Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

I can honestly say that back in the beginning I highly doubted they would finish the entire series. There were too many books, and it would be too hard to keep everyone together, especially with the main actors being kids. I was wrong. Eight movies later and we are left with one heck of an accomplishment of modern cinematic storytelling.

Te Deathly Hallows Part 2 is, obviously, the second part of a split in the last book. As such, it is hard to view this as a stand-alone movie, more-so than usual sequels. It really relies upon the audience’s previous knowledge of both part 1 and the other others before in order to make any semblance of sense. Normally this would be a problem, but after eight solid films with a wealth of information on characters and items, I think that this franchise has earned that right.

The problems that this final Harry Potter film are the same problems that most of the Harry Potter films have had which is rushed pacing and a tendency to cram a bunch of info into a few lines of mumbled dialogue. Part 1 was on its way to fixing that, but these problems still persist in part 2.

What Deathly Hallows 2 has going for it is seven previous movies of build up which accumulate into an epic finale. There was a lot of hype around this last movie and if it didn’t have such a rich history behind it, it would have had a tough time living up to it. Luckily, Harry Potter is in the unique position to stand on the shoulders of everything that came before and use it to evoke a strong emotional response in the loyal and dedicated fan base who come in droves to watch.

When Harry is reunited with his classmates, we are elated. When Voldemort speaks to all those in Hogwarts, we are frightened. When Neville stands up to the death eaters we are cheering for him. When Snape’s memories are revealed, we are moved. And when Harry Potter makes his way to the forest, we are filled with dread and tears (even those of us who know whats going to happen). All of these moments have the power of of the entire saga behind them, providing one great finish to a decade of movies which have striven for excellence.
9/10