Emotional performances, breathtaking visuals cement Harry Potter's place in history
Rating: A-
J.K. Rowling's visually realized narrative about mortality, hope and love has been one of the most defining experiences of our generation. After battling dark wizards, monstrous spiders, trolls, werewolves, giant snakes and dragons, Harry Potter's cinematic adventures have come to a dramatic and more than satisfying conclusion.
A fitting ending to the most profitable series in movie history, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" serves as a testament to how much the three young actors have grown into the adults they are today. The battle scenes are visually striking, the performances are skillfully acted and the story is emotionally captivating. Calling the film "magical summer entertainment" would be an understatement. "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is a triumph of cinematic proportions.
The movie begins where "Part 1" (2010) left off and provides a short remediation of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) obtaining the all-powerful Elder Wand. It then takes us to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) still mourning the death of his house elf friend Dobby. Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) continue their mission of finding and destroying the remaining Horcruxes, which are items that contain remnants of Voldemort's soul and the key to ending his immortality.
Their search leads to their return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which has a sinister atmosphere about it under the control of newly appointed headmaster Severus Snape (Alan Rickman). A reunion of the saga's many memorable characters occurs, and Hogwarts becomes the battleground for a thrilling, climatic war. Among this dramatic struggle, protracted mysteries are explained, loose ends are tied, characters are sadly killed off and the final confrontation between the Boy Who Lived and He Who Must Not Be Named takes place.
Fans of the franchise can argue among themselves about which film is the best, but "Deathly Hallows: Part Two" is the best-paced and the most breathtaking of the series. It also shows how well Radcliffe, Watson and Grint have grown into their characters. Radcliffe, once portraying the young, nerdy wizard, has developed into a heroic and masculine adult. Watson has grown out of her early wooden performances and into the emotionally demanding character Hermione has become. Grint has graduated from the clown-like comic relief to a debonair figure.
While watching the three leads grow throughout the entire franchise was an astonishing experience, watching the franchise itself mature was equaling enthralling. The series displayed a light-hearted tone when it began 10 years ago with "The Sorcerer's Stone." As it developed, the tone grew continuously darker while the saga's status as a continuous story, rather than a series of episodic adventures, became more apparent. Within the progressing dark tone, the franchise's primary themes are introduced: the presence of darkness within everyone, the inner light that overcomes it and perseverance during a time of sorrow.
As the director of the final four films, David Yates himself matures the franchise by keeping his undivided attention toward mood and exposition. "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" contains its own share of emotionally compelling moments, most of which come from Harry's acceptance of death and the surprisingly poignant background story of Severus Snape.
The battle scenes are impressive and feature stunning visual splendor. The 3-D, however, doesn't work due to the film's murky background, reducing the film's imagery to grimy and blurry. If you really want to enjoy the extravagant spectacle, don't see it in 3-D. The entire film is also impressively staged, with Hogwarts transformed into a post-apocalyptic, ash-gray battleground.
The three stars may be more skillful than ever, but their performances are completely upstaged by the supporting cast of British legends, who are allowed one last chance to shine during the epic conclusion. Props go out especially to Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes, who steal the show in every scene they are in. The screenplay finally allows Rickman to drop the invariably sulking side of Snape and reveal a more compassionate, sympathetically troubled individual.
At the end of the film, an epilogue shows the three protagonists 19 years in the future and sending their children to school. It's an emotional moment to see them wave goodbye to their children as it looks like they are saying farewell to the devoted viewers who have followed their adventures for 10 years.
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