This weekend I told Oldest G to see Harry Potter 7 part 1 at the theatre.  We went to this newly opened movie mega plex and I must say my seat was reminiscent of a roller coaster chair.  All I needed was a bar to drop down and then I would have started to get nervous.

If you haven't seen the movie or you are one of 20 people who have never read the book stop reading now.

HP7 is a tough book to turn into a movie.  So much happens in it and so much of what happens in it is heart-wrenchingly sad.

It opens with Voldemort and his army conversing about taking over the ministry of magic and how they will attempt to kill Harry when he is being moved from the Dursleys to a safe house.

Snape is there.

One of his coworkers is dangling from the ceiling.  She was a muggle arts teacher and Volemort has particular disdain for her.  The scene ends with her as snake food.

I was impressed with the screenwriter's ability to keep fairly true to the book.  Like I said there is an incredible about of detail in the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga.  Condensing it to a shorter format would be a incredibly difficult task.

That said, the movie is still 2 1/2 hours long and not all that action packed.

The scene where Hermione erases herself from her own parents memory is, as a mother, very sad.  I missed Harry's birthday celebration as it was a big deal in the novel and played little to no part in the movie.  I was glad that they still had the wedding. 

Mad Eye Moody's death was anti climatic compared to the death of Hedwig the owl. 

I did have one beef with the movie and it involves the kiss between Hermione and Harry.  The premise behind the kiss is basically there is a locket that our triumphant trio has been taking turns wearing.  They haven't been able to destroy it and it contains a piece of Voldy's soul. 

Because it has such a Frodo-like effect on Ron, Harry tells him that he needs to be the one to destroy it.  When they finally have the Griffindor sword in their possession, Harry opens the locket by speaking parsel-tongue to it. 

Ron was to whack it right away but unfortunately he lets it speak and it starts revealing all of his fears from inferiority to spiders to the fact that he thinks Hermione has chosen Harry.  In the image, black smoke and all, Harry and Herimone are speaking to Ron, confirming his fears.

It is in this puff of smoke, this hallucination, that Harry and Hermione kiss.  For some reason the director thought it necessary and even more hurtful to Ron to make them appear to be naked.

I. WAS. NOT. IMPRESSED.

That was totally unnecessary and made the who scene awkward and yucky.

I realize these kids are in their 20s but most of the kids watching are not.

Other than that scene the entire movie was excellent.  I cried like a hurt child when Dobby died.  He was so happy to be surrounded by his friends.

On a completely separate note the winner of the bag of Hershey kisses is Dawn and Me & My Scrapbook Projects.  Shoot me an email Dawn and I will be sure to send you your candy.