothing short of phenomenal. I hated the sixth movie because of how it strayed from the book. I realize that it is not possible to follow word for word exactly what happened, but I do need some consistency with my favorite literary series of all time. And that is exactly what "The Deathly Hallows: Part 1" delivered.

Action, plot development and an incredible growth in the actors were all evident in this film. The series started out by coasting off of an incredible plot and now has transcended into some outstanding acting performances. In particular the portrayals of Ron Weaseley and Hermoine Granger, played by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, stood out above the rest. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of the series, either the books or movies.

I left the "Harry Potter Adventure" with three things, a renewed faith in director David Yates' ability to stay true to the books, a stomach ache from all the refills of my large cherry Coke, and a huge crush on Emma Watson.