Harry Potter and the Costly Movie Ticket

Owing to the rather ridiculous price of a movie ticket here in New Zealand, we have not seen the big screen for many months now. We were, however, on the lookout for that movie that will finally tempt us to fork over some hard-earned cash for two hours of cinema fun. And it was a rather difficult past few months as sci-fi films kept rolling in. Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator, Dragonball for Jo-Lo... still, we contented ourselves with other pursuits.

Until last weekend, that is, when we saw ourselves staring at the latest Harry Potter poster at Reading Cinemas in Porirua. We asked how much it will be for the three of us, paid via eftpos, and excitedly hurried on inside.

The seats here are wider than what we have in the Philippines but I am happy to report that other than that, our cinemas are just as comfy and stylish. Oh how I miss Wendy's iced tea and burgers and also Burger King at Glorietta 4!

Anyway, The cinema was only around 15% occupied when we entered (it was a 12:30PM screening) and only a few people were added to the crowd by the time the movie started. I'm not sure whether this is due to the cost of the ticket or simply because there just isnt a lot of people really in New Zealand, or we have already gone past the Harry Potter frenzy. Anyway, I guess it was enjoyable that way because at least we had a full view of the screen before us.

We thoroughly enjoyed the film! It looks like the franchise keeps getting improved as the film progresses through the books. I guess by this time most people have already seen the movie so I will no longer make a review but suffice to say that we enjoyed the film very much!

What is my favorite segment in this film? I'd say the part where Prof. Dumbledore drove off the ghouls back into their watery grave with a fire spell. That was awesome!

And my biggest letdown? I was expecting a big showdown at the latter part of the movie when the Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts. It was such an action-packed scene in the book that I was looking forward to seeing how this would be translated in film. Sadly, it was substantially toned down.

It was an enjoyable film nonetheless.

So what is my favorite Harry Potter film so far? Well, I would say it's still The Prisoner of Azkaban. I loved the cut scenes and the way the time travel treatment was done. Mr. Alfonso Cuarón did a wonderful job at it.

And the cost of the movie? 14+ for an adult and 10+ for a kid. Total: NZ$38.60. For a 30-peso exchange, this amounts to PhP1,158.00! In the Philippines, enjoying a movie for the three of us is easily 60% less. I guess this is why they say, avoid doing the forex calculation or else you won't be able to buy anything. I still haven't gotten over that phase, I guess. I think I'll take a look at this movie card the counter personnel suggested...