Friday, July 15, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

*CAUTION*HERE BE SPOILERS*CAUTION*
  

      And so here we are, the final part of the final chapter of the epic tale of Harry Potter. To think that I was in Kindergarten when these movies began. And now, here I am 10 years later, reviewing the final one. Let's get this out of the way first; yes, this movie is good. Not just good, FANTASTIC. It was brilliant. Possibly my favorite of all of these wonderful movies. Part 2 picks up RIGHT after Part 1. It replays the scene of Voldemort stealing the elder wand and the movie begins, so it is HIGHLY recommended that you watch Part 1 before seeing Part 2. The acting, as always, is excellent. However, I'm afraid I must take ten points from Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort). Now don't get me wrong, he is a SPECTACULAR Voldemort. I honestly cannot picture ANYONE else in the role. However, there are times when he appears to portray the Dark Lord as severely constipated. Let me give you an example: the scene where Harry uses the Ressurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest is a beautiful moment. I honestly teared up when Harry faced his mother, who said how brave her boy had been. Directly after this, Harry meets up with Voldemort, who, instead of simply saying "Avada Kedavra", screams "MYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVAAAAADAAAAAAAAAA KEDAAAAAVVVVRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!". I couldn't help but crack up at such a fantastic display of ham, and chuckling after such a wonderful and touching scene does not work in favor of the film. Occasional nitpicks like this are brushed aside however, due to just how wonderful this movie is as a whole. The pacing is excellent. There was not a moment where I wished the movie would move along or slow down. Potter-Purists like myself may have been a tad dissappointed at previous films changing scenes and even entire plot devices from the book (*cough cough* GOBLET OF FIRE), but there are very few changes this time around. Some of these changes are admittedly better than the book (let's face it, Neville probably wouldn't walk away from having his head lit on fire, at least not without Harvey Dent-Level scars) and some of the absolute best moments are kept ("NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH"). I got a tad misty-eyed several times throughout the movie, but mostly at the end. There's nothing particularly sad at the end. And it wasn't anything particularly sad that set me off. Just the sign reading "Platform 9 3/4". It was then when the full force of this movie hit me; this is the end. It's been a swell ride, but now it's over... For me and many others, the magical world of Harry Potter has been a major part of our lives. For me in particular, Harry Potter was a huge influence in my childhood. And now it was over. No more books, no more movies. It felt like I had lost a dear friend. The tale of Harry Potter has officially come to a close. But as Neville said, "Harry may be dead, but he isn't gone... he's right here..."
This movie is a proper close to one of the greatest series of all time.
My Rating: SEE IT.

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