A Reel Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

If the entire HARRY POTTER film franchise were a pyramid, then DEATHLY HALLOWS 2 would be the capstone; not a giant piece of the structure but the final and most important one. Not really its own movie, it serves instead as a feature-length wrap of events that began years ago; loose ends are tied up, secrets are revealed and closure is brought to all involved. This movie is the bottom of the 9th inning that we’ve all been waiting for…

Picking up right where HALLOWS PART 1 left off, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friends Ron and Hermonie (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson), inch their way closer to finding the remaining Horcruxes; hidden items that the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has imbedded parts of his soul into to be immortal. The hunt leads them back to their beloved Hogwarts, where students and staff engage in a massive battle against Voldemort and his legions of followers.

The POTTER films have always been the story of Harry’s life, while allowing room for the many other characters and subplots. In HALLOWS 2, Harry takes center stage with the lone spotlight. This is his show now, with only room left for his enemy in the form of Voldemort. Where HALLOWS 1 served as a character drama, HALLOWS 2 puts the pedal to metal and drives straight ahead. It is a plot-heavy film that tends to leave characters behind while getting down to business.

But surrounding Harry’s movie is a powerful message of love and loss. It has been remarkable over the years to witness the look of the films change as the kids get older; much in the same way we all see the world differently as the years pass. In HALLOWS 2, the world not only changes, but literally crumbles around them. But keeping it all together are strong themes of love and friendship; themes that will have many reaching for the Kleenex.

Director David Yates still seems to have as much patience as a 16 year old boy tugging at a bra strap. Things still feel really rushed, and a lot of scenes feel like they could have benefitted greatly by being just a few well-spent minutes longer. For example, an early dramatic scene in a bank vault begins with all the makings of a STAR WARS-esque trash-compactor trap, but is pushed through so quickly it is over before the audience can process what happened. Also, the striking images of the Hogwarts castle being burned and blasted to the ground come and go without letting the devastation sink in. Such is Yates style, plowing through the field without stopping to smell the roses; characters are left behind and many happenings are zipped though. There also seems to be a heavy reliance on the audience being familiar with the source material; even with HALLOWS 1 as support, there are many items that could have benefitted with just a little more explanation.

Acting is superb all around. Radcliffe gets the most attention and the most work, and shows that he really does have the chops to expand his career. Watson and Grint also shine, despite how little they seem to be used. Fiennes nearly steals the show in his villainous role, and Alan Rickman’s command of the tragic Severus Snape reaches new emotional heights.

Despite some of the misgivings, HALLOWS 2 still offers a powerful emotional punch and satisfying wrap to the series. It is a hard film to judge on its own as it is built around everything that came before it, but gets high marks and a passing grade for bringing incredible smiles, cheers and tears from beginning to end.

BOTTOM LINE: See it