Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

(This review assumes that you have seen the film and contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading and go see it.)

I was a late arrival on the Harry Potter train, the Hogwarts Express if you will. For whatever reason, the middle school version of myself was under the impression that one couldn’t be a fan of both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. So I chose Lord of the Rings at the time. Then years later when some friends were going to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I went along for something to do. Once I saw the Voldemort reveal, I realized Harry Potter was all right. He was a super-villain whose appearance was gruesome and amazing, and Ralph Fiennes’ commitment pushed it over the edge.

I could go on all day with descriptions and anecdotes of my HP experiences, but this first memorable event describes the reason I find the movies to be so successful, vivid and lasting images. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 runs the risk of being the most memorable in that respect. The pace is so quick that before you realize it, the troops are assembled and the final battle begins. The plot, established in Deathly Hallows Part 1, correlates the ultimate showdown between Harry and Voldemort with the legend of the Deathly Hallows, three magical objects associated with seeking immortality. After the film’s early sequence involving a heist and a dragon, the episodic nature of Deathly Hallows Part 1 is replaced with an onslaught of heroics and gruesome death.

The film must be admired for allowing so many minor characters to get their moment in the spotlight one final time. But there is no mistake that this is Harry, Ron and Hermione’s movie, where the importance of other characters is diminished compared to the books. The result is a great strength on the big screen because Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson command the scenes with authority that even the weathered and classic actors can’t. For an example, see when Harry confronts Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) about the murder of Dumbledore. It’s hauntingly raw and a bit brutal. Now I say this meaning emotionally brutal because the deaths by means of snake attack, burning alive, and having one’s throat eaten out by a werewolf are much more physically brutal.

In terms of resolution and closure, I don’t think Deathly Hallows Part 2 could do any better. The imagery of the Snape- Lilly Potter flashback is a stunning backdrop to learning why the potions master has been so shady for all these years. The final battle with Harry and Voldemort is expanded to include some physical fighting beyond wand dueling, which better expresses the intensity on screen. Then there’s the final scene on the platform. Is it a bit cheesy? Maybe. Is it the image most people will remember from the franchise? No. But the vision and clarity it brings to such an epic and extensive experience is amazing. When John Williams’ original theme plays, such a stark contrast to Alexander Desplat’s ominous one, it exposes how far these characters have brought the viewer without ever wandering too far from the innocence that drew them in.

Harry Potter has proven to be one of the most important stories in cinematic history because of its consistent quality and influence on a multi-billion dollar industry. For this reason, plus my own personal admiration, I can’t put a score on Deathly Hallows Part 2. But if I wanted to completely show my bias, I could just say that numbers just don’t go high enough.