Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) by Craig — 14 Jul 2011

Of course this movie was going to be brilliant, the final instalment of a world famous series of a boy wizard saw the good finally overcome the bad. Seeing the actors growing up onscreen and how their characters evolve over the 7 years at Hogwarts, the series has been a world wide success. And rightly so. Deathly Hallows part 2 certainly lives up to expectations. Fast-paced, funny/emotional/action-packed, visually stunning and the acting seemed better than in previous instalments as well. But it's not without it's problems. The sound seemed to be unusually quiet for an action film, like the Foley artists were taking a long break. The scene with the dragon escaping Gringott's is the best example. There was no urgency to the chaos the dragon was causing. This scene also was over-played. The suspense was over-drawn resulting in knowing when the dragon would burst through the floor of the bank. That would have been a perfect moment to make the audience jump but sadly that did not happen. The music playing over the big fighting scenes also seemed out of place, the sound and the visuals just didn't match. I was expecting something like with the orchestral power and bravery as heard from LOTR but ended up feeling like the power struggle really wasn't that much of a struggle. Some big opportunities were missed during these big battle moments too. Whereas in the books the reader could feel emotion and loss for the characters that inevitably die (Fred, Lupin, Tonks), here the emotional range was contained to a mere side-effect. Viewers who haven't read the books are surely to be confused too. Horcruxes and wand law are explained in a hurried fashion, leaving the viewer feeling a few steps behind on the action. It's not to say the film hasn't got it's good points (I gave it 9/10 after all!). The audience clapped when Mrs Weasley called Bellatrix Lestrange a **** laughed at Filch earnestly sweeping away the ruinous remains of the castle, and cheered for Dame Maggie Smith who finally gets some decent screen time and a little bit of the action as a Professor who gets to unleash her power "I've always wanted to do that!".

However, it is the delectable Alan Rickman who takes the film to a whole new level as Professor Snape. Taking us through his painful back story, how he struggled to hide his feelings for Harry's mother and his turmoil over doing what he had to do to gain the Dark Lord's trust. Real sympathy is earned for this character, the portrayal making Snape more than just a villain but 3D and actually human.

Lastly, not forgetting the kid actors. Sorry young adults....well actually old adults as well - that final scene is quite unnerving. Daniel, Emma and Rupert portray a new maturity whilst also retaining the original essences of their characters. They play off each other really well, both in the light-hearted scenes as well as the dark ones. They make all the wand-waving and running/duck-and-cover scenes look natural and fun and convey the struggles, both emotional and physical, with depth and poignancy, like when Harry meets and talks with all the dead people he has known.

Visually the film is effects laden and stunning, as expected, and in 3D you get to feel even closer to the action. Dialogue is witty, touching, and keeps pace with the action sequences well. The set pieces, particularly Gringott's Bank and Hogwarts, and fighting scenes are awe-inspiring. Harry Potter is one of the franchises made for the big screen and it surely doesn't let you down.

It's during one of the final scenes, after Voldemort is vanquished, Harry, Ron and Hermione stand on a ruined bridge of the castle looking out towards their future, their friendship never looking so tight and content. We can feel relief with them. And that's what the whole of the series has been about. The three of them standing together no matter what, weathering the trials and trubulations of school, teenage years and pure evil. That's hard to come by, even in a world of fantasy. I'm going to miss Hogwarts....it's the end of the Potter era, and what a great ending it was.