movie review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort have their final showdown
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‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2’ picks up where ‘Part 1’ left off, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) gathering themselves at Shell Cottage after the death of beloved house elf Dobby.
Still on their quest to destroy the remaining Horcruxes that keep evil Lord Voldemort immortal, the trio enlists the injured goblin Griphook (Warwick Davis) to help them break into Bellatrix Lestrange’s (Helena Bonham Carter) vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Director David Yates wastes no time getting right into the action. Harry, Ron and Hermione encounter danger in the vault, and after a thrilling, death-defying escape, they return to Hogwarts to find the final Horcruxes. But Hogwarts is now run by Voldemort’s Death Eaters, and it’s only with the aid of Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth (Ciaran Hinds) and Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) that they’re able to gain entrance and be reunited with all of their friends, now held hostage in the school.
Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) is Headmaster now, and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) declares all-out war on Harry, whom he’s desperate to kill before Harry can destroy the remaining Horcruxes and turn the Dark Lord mortal again.
While ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1’ was sparse, laid-back and all about the camping, ‘Part 2’ brings the action and special effects in a big way. With lots of intense fighting, the deaths of a few beloved characters, and a final showdown between Harry and Voldemort, it’s a solid PG-13 rating.
Many of the characters we’ve grown to love over the previous seven films return, even those who’ve already departed, like Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore and Harry’s parents Lily and James Potter. You sense a fine line between the living and deceased, and frankly, that’s how I prefer to think of friends and family who’ve departed this earth – they’re still there, you just can’t see them.
Amidst the life-and-death scenes, there’s some levity with the budding romance between Ron and Hermione, as well as Harry and Ginny. Neville takes his place in the hero spotlight, and Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Molly Weasley (Julie Walters) are in full female warrior mode, protecting Hogwarts and the children from evil villains.
Alan Rickman gets some of his best scenes, as we explore his true nature via flashbacks that fill in a good part of the story. Also, Kelly Macdonald plays a ghost named Helena Ravenclaw, who thanks to Luna Lovegood’s (Evanna Lynch) quick thinking, proves helpful in finding the remaining items to bring down Voldemort.
Everything is carefully crafted in this movie—the dialogue, the soundtrack that weaves in John Williams’ familiar theme, the epic story of good vs. evil, and, of course, Harry Potter himself, who gets to step up and fulfill his destiny once and for all. It’s a fitting end to the gorgeous story that’s been a big part of our culture these past ten years. My kids were just little sprouts when the first film was released in 2001, and I’m sure many of you can identify.
While author J.K. Rowling has said there will be no more Harry Potter films, I’m taking an optimistic, wait-and-see attitude on that. The ending of this movie sets things up nicely for the next generation, and Rowling is launching a site called Pottermore.com in October 2011.
Rowling and Sony Corp. promise that the site will be “an online reading experience built around the world of Harry Potter, created for a new digital generation of readers who can share and participate in the stories, showcase their Potter-related creativity and discover new information about the world of Harry Potter from the author herself.”
No more Harry Potter films? We’ll see…
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