As I stepped into the Fenway Regal cinema, I saw at least fifteen different Harry Potters.
Yes, the time has finally arrived. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was released to hordes of enthusiastic Harry Potter fans at midnight on Thursday. Standing from my vantage point by the popcorn stand, I was struck with just how devoted everyone is to the decade long franchise . People of all ages were decked out in full Harry Potter gear, complete with scars on their foreheads and glasses held together with tape. One girl even an animatronic Hedwig perched on her arm.
I bet you’re all asking the same question: Why are they just so darn excited for this movie? A lot of it has to do with nostalgia, and how big a part Harry Potter was to everyone’s childhood. For people like Maggie Sullivan (pictured left, with fellow Harry Potter enthusiast Danielle Membrino), Harry Potter has been a lifelong love affair, sparked by the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone back in 2001. Waiting excitedly since 8:30pm, Sullivan has this to say about her fondness for the teenage wizard: “I’ve been reading Harry Potter since I was probably about ten years old, so it’s been something I’ve loved my whole life. The first time I read it, it struck me in a way that a book never had before.”
Fellow filmgoer Lizzie Buchanan agrees, saying that she can identify with the characters. “It’s really exciting because it’s been around for so long, and we’re the same age [as the characters] now. We grew up with [Harry Potter].”
For some, the last saga of the Harry Potter movies is just something that has been around all their lives, and must be experienced until it’s finally over. Claire Sielaff, a student from Boston College who was dressed in a Hogwarts uniform, said that although she liked the movies, they didn’t quite live up to the books. For her, Harry Potter was something that “you have to stick with until the end.”
Most of the people at the movie theater weren’t quite as apathetic. Christopher Berberesi says that a midnight movie premiere is something he’s never been to, and he was looking for a fun night. He says happily “It’s college – what the hell, right?” He and his friends Kyle Lanning and Jinny Barney (pictured right) definitely wins the best costume of the night. Dressed as Harry, Draco, and Hermione respectively, they seemed to have spared no expense for their amazingly detailed costumes. In fact, they looked so good in their costumes that people kept asking them for pictures, and they were interviewed not once, but twice that night.
Other amazing costumes include Laura Meeker and her friend, Haley Barton (who actually flew all the way from Wyoming to join her friend in Boston for the Harry Potter premiere). Dressed in identical clothing from head to toe, they decided to arrive at the premiere as Fred and George. They even had the same red hair-do. “The movie is the last she-bang. The books are all done, so this is a big deal!” says Ms Meeker.
Waiting at the movie theater since 9:45pm , Boston University student Nick Ferreri (CAS ’12) sums up the sentiments of many fans’ feelings about the film quite nicely. “It’s really bittersweet. I’m going to be sad in July when it’s really over but [right now] I’m really excited [for Part 1]. I like that they split it into two parts because it’ll do the book justice. Being an avid book fan I want them to do a good job.”
Whether you think these Harry Potter fans are deranged or dedicated is up to you – one thing we can’t deny is the huge impact Harry Potter has had on our generation. Without Harry Potter, BU would have no Quidditch team, and we all know how much that would suck.
