Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Film Review)

You already know if you’re going to see this or not.

If you’re a fan then you’ll want to see how the decade long film series concludes. If you’re not then you’re probably going to be put off by the film’s story. It doesn’t take time to recap anything, mostly because it’s already been covered in previous instalments. You need to have at least watched the last three films to properly comprehend this flick. The fact The Deathly Hallows has “Part 2” in the title should be enough to tell you that.

Despite this the core of the story is simple enough. Ranulph Fiennes is evil and being made immortal by MacGuffins known as horcruxes. The heroic trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione need to hunt them down, destroy them then break the evil hold on the wizarding world.

The first thing to praise about this movie is the way in which it is shot. There’s some great cinematography for this which captures the action oriented scenes incredibly well, but more surprisingly it seems to have been intended to full use of the 3D. The gimmick is used properly here and shows up throughout the entire film rather than the usual couple of scenes. Kicking in right from the Warner Bros logo. Things jut out of the screen with surprising realism at every turn; this is probably the first film since Tron Legacy worth seeing in 3D.

The acting is top notch, with the whole cast all giving strong performances and giving their all for this film. The only flaws in any performances come as a result of the actors not having enough screen time. Two examples being Julie Walters and Alan Rickman, though the latter’s scenes are cinematic gold and the high point of the film. Complementing the acting is the action scenes, with the Part 2 delivering the big climactic battle the series deserves. It has everything which turned up in the books: hundreds of spells slinging wizards, stone knights, giant spiders and troglodyte giants, all of which look very real. It’s not on the scale of the Lord of the Rings, but it’s the biggest fight you’ll see in the franchise.

Green vs Red. Evil vs good. Mass B list character deaths. 

Harry Potter: Blackest Night?

Part 2’s only flaw is it feels rushed when viewed on its own. It feels half complete and if you are to watch this it is definitely worth digging out Part 1 before going into the theatre. It moves at a very quick pace and never stops to properly focus upon some things, most notably some major character deaths.

It’s a brilliantly explosive conclusion but it doesn’t stop to give the characters the closure they deserve. The battle ends, Harry speaks to the others for a bit, then the film cuts to years later showing their children going to Hogwarts. It’s like the film rushes forwards as fast as it can and then just ends.

Final verdict? The Deathly Hallows Part 2 solid film that delivers for its fandom, contains good actions scenes, good acting and is all around a great flick. Even if you’re not a fan and you get dragged into watching this you’re still going to have fun.

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Harry Potter and all related characters and media are owned by J.K Rowling.