Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

“Part 1” of “The Deathly Hallows” can be likened unto “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Two Towers” in that you can not wait for the subsequent and concluding film. But wait we had to (at least not for long). “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” concludes an extremely successful film franchise in the same way that its literary counterpart concluded a widely triumphant series of books. I will be honest; I liked “Part 1” a little more than “Part 2” but only a little more. In a world where “The Matrix”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Shrek” failed as successful long-running film franchises, it is so joyful that the “Harry Potter” film franchise did not fail and it is all thanks to how “Part 2” turned out. I guess you can’t really compare it to those aforementioned franchises because the “Harry Potter” films are based on books. Speaking of that, I like the ending of the book a lot better but that is a common saying concerning any film adaptation of a novel.

The film starts out right from where we left off but unlike “Back to the Future: Part III” or “The Return of the King”, “Part 2” of “The Deathly Hallows” provides only brief exposition as our heroes almost immediately go to break into Gringotts. Because of that, it is more like an “Indiana Jones” movie. I like Helena Bonham Carter’s acting when Hermione is disguised as Bellatrix. Carter has to act as if someone else is playing a character that she has played for four movies now and this challenge was accomplished quite well. Carter is an Oscar nominated actress so it is not too surprising. She even had to go from portraying the Queen Mother (for which recieved said nomination) to reprising as Bellatrix for these two movies in quite a short time. I thought Ron was also played by another actor in Gringotts and I was amazed to find out that it was just makeup. Once the Gringotts sequence is over, our three main characters must return to Hogwarts and a long climactic sequence begins. For an ordinary sequel, these two main locations of the movie (Gringotts and Hogwarts) don’t balance in terms of narrative structure. Because we aren’t dealing with an ordinary sequel in that it is a second part of a culminating story, I feel that “Part 1” and “Part 2” must be watched together like “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Thereby, we get a balanced narrative structure. Neville gets to be a heroic character now and Matthew Lewis accomplishes this very well but at the same time, he able to portray the same characteristics of Neville Longbottom that we have known for 10 years. I love the use of John Williams’ score when Harry reveals himself to the Hogwarts students in hiding. I also love his subsequent appearance during Snape’s assembly. Even though I have read the book, I was not expecting it. The first kiss between Ron and Hermione is something we have been waiting for so it is quite an entertaining moment. Prior to that, I love how Ron knows a little parseltongue because Harry talks in his sleep. It is a funny joke. Ron is the Han Solo of these stories and the greatest indication of this can be seen in the Room of Requirement. He chases after Draco in the same way that Han chased the stormtroopers on the Death Star. Just as Han ran into another 100 stormtroopers and had to retreat, Ron retreats because of the Fiendfyre curse. Other comic moments interestingly enough come from McGonagall such as “I’ve always wanted to use that spell.” Her character was not a usual source of comedy in this series so that was an entertaining element. We see some other great acting moments from Maggie Smith during the climax of the series.

Then comes the revelation that changes how you watch all the movies from now on. As with many reviews I write, they contain spoilers. I just felt I had better forewarn this time especially. “Part 2” shows Alan Rickman acting out heart touching scenes and that is something I have not seen from this actor before. They were quite well done such as the moment he dies in front of Harry. Snape’s last words are concerning Harry’s eyes and how even he acknowledges the fact that they are Lily’s. It is very uncharacteristic of Snape and that was powerful for me. The same can be said for moments in Snape’s memories. The scene between Snape and Dumbledore where Snape begs to have Lily kept safe is moving and so is the shot of Snape holding Lily’s dead body. In the book, Harry tells no one that he is about to give himself up. In the film however, he tells Ron and Hermione. This change in the story works I guess because the three characters have gone through so much. Ron and Hermione therefore understand what Harry must do. It makes sense cinematically that they are included in Harry’s decision to sacrifice himself. The resurrection stone scene brought tears, particularly the line taken from the book where Harry asks whether dying hurts. It is such an innocent question that someone young would ask a dead relative. Voldemort’s killing curse on Harry is well delivered by Ralph Fiennes. It is the most important kill that Voldemort makes and so he yells “avada kedavra” as loud as he can as if the entire world must hear what he is doing. The limbo scene is just as I imagined it while reading the book in terms of color and atmosphere. The comedian in me can’t help but wish that Lawrence Fishburne had showed up at the start of that scene and said to Harry: “This is the construct.” Seriously though, Voldemort’s horcrux in limbo is also pretty much as I imagined it and its bloody nature is really effective in evoking disgust and pity in the audience. Another great acting moment for Fiennes is when he proclaims to his enemies that Harry is dead and laughs gloatingly at those loyal to Harry. I sort of like supercilious villains. These lines apparently were improvised by Fiennes and that makes the scene all the more enjoyable. The subsequent moment when Voldemort sees that Harry is alive is yet another great example of Fiennes acting ability. I always get a kick out of scenes when villain gets fed up at how they just can't win. The ending of the movie was great but personally, I prefer how the book ended. The changes in the film weren’t bad; they just could have included some climatic revelatory lines of Harry's in the book. Actually, it wasn’t Voldemort’s cinematic death that was slightly unsatisfying; it was the lack of celebration afterwards. In the book, there is a huge celebratory moment that happens after Harry kills Voldemort. The ultimate climactic plot point of the film, and by extension the film series, is when Neville kills Nagini where as in the book, it is when Voldemort is killed by his own rebounded spell. I would have preferred it if Voldemort in the movie would have died knowing why the Elder Wand did not work for him. He does so in the book. The film reveals this fact after Voldemort is dead. I kind of like Daniel Radcliffe’s line concerning the Elder Wand when he says: “It’s mine”. It is pretty funny thanks to his acting. I wish that, like in the book, Harry repaired his old wand with the Elder Wand. That plot point from “Part 1” now remains unresolved. There is one decision however of the filmmakers that I will applaud for the rest of life. It is that the music of the Epilogue, and thus the ending of the entire franchise, is composed by John Williams (it was taken from the ending of “The Sorcerer’s Stone”). Speaking of that scene, the characters are quite well aged with the exception of Hermione, who appears to have aged very little. Maybe I am just too picky. I like how Tom Felton's real life girlfriend at the time plays Draco's wife in the Epilogue.

The 3D in this movie was good and this was my first film seeing actress Kelly Macdonald. I am glad that they stopped the conversion of “Part 1” so that they could focus all their efforts on this movie instead. I was hoping just a little that "The Deathly Hallows: Part 2" would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture so as to recognize the achievements of the entire franchise but I knew it was a long shot. It was nominated for Best Makeup, Visual Effects and Art Direction. I was sure it was going to win Makeup and maybe even Visual Effects but I was wrong. The Harry Potter franchise has accumulated a total of 12 Oscar nominations over the course of a decade but it didn't win anything. I am a sad about that fact and angry that the franchise's below-par spinoff won an Oscar. If you go into a movie pessimistically, odds are you won’t like the movie. If you watch a movie with an open mind, you can judge it better. I am being a little hypocritical, I know, but I am willing to acknowledge that. The point I am making is that most everyone went to see “The Death Hallows: Part 2” with the expectation of an amazing climax and that is what we got. Despite the few imperfections, the film is a winner when you look at it in a broad sense. “Part 2” is 5 stars in my view because the series is concluded in such a wonderful way. This is my favorite film of 2011 and one of my favorite fantasy films. I feel this movie is much more entertaining for those who haven’t read the book. As mentioned, “Part 1” and “Part 2” must be treated as one movie for the sake of narrative structure. I have said the following in other “Potter” reviews of mine but it must be spoken here: the “Harry Potter” franchise can be likened in terms of success to the “Star Wars” saga and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Now that the “Harry Potter” movies are finished, the film series can take its well-earned place next to those other famous movie franchises. When I saw "Part 2" for the first time, I couldn't believe that after 10 years it was over. After the release of “Part 1”, I couldn’t wait for “Part 2” and now I realize that I have taken the series for granted. At least there is always the Blu-ray Wizards Collection that I own. 50 years from now, I predict that the “Harry Potter” films will be one of the many treasured gems of Hollywood. Thank you Harry Potter.

5 Stars out of 5