Review: Dinner and a Movie with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Our family has been in love with Harry Potter ever since I read the first book aloud to my oldest daughter 13 years ago. In the time since, my kids have read the books, watched all the movies, bought a ton of merchandise, dressed as the characters, had Harry Potter-themed birthday parties, and generally held on to their long-standing enthusiasm and dedication to J.K. Rowling’s universe.

The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one) was an event for us last year, and now that’s it’s out on DVD, my family continues to ride the wave of Harry Mania.

Last night, we even had a dinner with a Harry Potter theme!

First, we checked out the movie at a nearby Redbox:

Then the kids helped me think up some easy, fun ideas for our meal. We bought ConAgra Foods’ Hebrew National hot dogs and Wolf brand chili and transformed them into….

BANDAGED TROLL FINGERS!

BASILISK BARF!

The kids also mixed some soda for a witch’s brew, and we used ConAgra Food’s Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowls as “Whomping Willow Blossoms.”

 

Although we all agreed on how much we enjoyed the dinner, I can’t say we all totally agreed on the movie itself.

I, personally, found the movie too somber, too dark – both visually and in theme, and generally a bit too long. My family insists that’s because I didn’t read the book {gasp!}. Yes, it’s true – The Deathly Hallows was, in fact, the only one of the series I did not read. And perhaps it was for the same reason I didn’t full enjoy the movie – I just found myself mostly depressed by the low energy of the storyline and feeling utterly without hope.

My family steadfastly disagrees with my take on the movie. They each insist that the film did a fabulous job following the storyline, and they all expressed approval that the movie was made in two parts. “Otherwise,” my 12yo daughter reasoned, “there’s no way they could have put so much of the book into the movie.”

My 14yo was impressed by how filmmakers took the internal theme of desperation and despair and communicated it through the dark colors of the film. She also agreed that she was emotionally connected to each of the characters, and could intimately feel their pain.

While I am certain we will end up purchasing this DVD for our collection, I can’t say it’s one I will watch over and over. My family says it will all be worth it, though, for the highly anticipated second half of The Deathly Hallows. Maybe once I see the two movies side-by-side, I’ll better appreciate the mood and tone of this first half.

*Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions expressed are honest and my own. And, yes, I’m feeling rather lucky my family will still have me, even though I disagreed with them on this film.

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