Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Movie Review

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

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Written by: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Kelly Macdonald, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman,  Maggie Smith, David Thewlis
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle begins at Hogwarts.

Verdict
It's the final movie of the series. You have to watch it, and it provides the conclusions you desire. With the final movie split into two parts, it does suffer from pacing issues. Part 1 is mostly setup while this is mostly action. That's not a problem as the foundation has been set. There are plenty of big moments and real stakes in this movie. The ending, and the epilogue, are satisfying. Seven movies brought us to this point and it completely pays off. Looking at this movie just on it's own merits leaves it a big lacking. It can't stand alone. There is no way you would come into this movie without having watched the previous films.  If you've seen every movie in the series, you'll love it. If not, you'll be lost.
It depends.

Review
It's hard not to review this in tandem with Part 1 as they are parts of the same movie in essence. The two parts together complete an epic journey, but apart they each are lacking. Part 1 sets the stage and this ends the show, but neither quite stands on their own.

This is a very intense and touching movie that ends the series. There are revelations about horcruxes, how Harry and Voldemort are linked, and more.

This gives us the big showdown between Harry and Voldemort. It has emotional moments, but it also has a happy ending and a little epilogue that is just a touching way to end the series. It's hard not to like this movie because of what it is, the capstone to the series. It's difficult to separate my appreciation for the series from this movie as they are so intertwined. Seven previous movies built to this moment and it works.

 

Harry wasn't sure how to find the horcruxes in Part 1 with Ron and Hermione, but now ideas just come to him. He ends up where the movies began, Hogwarts. This is the location of the final showdown.

There are more than a few deaths. It's sad to see characters die, but a battle like this has to have casualties to make it feel like the stakes are real.

Harry has discovered all of Voldemort's horcruxes. Now it's a race to destroy them, and Voldemort in turn, before Voldemort's army destroys them.

There are big revelations in this movie. Snape's role as double agent or Voldemort supporter is finally put to rest. The method of how Harry must defeat Voldemort is a bit contrived, but the moment completely works. They've been good and evil, inextricably linked since the beginning. Their conclusion is fitting.

The wand owner through disarming seems a bit contrived. Maybe the book explained it better, but I didn't like how it worked in the movie. We've seen plenty of people disarmed and not had this issue of true wand owner until now. The true wand owner doesn't even seem to play much of a role.


The twenty years later epilogue is a big contrived, but I loved every moment of it. I wanted a few more moments with these characters, though my love for this scene stems from how I felt when I first read it. When I first finished the book series, I felt this sense of loss in that I'd never read another new Harry Potter book. That short chapter, made it just a bit easier.

I've been rewatching the movies for the first time since they've come out. Since I've completed the entire series, this is how I'd rank the Harry Potter movies: The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Sorcerers Stone, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Deathly Hallows Part 1, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Order of the Phoenix. 

Azkaban has the best story and execution with Goblet of Fire close behind. The Sorcerers Stone started the journey. As a kid I would have loved that kind of wish fulfillment. I still do. Half-Blood Prince is a surprisingly well rounded adventure. Hallows Part 2 is an incomplete movie, but it does conclude the adventure. Part 1 is mostly filler, but it's exciting as a nod for what's to come. Chamber of Secrets isn't bad, it just gets lost in the shuffle. I don't like Order of the Phoenix. Before I started my rewatch I thought it marked the start of the downfall of the series. It's not. It's just an utterly lackluster story.