The Harry Potter Exhibition

The Harry Potter Exhibit is something that I have wanted to see since it came to Boston and I finally managed to do so. While not a movie, it does have to do with one of the highest grossing movies of all time and the most popular exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston.



The amount of people that were at the exhibit was absurd! It probably didn't help that I decided to go on school vacation week. You could not move without hitting someone or some young child pushing you along. The amount of the tickets to get in was a little pricey at $65 for two people. However that included an audio device whereyou listen to the makers of the Harry Potter movies discuss the items on display. You also get a ticket to get into the rest of the museum, which you could wait and use sometime within the next six months. The Exhibit itself was definitely worth the money and the time that it took to get through the crowds. Even with the massive amounts of people it only took about an hour to get through.



The beginning of the tour starts you out with a very colorful British actor giving a demonstration with the famous Sorting Hat. In the movie this hat is what places all of the characters into the different houses they will live in and identify with throughout their years at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry. It's a nice way to start off the tour seeing as how that is where the first movie really gets going. After that you are shown into a room where you view some edited together clips of all the movies. This part seemed unnecessary seeing as if you have never seen the movies it doesn't provide you with any real information and if you have seen them, well you've already seen everything they show you. The way it was edited however was very nicely done, and clever as well since right at the end when they show us the famous Hogwarts Express train is when they simultaneously open the doors to a life size model complete with light and sound of the front steam engine.

As you walk through the exhibit you are taken through all the major elements of the films. You start off with the boys dormitories and get to see Ron and Harry's beds, trunks, dressers, and costumes that they wore in the movie. The majority of what you see are costumes from the movies for all of the characters including the dress robes that all the characters wore in the fourth film The Goblet of Fire. These costumes were set up in an area that is meant to be The Great Hall, which also had some of the decorations you see during the scene of the big dance. You are also taken through a set up of The Dark Forest, a Quidditch area, Hagrid's Hut, and a few other areas throughout the exhibition. Among all of the items that you get to see are all the major characters wands, the Marauder's Map, and various books used for the different classes that the students take in the films. Everything is set up in a creative and engaging decor, which really makes you feel like you are part of the movies and on set with the characters.

At the end of the exhibition they drop you out into a gift shop full of Harry Potter sovereigns. They have everything you could imagine from a talking Sorting Hat to magnets and T-shirts. While everything is rather pricey, it is merchandise you can't really get anywhere else so they know everyone will be willing to pay for it.The only draw back, besides all of the people is that you are not aloud to take pictures. However, there is a guide book they sell in the gift shop with pictures of everything in the Exhibition and some commentary from the creator's of the movies included.

If you love the Harry Potter books and movies, you will love this Exhibition. It is a must see for every fan and even entertaining for those who just love movies and what goes into making all the the details you see on screen.