Climbing Higher Pictures

It’s been a long road to get here, but after 7 blockbuster installments, Harry Potter‘s tale has reached its conclusion. Directors Chris Colombus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates have each put their stamp on the saga, and there will always be debate over whose vision was the most faithful or most successful. But the real question on everyone’s mind is whether or not this finale can possibly live up to what came before. That’s a question I hope to be able to provide an answer to below:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A

After 10 years, the phenomenon is finally coming to a close. Harry Potter is already the highest grossing franchise in film history, and the 7 previous installments have all managed to be critical and box office successes in an unprecedented sense. Make no mistake, this is a once in a lifetime cross-media force of nature that began on a coffee shop napkin and has grown into the single most recognizable piece of children’s literature and blockbuster filmmaking on the planet. Having split the final book into two movies to allow for kind of finale this series deserves, David Yates once again takes the reigns for his fourth, and arguably finest Harry Potter film. Is it the ending you’ve all been hoping it would be? In a word, absolutely.

Though it’s hard to look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II as a single standalone enterprise, it is invariably the most solid of any of the post-Askaban films. The goals and objectives are clear, the audience is given plenty of refreshment in terms of where we are and where we’ve been, and ultimately it’s the only one of the films that doesn’t leave us dangling for the inevitable sequel. The pacing is an interesting mix of calm and chaos, delivering both the quiet and loud moments with skill and grace. You won’t be confused by what’s going on, and if you’ve watched Part I recently, or all the previous films in preparation, there’ll be nothing here that’ll feel out of place. Great joy can be taken in all the little references to earlier events, as well as a host of sets and props that haven’t been seen in several years and carry their own nostalgic qualities.

Some of the unsung heroes of this franchise are the casting talent who brought together 3 children who have now aged through over 18 hours of screen-time before our very eyes. That they all stayed together, that they all aged well, and that they have all become quite gifted actors in their own right, is the kind of Hollywood miracle that doesn’t really happen anymore. Nobody believed that they’d make it to seven films, as most large-scale adaptations peter out and lose their audience slowly over time. If nothing else, the Harry Potter audience has grown, and the level of expectation is through the roof for how it all ends. They aren’t going to be disappointed.

I’ve been careful to avoid spoilers with this review, because this is the kind of film that shouldn’t be damaged by criticism ahead of time. For each person who sees it, this is an experience that they’ve been heading towards for a decade, and I don’t want to be the guy who ruins the ride. With that in mind, I will only say that there are several small departures from the book within narrative, and while some are for the better, others serve simply as padding. Harry and Voldemort’s final duel, for example, is extended far beyond its necessary length, and the change in scenery takes away a lot of the symbolism that infused the way events are handled at the end of the book. Snape suffers from a bit of a location issue as well, and though the scene in question works fine, it feels like something that didn’t need to be adjusted.

There are always going to be elements of an adaptation that sit differently with each viewer, and though I liked the vast majority of the choices here, there are a handful which really prevent this from transcending the series and becoming a standalone fantasy epic like The Return of the King. At the end of the day, you’ll be hard-pressed not to enjoy this last Harry Potter outing, and as this chapter closes, hopefully a new hero will capture the imaginations of the world once more. It was a great journey, and I’m happy to have had the chance to be a part of it.