Thanks for checking out our Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review
You can check out my review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 HERE
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Directed by: David Yates
Staring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint
Released: July 15th, 2011
THE GENERAL IDEA
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction — the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort’s Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter, who has quit school and set out on his own mission to find the magical horcruxes that are the key to destroying Voldemort.
THE GOOD
Appropriately continuing right where the first part left off this feels first and foremost like its still the same film – which of course it is. The dark tone and seriousness of the first is stepped up once more leading to an epic battle.
The film manages to fill in all the second half of the book, hunting the final three horcruxes, paying tribute to the franchise, deeply and emotionally impacting its legacy and still has a TON of action, lighthearted laughs, and some kickass justice.
The action is the part I enjoyed most about this. After seeing Harry go to school repeatedly attending Defense Against the Dark Arts, we finally get to see some REAL throwdown battles. Wand duels, animating statues that go toe to toe with some giants, and outright magical mayhem. Very satisfying to see this large scale battle happen right on the Hogwarts grounds tearing it up. Lots of fun there.
Even moments where things have to be spelled out for you are done well. The whole deal with Wizards earning the respect and full command of a wand by winning a duel is laid out plainly, but its done well enough that you don’t feel like they are stopping the film to spell it out for the dummies. The film leaves no loose ends even bringing back some familiar faces.
The purists are going to hate the inconsistencies with the book, but honestly this does such a good job getting to the end without playing it out page by page that I can accept that. They deviated in presentation in Half Blood Prince and it suffered for it, but in this it still works just fine.
But the part I liked about this is the emotional impact. I mentioned this in my previous review for Part 1, but this one has it in spades. From tender little moments when Harry returns to Hogwarts and Professor Minerva McGonagall looks at Harry and says “It is good to see you again Harry” to feeling disappointment seeing familiar faces die in the battle. I was most impressed with how they handled the Malfoys. This has you cheering for the awesome moments but ACTUALLY sad for the sad moments. Not only is this well delivered, but it stands as a testimony as to how emotionally invested in the franchise you can become.
THE BAD
I honestly enjoyed almost every last moment of this film. But I think that the movie is only as great and epic as it has been because of its legacy. The emotional impact and depth of story are only there because of the other films. If you knew nothing about Potter, and went to this movie so much would be lost on you. However it was not meant to stand alone.
And I didn’t really like that in the scenes where Dumbledore reveals that he groomed Harry to die. It kind of makes him look like a dick while we were always lead to believe that he truly cared for Harry. In the books they made it clear that Dumbledore had hoped Harry could avoid his destiny and prepared him along the way. Here they disservice the character and it takes away from everything in the previous films. Easily overlooked if it bothers you.
And the “19 years later” scene at the end of the movie was a little weak. It didn’t have the same impact I thought it would. Making Harry look 40 just didn’t work. All the adult versions of the characters we see on the platform just look like kids playing dressup. I wasn’t charmed by that at all.
OVERALL
An effective and truly epic finish to one of the most successful film franchises in history of film. I usually get distracted by emotional outbursts in the theater but this one deserved it.
I give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 a 9 out of 10
