A collective groan rose from the audience of Regal Cinemas as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" came to an end at 2:35 a.m. early Friday morning, immediately followed by applause and cheers.
The approval of the movie was evident as soon as the massive crowd shifted to the exits of the movie theater, chatting excitedly about what they had just seen.
The first part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was received wonderfully by audiences who had appeared for the midnight premiere of the film, with a few members dressed up as their favorite characters, including two Voldemorts, multiple Professor Trelawneys and several Gryffindor students. A Luna Lovegood was also in attendance.
An hour before the movie started, audience members shouted out a countdown every 10 minutes. Strangers were excitedly talking to one another about costumes and props over the backs of seats and railings, and lines from the books were tossed back and forth across the theater. Many pictures were taken, including one of Voldemort standing with Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin.
At the 12:01 a.m. showing of "Harry Potter" at the AMC Showplace 12, some fans started a game of "Harry Potter" charades. Once the whole audience became involved, each side of the theater competed to see who could guess correctly. The theater's staff even reduced the sound of the commercials so the guesses could be heard.
One woman simply gestured slicking back her hair, and the correct guess was instantly shouted, "Draco Malfoy!"
There was also a costume contest, in which several people from the audience were brought forward. A demontor, Dumbledore and a few Hogwarts students were chosen to compete, but a student who wore Hogwarts robes and a Snape "Harry Potter Puppet Pal" mask won by applause.
Freshman Melissa Ayton loved the movie. She gave it five stars and said that there was nothing she would have changed.
"I liked when all of Harry's friends took the polyjuice potion to turn into him," Ayton said. "It was really funny."
Ayton was referring to a scene in which a woman took a potion to become a Harry Potter copy, causing laughter as Harry was revealed in a skirt and bra, declaring how awful "he" looks.
While "Deathly Hallows" comes off as a serious film in the majority of its trailers, it does have comedy thrown in it. Due to many witticisms of the twins Fred and George Weasley, the film caused the audience to laugh loudly throughout the film.
Although "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" does have its comedic moments threaded in, the movie was darker than previous "Harry Potter" films. In one notable scene, Hermione Granger read the legend of the deathly hallows. The story itself is a dark one, akin to those of the Grimm brothers' tales.
Although loyal readers knew what losses to expect in the film, many were still stunned at how heartbreaking some of scenes were portrayed. Senior education major Tyler Buis said he was greatly saddened by the loss of a dear friend of Harry's near the end of the film, but he rated the movie highly.
"I would give it five stars," Buis said.
Although the second part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" does not come to theaters until July 15, fans will have Part 1 to talk about, and possibly watch many more times, until then.
-Tara Jones contributed to this report
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