'Harry Potter 7, Part 2,' is a Poignant End to an Era

It’s safe to say that the final installment of the epic, eight-part “Harry Potter” film series may be the most anticipated movie release of all time. And it shows.

Last weekend “HP7” killed a ton of box office records, including biggest opening weekend gross ($168.55M), largest single-day ($92.1M) and biggest international weekend ever, weighing in at a staggering $307M.

It’s a phenomenon that has many scratching their heads. Those of us fanatics will just shake our heads back and say, “Muggles just don’t understand.”

The “Harry Potter” books, penned by richer-than-the-Queen-of-England J.K. Rowling, were released as a series over 10 years. Ten years. Tack on the time since the seventh book was published, and that's more than a decade of full-on anticipation and adoration, all leading up to this one film.

Even for those of us whose own adolescence did not correspond with the growth of little Harry -- from the first-year Seeker at Hogwarts to Harry Potter, warrior and leader of a generation -- the literary journey was vivid enough that we felt as if we were right there, growing up with him, wands waving and brooms soaring.

And for those who did pick up Book One in their youth? Well, many such friends of mine commented that they felt as if their own childhood was ending with the rolling of these last credits. That’s deep stuff.

As someone who has treasured the series since I was first lent “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” 11 years ago, I was both thrilled and devastated that the time to end it all had come. I joined a sold-out crowd at a Saturday matinee, took a deep breath and tried to expect the worst (I couldn’t bear being disappointed, and I had idiotically JUST finished re-reading the seventh book, so I knew I’d be extra sensitive to any omissions or additions.)

I don’t know what I was worried about. All previous films were handled intelligently with great care and respect, and this one was no different. “The Deathly Hallows Part 2” was poignant, suspenseful and satisfying. It also made me cry like a baby. I don’t know what I was thinking wearing mascara.

For those non-fans who can’t resist the fervor of it all, here’s a brief synopsis that will help you enjoy your journey into the HP:

Harry Potter is “the boy who lived.” When he was just a baby, his parents, Lily and James, were killed by a dark, power-hungry wizard named Voldemort. When “You Know Who” tried to finish the job with baby Harry – who had been prophesied to be his downfall – his curse backfired onto him. He would have died, except he had already split his soul into several pieces, which he stored in objects called horcruxes. It’s these horcruxes that Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, must find and destroy before turning their attention to the demon himself.

And for those wizards-at-heart that have yet to see it, I say, disapparate to a theatre immediately, and remember the spell “accio tissue.” You’ll need it.

Goodbye, Harry! I’ll miss you.

Catch it at the AMC Tilghman 8 in South Whitehall at 12:45 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 4:05 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 10 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.