Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) review

I heard applause about three times throughout this movie. Congratulations, film goers; I'm finally convinced that you all have brains.


As I mentioned before, the majority of Hollywood producers are usually only interested in creating big blockbusters based off of big name franchises because those are names that people recognize, and therefore would be willing to see. What I usually like to see is a film that inserts inspiration and dignity into a franchise that typically comes off as dumb, but sadly, when a franchise is that dumb, film producers will only attempt to rush out something equally as dumb, and the result ends up being even dumber. In the mean time, however, we also have the franchises that aren't dumb to begin with; franchises that inspire filmmakers to create something heartfelt, dramatic, and epic in order to intrigue audiences. Harry Potter is one of those franchises. The books have intrigued even the readers who don't typically read through their lovable and compelling characters and imaginative uses of mythology. They intrigued many people, and therefore, filmmakers would've found it an insult to create half-a**ed film adaptations of them. As a result, the films were just as heartfelt, imaginative, and dramatic as the books. Every single Harry Potter film has brought in big bucks and gotten thumbs up from several critics, and after filling up all the bases with the first seven films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 hits the ball right out of the f**king park! It couldn't get any better! Astonishing! Brilliant! Fantastic! What am I waiting for? Let's get to the review already!

The film picks up where Part 1 left off. Voldemort now has the elderly wand, and Harry still has to find the other horcruxes in order to defeat him. He goes searching around several places, finding one horcrux after another. This eventually leads him back to Hogwarts where he takes part in an epic battle between the Death Eaters and the students and teachers of Hogwarts (as well as what's left of the Order of the Phoenix). Many of Harry's friends die one after another to protect him, and Harry feels terrible that so many people are dying because of him, especially when he finds out that he is the last horcrux and that he must die. The scene where Harry is about to die is probably the saddest moment I've ever experienced in the theater. After everything he's been through to survive; after everything he's gained and lost; he must fall before Voldemort. I swear, I've never heard so many sniffles in a theater in my life! But what Harry doesn't realize is that while people are dying because of him, they're not dying in vein. They're dying because they believe in the same idea of light and peace that he always believed in. Even if Harry does die, they will not fall before Voldemort.


One thing I really love about this series is that, while the effects are spectacular throughout all eight films, the films do not rely entirely on the effects and instead only use them to tell the story. The effects are there, but they're only a small piece of the films. The filmmakers know that there are more pieces to them; cinematography, set design, performances, dialogue, pacing, and not to mention, heart. The fact that there are filmmakers in Hollywood who think like this is the one thing that keeps my hopes up for future generations of cinema.


David Yates hasn't always been the best filmmaker to create these films, but he has improved since the only adequate Order of the Phoenix. The one thing he's always been good at is establishing the action scenes, which are by far the best in the series. The pace at which the spells flash before everyone's eyes is riveting. One person casts, and the other blocks, and it all happens so rapidly that you can't help but be at the edge of your seat. As proven with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, you can't have thrills without suspense, and you can't have suspense without some sort of conflict. We have seen these characters develop. We know what their purpose is in the story. We know why they have to live and why the Death Eaters must die. We cheer every time the good guys triumph, and we cry when the bad guys triumph.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the epic conclusion that everyone has been waiting for. Every element of the previous films is there; performances, story, effects, and set design; and it's all at the top of its game. The story is equally as riveting and dramatic as the well-established action scenes. It's not only the best film in the series, but also the best film of the year. It's the blockbuster that should inspire more filmmakers to create films equally as dramatic that still hold big names, whether or not they were dumb to begin with. It should, but it probably won't. Oh well!