Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Movie Review

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Movie Review

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon
Director: David Yates
And so it ends.
The final part of the final Harry Potter film is unleashed on the world - and with it, the end of a saga which has entranced a world and created a multi million dollar lifestyle for creator JK Rowling.
As you'll remember from the first part of the Deathly Hallows film ( read the review from last year here), Harry, Hermione and Ron set out to find the Dark Lord's Horcruxes (a sort of magical object which gives Voldemort his power) and destroy them - in the hope that that will end this battle once and for all.
This film takes up right after the end of the last, with Dobby the elf despatched, the battle lines drawn and Harry aware the ultimate battle is nearing a final perhaps fatal end.
But as the fate and destiny of Voldemort and Harry Potter play out, the path leads back to Hogwarts and to a dark secret which will finally settle the score between the Wizarding world and the Muggle World....
Yes, it's finally here - the in some ways, reviewer proof final film of the franchise which has spanned a lot of Rupert Grint gurning as well as millions (or is it billions) of book sales since its launch back in 1997.
And quite frankly, what a stunning, magical epic and emotionally rewarding end to the long running and much loved saga.
I'll preface this by saying I'm unaware of the source material and how it played out on the page, so this film was a genuine surprise in many ways - and an unexpectedly sumptuous narrative treat, blessed with some great acting. I for one didn't know how it ended for Potter et al, so I was suitably spellbound from beginning to end (which, as an aside, is probably a good thing as fans will flock to this regardless - but non-fans may be wary).
Granted, viewing of the previous films is probably helpful, but in many ways, this closing chapter has everything it needed to finally wrap it up and satiate those of us (well, mainly me) who felt JK Rowling had dragged out the books and the resulting films which simply saw Harry threatened and then deal with the threat summarily.
It's a truly unexpected film - there are moments of absolute silence where the acting simply takes the foreground and the soundtrack goes silent and thematically, there is much to engage the grey matter (although a spiritual flight of fantasy does feel a little unnecessary and meandering even though it's a metaphysical jaunt into Harry's psyche- and don't even get me started on the "19 Years Later" epilogue which is cloying and sickly saccharine and ultimately unnecessary and disappointing).
It's the emotional calm before the storm as we build upto the final showdown and the inevitable fight at Hogwarts. Every single member of this ensemble are perfect but Daniel Radcliffe really does up his game again, this time imbuing Harry with pathos, sadness, turmoil and pain as he sees what his fight has done to others and how it takes the ultimate toll on many. It's great to see how far he's come since the first film where his acting chops were quite frankly, obscured by his moptop and lack of age.
In an ultimate battle, there will be casualties - and sure, some fan favourites are despatched off screen, but you could argue that these deaths would have felt mawkish to watch, held back the story - and let's be honest, we've had some 14 years to get to know the characters so we do feel the emotional pain. It's also good to see that the smaller characters are the true heroes of the film - it's a nice touch in such an epic saga.
The other star of this film is director David Yates. The direction and perfect pace he brings to the film is its great saviour - and perhaps the franchise's saving grace. With swirling FX, a stunning and stirring score and some dark and portentous moments, this Potter is a restrained, mature and impressive, less is more kind of film which doesn't over indulge the fact it's the last time we'll see these characters or throw FX in for their own sake. There's none of the bloatedness which makes you feel the franchise has overstayed its welcome; in fact, it's perfectly wrapped up and left with the rich closure fans have sought for years.

This is the Harry Potter film I've been waiting for in many ways; perhaps, it was inevitable that it would be the final film which got it right, but as a closing chapter, it's near perfect and is the best send off it could ever have been given.