Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (we'll call it HP8) was released on July 15, 2011, and is the last film in the epic fantasy series, Harry Potter, based off of J.K. Rowling's book series of the same name. It was directed by David Yates, written by Steve Kloves, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith, and Matthew Lewis.
Something I have constantly heard from my friends is, "my childhood is over." That's a very fair statement. For my generation, Harry Potter is our childhood. Many of us can remember the times when we dressed up as Harry for Halloween, when we would have spell fights in the playground. Me personally, I can remember the first time I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I was 6 or 7, sitting in a car, as we were about to go on a road trip. My father gave me this book, and told me a little bit about it. While I wasn't initially excited about it, I read it through, over the course of the next few weeks, and got swept up in the world of Harry Potter.
My fondest memory involving Harry Potter would have to be when I first bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I was leaving for a trip to Scotland, the day before it came out in the U.K. We had to stop at Heathrow, and at 6 A.M. in the morning, on the day Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in the U.K., for £17.99, I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at a store in the airport. It's one of my proudest possessions, and my fondest memory of Harry Potter. However, we're not here to talk about fond memories, we're here to talk about HP8.
Long time readers may recall my review of the 7th Harry Potter film. If you haven't read it, you can find it here: http://montypython2011reviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/harry-potter-and-deathly-hallows-part-1.html . In my review, I noticed that the majority of characters took a backseat to the three leads. Here, every character takes a backseat to Harry and Voldemort. While we do see a good amount of Ron and Hermione, they definitely have a smaller presence. Now overall, I'd say that this is a bad thing, but in the case of Ron and Hermione, I'm glad they took a backseat to our protagonist and antagonist. However, for all of the supporting characters, this is a bad thing. This is the final film. (Hopefully) This is the last time we will see all of these characters, and so, they all deserve to go out with a bang, or at least, get the proper attention they deserve, as they did in the novel. Snape, who was a major character in this novel, takes a backseat, but is also the biggest of the supporting characters in this film. Now, I'm gonna go out on a limb here. If he was given more screentime, he would've been nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards. He was superb. Alan Rickman is a fantastic actor, but that's because he's been able to play a sort of whiny character so well. (This isn't a bad thing, this is a good thing.) He hasn't really played any other character in his whole life, this character included. There are scenes though, where he breaks away from that. And he becomes truly amazing. If he only had more screentime, this performance would be one of the best of the year.
Aside from that, and some moments of anti-climactism, this film was outstanding. Arguably the best film of the year. The writing was terrific, the directing, superb, and the acting, from everyone, with what little screentime they got, was sublime. (I feel like I use that word a lot.) It truly was sublime. While Alan Rickman stole the show, particular mention must also be given to Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Lewis, and Maggie Smith. Ralph Fiennes was the perfect choice to play Voldemort, because he could be a truly evil character. Here, we see him in desperation, as he is reaching the end, and needs to defeat Harry Potter. Matthew Lewis started out this series as a pathetic little child, who had possible greatness in him. Here, he has achieved that greatness, as we see he has become the leader of Dumbledore's Army in Harry's absence, he stands up to Voldemort when everyone thinks the battle is over, and destroys the last Horcrux, Nagini. Neville Longbottom is bad-ass, and Matthew Lewis portrays him perfectly. Maggie Smith (completely absent from the last film) is back, and gloriously. While she does have more lines and screen time than most supporting performances in this film, she still has a small amount of screentime. However, with every second she is on screen, she shows us the best she's ever been, without transforming into a cat. Fighting all the way, and kicking ass. And being funny too.
The special effects in these films have always been great, and it's no exception this time. As a matter of fact, I'd argue the special effects were at they're best here. One scene in particular, the infamous scene where Harry pulls Voldemort off of a cliff, by hugging him, while pointless, was a special effects marvel. It ranged from Army of Darkness like effects to Come to Daddy effects, from comedy to horror in a span of 30 seconds. While it is a pointless scene, it's a rather brilliant looking one.
Overall, this film is one of the best of the year, and will probably be the highest grossing this year. It's truly superb, and earns a 9.5/10 from me. (With new release films, the numeric scale is for how good the film is, not my enjoyment. In this case, however, the score is the same for both enjoyment and greatness.) If you're a fan of Harry Potter, you've probably seen the film twice already. If not, I would still recommend this film. Not only is it truly great, but it essentially contains cameos from every major modern British actor. Just think of it like that, if you're not a Harry Potter fan.
P.S. I want to say a quick little thing about 3.D. This film was made like a normal film, and was post-converted to 3D, like many films nowadays. And, like many films nowadays, it's too dark to enjoy, and thus, this takes away from the experience. However, there was one scene in the film that, in a way, could be a realization for filmmakers. One scene, had a completely white background, and the characters wearing light coloured clothes. (I won't say what this scene is, because of spoilers, but it's pretty easy to figure out, even if you don't know what happens.) It was phenomenal in 3D. If a scene is bright, it can work in 3D. The films that work best in 3D are ones with bright colours. Avatar, animated films. If filmmakers can realize this, and try to incorporate this into their films, we won't be questioning the use of 3D, because it will no longer be pointless. Think of this, modern day filmmakers. Think of this.
P.P.S. On behalf of my generation, I'd like to thank the filmmakers, cast, and crew, and everyone involved with this film, as well as the cast and crew other films in the series, and J.K. Rowling. You gave us an awesome childhood, and made it truly spectacular as well. Thank you sincerely.
P.P.P.S. Pottermore is a stupid idea.
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