This is a spoiler-free guest post by Adam McDonald.
“For neither can live while the other survives …”
It was with this prophecy that the world of Harry Potter was set in motion, and it is in Deathly Hallows Part 2 that it finally comes to fulfillment and ends what can be considered one of the most epic stories ever filmed. Fans of the books and the movies will be very pleased with this final entry into the series, as the film succeeds in capturing the story and spirit of the book, despite some small changes that will bother none but the most hardcore Harry Potter purists. While not a perfect movie, it joins the ranks of summer blockbusters that are both enjoyable to watch while still staying smart, emotionally satisfying and full of enough special effects and destruction to keep a Michael Bay fan happy. The two hours or so you will spend in the theatre rushes by and before you know it, the credits are rolling, and you will find yourself walking outside with a satisfied, yet somewhat sad, smile on your face. It almost seems hard to believe that after all this time, everything has finally come to an end; the world and characters that exist in the Harry Potter universe are so unique and fleshed out, they almost feel like real people, and it makes you wish there was more to come, Whether or not J. K. Rowling follows through on her promise not to write any more Harry Potter stories remains to be seen, but if she never does, at least we will have an excellent movie to conclude one of the most amazing stories ever written.
Deathly Hallows Part 2 is not for the Harry Potter uninitiated; if you don’t know a Muggle from a Mundungus, stay as far away from this film as possible because you will be completely lost from the get go. The movie assumes you are familiar with what has taken place, and spends no time recapping what has happened in the story or Deathly Hallows Part 1. Those who are caught up know that Voldemort has recovered the powerful Elder Wand which he intends to use to finally kill Harry Potter who, with friends Ron and Hermione, are on a desperate quest to hunt down the last of the Horcruxes — magical items that hold the remnants of Voldemort’s soul and the lynchpin to his final downfall. With half of them already destroyed, they must find the final ones or the world is doomed, as Voldemort can not be defeated so long as even one part of his soul survives. With the help of a goblin they rescued from the insane Bellatrix Lestrange, they break into the goblin bank Gringott’s to find one and then make a final journey to Hogwarts where another is rumored to reside. Voldemort learns of this and begins an assault on the wizard school which sets up the final battle between good and evil and between Harry and Voldemort. Granted the story is not nearly as simple as this, and while I’m sure many reading this already know how everything turns out, I would do a disservice to those who are still wondering what the final Horcruxes are, whose side Snape is on, the purpose of the Snitch Dumbledore left behind and if Harry Potter and any of his friends die. If you think you know the answers, you might, but I dare say a few of them will surprise you. One of the joys of watching this movie, is that these questions are answered at a measurable pace, whereas, with the book, I found myself reading so rapidly, I had to go back and re-read sections as I had completely missed certain plot points in my excitement to learn what was going to happen.
The movie succeeds not just on the strength of these beloved characters and plot, but also on the writing, directing and acting. There is never a wasted moment here; no point where you sigh and look at your watch wondering when the next interesting thing will take place — something that occassionally took place in the book, and this is a testament to the work of the writers. The movie sucks you in from the beginning and never gives you time to notice that you’re not a part of what is going on, and just sitting in a theatre watching a movie. The actors also fully embody the characters given to them, and you believe this is how these people would really act in the situations they are put in. It’s quite amazing that all these actors, cast as children in the first movie just because they looked like the characters, have developed their skills so well and hold their own with other seasoned vets such as Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and Gary Oldman. That said, one of my few gripes with this movie is that it has increasingly become the ‘Harry, Ron and Hermione Show’ and never has that been more apparent than here where supporting characters, with only one exception, get relegated to ‘extra’ status. They do a great job with what is given to them (and one gets to say my favorite line in the whole series), but I felt shorted that these people who had such important parts to play were not given the screen time they deserved.
Also, the strongest recommendation I can give is NOT to see this movie in 3D. We were not given a choice as to which version we saw, and I would much rather have watched it the way it was filmed. I am sure the studio will make a lot more money this way, but it really detracts from the experience and, unfortunately unlike Thor, it is much too blurry to watch if you remove your glasses, It is quite obvious the movie was converted as some of the scenes which should have been really cool with this effect, fall flat, and as dark as it already is, you can easily miss out on some things due to the shading of the glasses. It’s a shame they didn’t just release this one the same as they did with Part 1, as the experience is really distracting for the first half of the movie and even in parts of the finale.
As mentioned before, the writers did take some small liberties with the story, and I know this will lead to some complaining by the Harry Potter elitists. Even though I wish they would have left the story ‘as is’ the changes made don’t detract from the story, and if you walk out arguing about “Elder Wand Continuity” you take yourself and fiction much too seriously.
Lastly, while Part 1 ended on what felt like a perfect note, Part 2 jumps into things much too quickly and makes you feel as if you walked into something halfway through. This is really no fault of the movie itself, but due to the fact that you DID indeed do just that. I would much rather have watched Part 1 first and immediately segued into this one, but we know this didn’t happen because very few audiences that I know of would gladly have sat through a five hour movie.
But this is really all a bunch of nit-picking. What you need to know is you will thoroughly enjoy every moment of this movie. It is extremely well done and probably the best movie I have seen all year. Grab your friends and other Harry Potter fanatics and go see it this weekend or when you can actually get tickets for it; just skip out on the 3D offering and watch the superior 2D one.