The greatest movie franchise of all time has come to an end. That’s the bad news for “Harry Potter” fans. The good news is that the series goes out with a bang and now they can own the movie on Blu-ray/DVD.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” picks-up right where “Part 1” left off. The evil Lord Voldemort is finally ready to kill Harry. And he and his gang are prepared to destroy Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the process if necessary. Meantime, Harry, Ron and Hermione are continuing their quest to find and destroy all of the horcruxes so they can defeat Voldemort, save the school and the future of wizards everywhere. That’s pretty much what it’s all come down to.
This is only the fourth “Potter” film I’ve seen, but it’s definitely my favorite and much more interesting and exciting than “HP7.1” (and I still say they should have simply made one, long movie). Even though this is the eighth film of the series, you don’t have to have seen any of the others to understand this story and enjoy the film (though seeing “HP7.1” would help). And don’t think that every plot point is wrapped-up in this finale, because they’re not, though this is a satisfying conclusion.
“HP7.2” has a running time of 2:10, 15 minutes less than “HP7.1”. But after a rather dry beginning, the action heats-up and the movie goes by rather quickly. The actions scenes are very well done, especially the climactic final battle between the two arch-enemies. And there are some secrets and twists that add to the suspense.
The dialogue, at times, is very powerful. Diehard fans of the books and/or the films will undoubtedly get emotional as things begin to wind down. The special effects, for the most part, are well done, though a scene in which the three main characters ride brooms through a fire is particularly cheesy. I didn’t see the film in 3D. Hopefully in the “extra dimension” these shots looked more believable.
As you would expect, this being the last time for the actors playing these characters, everyone gives their all. Daniel Radcliffe is in practically every scene and Ralph Fiennes finishes strong, dominating the screen as Voldemort. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have more back-up roles this time, since this is Harry’s story. Maggie Smith stands out among the supporting cast, but everyone is quite good.
“HP7.2” is rated PG-13 for all of the action/violence and brief language, but there’s nothing here that wasn’t in the other films and millions of young kids are going to go and enjoy it to the final frame.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2” gets a B, and that’s like getting a B+ or an A from all other critics. I’m still not a big fan of the series and never will be, but this is clearly the best of the four “Potter” movies I’ve seen and I can appreciate the time, effort and passion that went into creating this incredibly successful series.