Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson,
Rupert Grint
A ‘bittersweet finale’ – if you are a Potterite, amidst the tears that is the only way you can describe Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
The Boy Who Lived and He Who Must Not Be Named have been a part of many peoples’ lives for quite a while and their final showdown was certainly a long time coming – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in June 1997 and the film released in November 2001.
With the release of Deathly Hallows: Part 2 earlier this month, the tale of Harry Potter was complete. But, who would be victorious? As the Prophecy stated, “neither can live while the other survives”.
The film picks up where Deathly Hallows: Part 1 finished with Harry, Ron and Hermione hunting for the remaining horcruxes. As JK Rowling revealed, a horcrux is: “the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality”.
However, Lord Voldemort is not oblivious to their mission. Harry has a vision of Lord Voldemort and realises that it is a race of time. He learns that there is a horcrux hidden at Hogwarts and so the trio head back to their old school, a place which has changed dramatically.
What ensues is an epic battle for Hogwarts involving aurors, students, professors, dementors, giants and Death Eaters.
WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS
As I revealed in my Favourites Friday post on the Harry Potter series, it is only recently that my love for Harry Potter has been rekindled. With the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow: Part 1 back in November, I decided to order the boxset of the first six films so I was up-to-date to watch it. I watched all six films in four days.
The world of Harry Potter is truly magical, and completely immersive.
Though numerous – there are nine people in the Weasley family just for starters – each character in the Harry Potter universe is well thought out and formed. It is not just Harry, Ron and Hermione who you grow fond of.
Like many other people’s, my tears were not only for Fred Weasley but for Remus, Tonks and all the other characters who met an untimely end. Each character has such a rich and intricate back story that it is impossible not to get attached to them.
Though they admittedly looked a little silly, it was lovely to to see what happened to our heroes 19 years on. Harry’s son, Albus Severus Potter, worries about which house he will be sorted in at Hogwarts but, as his father tells him, he was named after two of Hogwarts’ greatest headmasters and one of them was in Slytherin.
The film is by no means perfect but, in the words of Castor over at Anomalous Material, it is a ‘satisfying conclusion to an epic saga’. The battle for Hogwarts sends shivers down your spine as you experience what a magical fight would be like. The CGI effects are fantastic – it really is a (magical) feast for the eyes.
★★★★½
Cinematic Delights 
Excellent review, Claire. When you were listing all those that died in the latest film it got me thinking Rowling really did kill off a lot of characters in the series (and how many of these characters were actually bad guys…one?)
Good point, Dan! Well, Bellatrix does and I remember Peter Pettigrew does, too. Not many others spring to mind!
Awww, you quoted me! 🙂 You are right, not a masterpiece but still a very good finale that reminded how much I will miss Harry Potter now that it’s over. My main beef were that the movie was a bit overly Harry-centric, a bit too short, and that it reached its emotional climax a bit too early. Nonetheless, the movie is about as good as one could expect, given the massive anticipation and hype.
I did indeed because I thought you’d summed it up very well 😀
The pressure was certainly on with the film. The crew had so much material to work from and I guess that’s something you have to bear in mind with book to film adaptations – the film must appeal to a different audience, an audience who may not have read the book.
My favourite part of the film was Snape’s memories though it was heart breaking seeing him holding the dead Lily. Of all the HP characters I would argue that Snape is the best – sorry Harry!
Good review!