By Rachel DeChiara ’13, Staff Writer

Even the most magical fantasies seem to end in corruption and darkness, as evident in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1, the most recent installment of the epic Harry Potter series. Yet for many viewers, this marks a remarkable change from the original Harry Potter film, released in 2001, in which I and many others fell in love with the fantasy of Hogwarts and all of its fun, lively characters. This magical and fabulous oasis made my imagination run absolutely wild (I would even take online quizzes to find out which house I should join), an experience unparalleled in more recent movies.

The innocence of Harry, Ron, and Hermione was an important factor in why I loved the original films so much. Chris Columbus, the director of the first two films, captured the magic that is Hogwarts with an attention to detail for the objects that young viewers knew and loved from the books, successfully captivating audiences worldwide. Though I have never been a reader of the book series, I still like to consider myself a knowledgeable fan, and the recent movies have disappointed me with the feeling that I have been cheated out of my perfect world. While the final two books of the series may hold most of the series’ purpose and plot development, I for one feel slighted by the altered viewing experience in theaters.

Though I understand the importance of Harry’s clashes with Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, the original innocence of the characters in the series has all but disappeared. Simply judging by the progression of Harry Potter movie posters, this change is starkly evident. The most recent poster for The Deathly Hallows features Harry, Ron, and Hermione running in the twilight of dark woods, rather than standing center stage in glowing gold, dressed in new robes and with Hogwarts shining in the background.

The opening scene of The Deathly Hallows unfolds with a close up of a pair of sinister eyes, silently looking out at the viewer.  These eyes are soon revealed to belong to the Minister of Magic, who sets the somber tone of the movie when he addresses the Magic World, stating “These are dark times.”  Lord Voldemort is on the loose, and muggles and wizards are being killed left and right. The three beloved protagonists spend much of the the movie running from or dodging the Death Eaters, and not even a second of film time documents time at Hogwarts.

I for one long for Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans shared in the Gryffindor common room, and the excitement of Harry chasing down a snitch in a quidditch match. Instead, I was disappointed by the action-focused plot of the movie. The characters are always on the run, flying by broom to hide out at The Burrow, or  spending nights hidden in tents protected by enchantments.  There are none of the innocent scenes that I loved in the first movies, but rather tales of plotting and corruption. Many of the scenes chronicle the tale of an oppressive resistance army gaining strength through torture and manipulation, a story more akin to the depressing nature of news in the actual world, than a fairytale story of wizards and magic.

When the dimmed theater lights were again turned on, I was a bit disheartened and depressed. I miss the innocence of the younger Potter series, but I acknowledge and appreciate the necessary plot developments. I accept that the film was very well done and engaging, even as the film lacked a tangible sense of conclusion.  My recommendation: see it, but do not go in with any expectations, or you may end up feeling the bad taste of disappointment. Though the novel (and series in total) is effectively a bildungsroman, I wish the series could have been more playful, just to calm my worries and let me know that something in our world is not corrupt. Something can remain innocent. But that would be far too unrealistic, even for a book about magic.