Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: Movie Review

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1:  Movie Review

Review by Stacey Tuttle

There have been a lot of great resources written for those who are curious how to navigate the Harry Potter series.  Many will point out areas where the Christian story is woven into the fabric of the Harry Potter story.  Not that Harry Potter is a Christian story; it’s not.  But it is a great story.  And all great stories are great because they contain certain basic elements of story.  There is the chosen one, the one whom people put their hope and trust in believing he will be their rescuer, their savior.  There is evil and people rising up to fight against it.  There’s longing for peace.  Sacrifice.  Bravery.  Damsels in distress.  I could go on but you get the point.  All of these elements aren’t just pieces of great stories, but first and foremost they are pieces of the Christian story.  So, when I say there that the Christian story is woven into the Harry Potter story it’s because the Christian story is inescapable—it can be found in any great story.  It’s what makes great stories great. 

As I said, there are numerous resources to help you dig deeper into this by writers and thinkers far greater than I.  In light of that, I don’t want to try to reinvent the wheel.  But I did have one overarching impression when I saw this latest installment:  it reminded me of the end times. 

The first movie was really fun, really creative and pretty light.  But the movies have grown increasingly dark.  The evil has grown more powerful.  Now Harry and his friends have to go into hiding.  There is great and widespread persecution.  The character Rufus Scrimgeour says, “These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today.”   

The Bible indicates that we are going to face dark times as well.  The end times will be darker and more evil than anything we have yet seen. 

• “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” Matthew 24:21
• “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.  They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.”  Luke 21:23-24
•  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  2 Timothy 3: 1-7

I know that’s not very encouraging.  But, the good news is we have a Savior and “Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world!”  (I John 4:4)  Just like we can read the end of Harry Potter and know how it all turns out.  We can also read the end of our story and know how THAT turns out.  We have the book of Revelation that we might not despair when things get really dark.  God will triumph.  Evil will be defeated.  And those who align themselves with the Savior will rejoice in the end. 

Questions for Discussion

• Do you think our world, like Harry’s, is getting darker and that evil is increasing?
• What are your thoughts about the end times?  Do you believe they are coming?  If so, are you afraid?   Do you find comfort in the knowing the ultimate outcome of the story?
• People in Harry’s world had to decide who they were going to align with – were they going to align with evil because it seemed more powerful at the time, or with Harry and fight against it.  What choice would you make if you were in their shoes?  Do you believe that you too will have to make a similar choice in your lifetime?
• Have you ever read Revelation?  Do you know that it is the only book in the Bible which promises a blessing to those who read it?  (Revelation 1:3)