This past week I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1). This movie marks the first half of the 2-part finale of the series, and it certainly did not disappoint. As a huge Harry Potter fan (almost to the point of obsession), I found myself extraordinarily satisfied with the film and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

A friend and I arrived at the theater in Lincoln Center to collect our tickets at 6pm. We entered the theater immediately, after in a mad dash to get good seats, not knowing that the seats were assigned. (Oops!) After sitting in the appropriate seats, I noticed the theater filling up quite quickly, but there was a mysterious area of 15 empty seats to my right. My mind raced with the possibilities that the film’s stars would be seated right next to me…Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky. However, who could complain about premiere tickets?

After the movie concluded, we went to the after-party, which was located nearby, hoping to meet some celebrities. The food was incredible and the free open bar didn’t hurt either.

Yet, the evening’s highlight was interacting with the abundance of celebrities who had come out for this event. Among those with whom we spoke, and in some cases took pictures with, were Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidib, of Precious, Joey Fatone from N’Sync, and Blake Lively from Gossip Girl. Of course, we got to meet stars from the movie itself, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Tom Felton.
As someone who reads the Harry Potter books and watches the movies religiously, this night was definitely one to remember. As I expect most will do, I highly recommend seeing the movie as soon as possible, possibly even a 2nd time, to catch all of the subtle details. The release of part two will be in July of 2011 and will mark the culmination of a series that began with the first book sold in 1998. While the final film cannot come soon enough, I can say with confidence that Part 1 is the best Harry Potter movie to date and should not be missed.

(And we’ve got Harry Potter London Premiere)