Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (***½)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman,
Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs,
Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma
Thompson, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, Warwick Davis, Robbie
Coltrane, Jim Broadbent
Seen: July 14th 2011
***½
Out of ****
However brilliant this conclusion to arguably the most successful
franchise in cinema history may be, I can’t help but feel the slightest sliver
of disappointment, one that I will never be able to fully explain or justify
beyond simply stating it, and one that definitely, but only partially, has to
do with the end being here with the story now over. Harry Potter is done, and
say what you want, it will leave a hole in the cinematic landscape as we’ve
come to know it during this last decade. It All Ends, as the poster reads, is a
very fitting tagline, as not just the
end of the movie, but close to every scene in the movie carries an undeniable
weight of finality and farewell, be it in tying up loose ends or in that
forlorn sense that everything is showcased for just this one last time, the
ogres, the giant spiders, the forest, the halls at Hogwarts, every little
thing…
Starting exactly where Part I ended, this movie has almost no
introduction apart from the quick title sequence displaying the Warner Bros.
logo and the name of the movie; then it’s right back into the story we were
left with in November of last year. Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint) and Hermione
(Watson) are still hunting horcruxes in an attempt to once and for all get rid
of Voldemort (Fiennes), and after about two minutes of dialogue they head for
Gringotts, where they believe they’ll find another one. Hermione becomes
Bellatrix Lestrange (Carter) in order to break into her bank vault, and what
ensues is a bit of fun in Helena Bonham Carter impersonating Emma Watson
impersonating Helena Bonham Carter; a rollercoaster ride terminating in an
eerily quiet alarm; and a breakneck getaway involving tricky navigation of
clever magic and a great big dragon. The stage is set, and where Part I was
mostly dark exposition and build-up, Part II is essentially a war movie; Hogwarts
becomes a war zone; and Harry, and to a lesser extent Ron and Hermione, become
the generals unwittingly marshalling the downtrodden troops against the
menacing forces behind Voldemort. Apart from the three main leads and a master class performance by a commanding Ralph
Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis and Evanna Lynch have the most notable
presences as Severus Snape, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood; Snape’s
sacrifice, Neville’s comeuppance and Luna’s oddball knowledge serving the story
beyond measure.
The battles are climactic, with lulls in between to allow the story
time to fittingly reach the eventual conclusion, and as the movie ebbs and
flows, our three main characters plan the final demise of Voldemort, a plan
hinging on some luck, a plan at times seemingly hopeless in the face of the
threat of their powerful enemy. The special effects are phenomenal, and I was
dumbstruck by some of the instances of visual wizardry presented on screen
during the battle; flowing camerawork expertly combined with creative and
stunning visuals. The 3D however is a non-event, and I’d recommend finding the
movie in 2D, as the dark tone together with the fact that the 3D was a
conversion really doesn’t justify the higher ticket price. All the actors
simply burn through their lines, and a strong script carries the movie to the
final confrontation and a little beyond, just as the book did.
In the Harry Potter franchise, I place this one in a strong second place,
just after The Deathly Hallows Part I; a perfect ending to an epic story which
by now totals almost 20 hours of prime cinema. Goodbye Harry, you were great.
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