Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

It's odd to finally say goodbye to something that has been apart of my life for so long. The series of Harry Potter truly ended four years ago with the release of the seventh and final book, something we all anticipated with baited breath. That came out when I was making my transition from High School into College.

Now I have graduated College, and so it seems like fitting timing for the final of the Harry Potter films to be released, and for me to finally lay to rest and bid adieu the series that will define my generation. Truly, there have been few things in pop culture to rival the popularity of Harry Potter. We may never again have a book series so exciting that it causes all ages, kids to adults, to line up at midnight to purchase the new entry in the series.

And the films themselves are a remarkable achievement. True, they don't come close to rivaling the books, but the fact that the same core stuck with the film for so long, and that the only recasting came from Richard Harris' death is remarkable. The films have been magnificently successful, and the fact that Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have grown to embody these three iconic characters is owed in large part to the casting. Ginny Weasley is one of the few characters who was ill cast (Bonnie Wright has never been particularly compelling).

And how does the final film hold up? It opens right where the last one left off, with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) stealing the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave. Then we pick up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione staying with Ron's brother and plotting their next move, a break-in at the great Wizarding Bank Gringotts to infiltrate Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, in the hopes they will locate another Horcrux.

After the first five minutes, the remaining two hours take place over a single 24-hour period, as the trio infiltrates the bank in a wonderful sequence that finally, FINALLY gives us the scope of the caverns that lie beneath Gringotts, something that many criticized film one for leaving out. There is also a dragon, that owns its screen time and becomes quite a sympathetic character, yearning for sunlight and savoring its freedom once obtained. It's moment that could easily have been overlooked, but the CG wizards make it an emotional instant that works.

Harry then returns to Hogwarts to locate another Horcrux, and inadvertently begins the final standoff with Voldemort. It's a rather well executed final battle, and my only nitpick is that we don't get to see more of the resistance against Voldemort's onslaught (his army indeed outnumbers the forces at Hogwarts by 10-1). But there's also so many loose ends and back story to tie up that this can be forgiven.

Rather then continue summarizing, I will instead break off and mention what worked and what didn't. Probably the most important element that they nailed was Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), who is above all the most complex character in the Potterverse. The emotional impact his story has, the final revelation of his true colors, nearly brought a tear to my eye and definitely choked me up. It drives home the central theme of the entire series, that love conquers all. To see Snape's undying love for Harry's mother, and his allegiance to Dumbledore to protect her and her son, is a touching yet heartbreaking moment.

And Fiennes is finally given a lot of screen time (after being absent in Half-Blood Prince), finally making Voldemort the terrifying, fantastic villain he was meant to be. Not only does he strut about, sure of his immortality, but he is also allowed to express vulnerability as he realizes Harry is slowly wearing him down. The villain is always more fun to play, and Fiennes makes Voldemort a truly frightening presence.

There are also other great British actors, though Jim Broadbent (Slughorn) and Emma Thompson (Trelawney) are decidedly wasted and do nothing significant. But others including Maggie Smith, Jason Isaacs, Robbie Coltrane, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt, Warwick Davis, and Michael Gambon are put to good use and round out this terrific, powerhouse cast.

But the real pleasure has been seeing all the kids in the cast, including Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, grow up into capable adults. Their lives have been presented to us in a sort of shortened Up Series, progressing from 11 to 21 (all the actors are around the same age as me). Years from now, they have the rare ability to look back upon these films, a time capsule of their youth (and ours).

Now, what the film did wrong: The whole final ten minutes, including Voldemort's death, is slightly underwhelming and doesn't quite pack the epic, satisfying punch that I was hoping for. Sure the movie delivers several cheer worthy moments, including the destruction of Voldemort's snake, but Voldemort's demise is more of a fizzle then a bang, though Harry and Voldemort's final duel is decidedly more action-packed then the novel (Harry talked down Voldemort for a solid ten minutes and explained a lot of things). But Voldemort simply dissolves into the wind and the next scene is simply all the characters sitting around drinking tea and recuperating, instead of joyously celebrating the fact that Voldemort has died. It's a moment that should have the audience on their feet, crazy with applause, and instead Voldemort just disappears. Disappointing.

And a moment that didn't work in the book or the movie is the 19-years-later epilogue, which while it provides the necessary wrap-up, feels like something out of an SNL sketch showing these characters nearing middle age (especially Radcliffe's make-up). It does provide a sweet moment between Harry and his son, and brings the series full circle, but I've always felt it make everything too perfect. Harry and Ginny stayed together, Ron and Hermione stayed together, and all was well. For a series with such a dark view of the world, the ending is decidedly optimistic.

These quibbles aside however, one must applaud David Yates, the man bequeathed the task of taking Harry into the final run by directing four of the eight films in the series. If he hasn't come out as a stylist, he has successfully created a continuity between the universes of the films, and ended the series as satisfyingly as he could. Alfonso Cuaron, director of part 3, still made the most stylistic Potter, and the most filmic. His hand has never been rivaled and everyone wished he would have helmed more, but hey, you can't always get what you want.

The films may have never achieved what the books did, but you have to admire Warner Bros. for sticking it out, through and through (how could they resist 7 or 8 easily marketable and definitely profitable films). Plenty of other popular children books have failed to translate (including the wonderful The Golden Compass), and the fact that this series made it is a feat in and of itself.

Harry Potter's end serves, I guess, as my final closure to the world that I have embraced for 12 years since I first discovered the books. I have left college now, and must look on to a terrifying yet exciting future, without any more Harry Potter films to look forward too. I have grown with these movies; I was 11 when the first movie came out, and am now in my early twenties, ready to bid adieu to the series. There will be no other film series like Harry Potter, that takes us through such a long, emotional journey that spans ten years and actually ends on a mostly fantastic note. This type of thing is once in a lifetime, and though I hate to do it, it is finally time to say a heartfelt farewell to the characters, the actors, the books, the movies, the entire world of Harry Potter. Thank you for providing escape to a magical, far off world, something that I will share with my children in years to come.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Une (2010)

Harry Potter has come a long way from where he started as a wide-eyed child entering the magical gates of Hogwarts. Then, the magical world was a bright and happy place, with dangers lurking around corners, but easily solvable with a little determination and ingenuity. The films and books have become increasingly darker in tone as the characters age and the bright world shatters around them; indeed, a metaphor for all children growing up and realizing life is not the easy, happy experience they thought it would be.

Deathly Hallows opens with the cold-blooded murder of a Muggle Studies teacher, and the bodies begin piling up from there. Harry, Ron, and Hermione (do I need to tell you who plays them?) must set out to find and destroy Horcruxes, evil objects that conceal bits of Voldemort's soul. They start under the protection of their elders, but soon set out on their own and are stranded in the English countryside with nary a clue as to what to do.

As a Harry Potter adaptation, this is the film I have been waiting for. By splitting the book in two parts (also a clever ploy to make more money), writer Steve Kloves and director David Yates are finally allowed to take their time, and really let us get to know these people that we have seen grow up before our very eyes. The movie adds scenes that aren't in the book that help deepen the characters: in the opening we see Hermione erase her parents memories and Harry and Hermione share a dance when all is bleak.

Of course, the film neglects certain details that help flesh out other characters: Lupin's reluctance to stay with Tonks is something they eliminated, though I think that is a powerful scene that forces Harry to accept the fact that he really is on his own, and can no longer rely on adults. And Kreacher's development is thrown out, as he becomes a loyal slave to Harry Potter, someone he once resented.

Otherwise, this film is basically the book, even including long passages in the second half of the trio wandering aimlessly through the woods trying to decide what to do next. As far as a Harry Potter movie is concerned, it is decidedly quiet. There are explosions and chases at the beginning, and many deaths permeate the film; but the film lives and breathes with its quieter moments, including a scene between Ron and Hermione playing a piano, and Ron's continual monitoring of the radio to hear who has died.

The reason Prisoner of Azkaban has been continually lauded as the best in the Potter series is because Alfonso Cuarón gave the film a natural pace, and it flowed as a movie would. It also changed the landscape of the Potterverse and brought the series down to darker depths. Harry Potters 1 - 2 and 4 - 6 have always had a rushed sense about them, though I feel Yates found a better sense of pace in Half-Blood Prince.

When both films are combined they will probably total five hours or so, and will be glorious retellings of a story every Potterfan loves. The only real problem with the film is its eventual and unavoidable sudden ending, but that can be forgiven as it is only half a movie. People will be frustrated because it isn't the same Potter film of the past; its a slower film, and I loved that. And it raises the expectations even higher for Harry's grand finale next July as the Battle of Hogwarts takes place. Yates has delivered introspective Potter; now, the public is hungering for epic Potter.

One final note: the film contains a beautifully animated segment telling the story of the Deathly Hallows, narrated by Emma Watson. Its these touches that help the movie succeed.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

The latest Harry Potter film is, if I may be so bold, probably the most well structured and paced movie of the six so far. How they pace the next two will be interesting, considering the massive amount of information that is revealed in those chapters. And they will be thrilling films, I do expect. But for now, we have this one.

David Yates, who directed the previous pic (one I consider the worst of the bunch), has finally found his footing and is much more assured in the director's chair. This film also benefits from being the first movie to be made since the final book was released, so the filmmakers now know what elements are the most important and can create the final three pictures as complimentary pieces.

Really, this film represents to me what the first five could have been, had the studios waited until all seven books were released before chopping them into films. When Peter Jackson made the Lord of the Rings, he had all three books at his disposal, and was even able to shift part of the Two Towers storyline into the Return of the King. But alas, we are already past the sixth movie, and are almost at the finish line for Harry Potter (for when the final films are released, Pottermania will finally cease).

Yates does something bold here: he invents new scenes to help enhance the story, and sets up the climax of the film much better then the book did (with the vanishing cabinet). Yates knows we know what will happen, so why bother keeping it a mystery? Establish it! And this is what he does.

The sixth film is increasingly darker, even though it is laced with the various love stories that permeate the film. Harry and Ginny finally hook up, Ron and Hermione are well on their way to being together, and this all of course builds up love, the key ingredient to Voldemort's defeat. People may complain about the many awkward moments sprinkled throughout the film, but I felt they worked beautifully, and you need them to drive the idea home.

Added scenes include Harry flirting with a café worker at the beginning, which was a nice touch, and various scenes of Malfoy attempting to fix the vanishing cabinet. One addition that I did not care for was a scene at the Burrow where the inhabitants are lured away and then watch as their home is burned. Of course, this is being done deliberately to shave off events in the next book, but it was odd and pulled me out of the moment because I was watching a moment that was significant and not a part of the books.

I have never really liked Michael Gambon's Dumbledore; he has been a harsher, meaner Dumbledore then what Richard Harris created. But in this film he finally embodies Dumbledore as a mortal man, which he does best, and really helps break down a character that you realize really isn't invincible.

Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the new Potions teacher, is another bit of dynamite casting, and really helps to buoyant the film in some of its darker moments. He is the key to finding out crucial information on destroying Voldemort, but he also really shines in his scenes, and will be missed since he appears very little in the next two movies.

My biggest problem with all the editing, however, was the flashbacks. This book is supposed to focus on studying Voldemort, what made him evil, what lead him down the path he took. Sadly, the movie decides that the only flashbacks worth showing are when Dumbledore first meets Riddle as a young boy, and the Slughorn memory that is the key to the next book's adventures. There are a lot more flashbacks that provide richer detail to who Dumbledore is, and I'm sad the filmmakers just didn't add another ten minutes to the film. This is honestly the first of the Potters that didn't feel it's length, mainly because it was well paced.

The biggest problem with this book and movie, however, is its anticlimactic ending. Dumbledore is killed by Snape, and the locket that Harry and Dumbledore retrieve is actually a fake one. And now Harry has to go and destroy Horcruxes. It reminds me of how I felt after finishing the sixth book, with a "wtf" feeling and wanting the next book in my hand immediately. Of course that is the nature of sagas, to leave you wanting more the next time around.

One change that I didn't expect and still haven't decided how I felt about it were the moments immediately following Dumbledore's death. The posse that Malfoy brings through the Vanishing Cabinet do no more then witness the event, and leave after trashing the Great Hall. Malfoy's original intention in bringing them was as defense as he went after Dumbledore, but since their presence is completely unnoticed by the "patrols" the fight that follows is gone. I understand they cut the fight for time, but really it made no sense because the castle was supposed to be "well guarded", so any breaches of security should have been noticed (they weren't even noticed upon departure).

Is this the best Harry Potter movie? No, I'd say not, but it's a definite step in the right direction to making the final two movies the best goddamn movies in the entire series. The film is the first Potter flick to feel like a real movie, and not a never-ending book adaptation. There is a dramatic structure and character arcs not always present the first two five times. David Yates has proved his sure hand, though, and needs to prove himself, in part II of the Deathly Hallows anyway, as a great action director.

Rating: 8/10