Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: Social Suicide for Society

Oh Harry Potter. This was the beginning and continuation of my child hood. I remember reading the first books when I was young and in elementary school, then finishing the series when I was in high school. There are few things in this world that can traverse a gap of time so long and so diverse as far as emotions and growing up. Good ol' Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the wizarding world were able to.

I will never forget staying up late and reading the books and emerging into a reality that seems so achievable. A society so unreal but yet so real at the same time. I was at Hogwarts with them as they roamed the corridors. On a broomstick with Harry playing quidditch. Wondering what Dumbledore would do next with his infinite wisdom and power as the greatest wizard of all time. This is when books reach their ultimate potential. When they make you escape and bring you into it's pages.

The movies so far, barring the 4th one, have all been made according the story line for the most part. As close as can be with the interchange from page to lines of a script. And now the mass hysteria will begin again on Friday morning at 12:01.

The first 2:30 hours of the final books installment will make it to the big screen across the world. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part I is finally here with the second part set to come in 2011. We finally get Harry back.

I have my tickets for the midnight showing.

Here's my take on it all.

There are few things in the world that can unify and excite nearly all of it. Whatever your beliefs on the books from a religious perspective, one thing you must own up to is that the books and movies can span the culture gap in any given situation. Millions have read the books, and now millions will watch the movies in less than 72 hours.

We are lucky that it is Harry Potter that does this in my generation. In my grandparents generation it was war that unified the thinking of people in separate countries. In my parents it was the hippie movement(war, drugs, and music.) I'll take Harry Potter as a talking point over those other topics any day.

So thank you J.K. Rowling for giving me and the rest of the world Harry Potter, we needed it.