Mini-Review of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2



In spite of my hazy, crazy summer schedule, I did see the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, on opening weekend. The theater was packed, which is a very impressive feat for a 9:45 a.m. IMAX 3D showing on a Saturday morning. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is one of the best summer films I've seen this year, and it looked absolutely stunning in IMAX 3D.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 chronicles the final confrontation between Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), a confrontation that inevitably involves Hogwarts itself--the castle, the faculty and the students. This sequel picks up immediately after the previous movie, so viewers who haven't seen Deathly Hallows Part 1 yet should see that first before watching Part 2. (Then again, with all of the cameos of people and places that were seen in the previous films, anyone who decides to make the last Harry Potter film their first will be completely lost.)

Deathly Hallows Part 2 is epic in scope, both in terms of narrative structure and visual composition, more so than any of the previous Harry Potter films. Further aiding in the astonishing grandiosity of this adaptation is the direction of David Yates, whose previous experience in this franchise (Yates directed the last three Harry Potter films) clearly aided him in providing the right tone and pacing for this final chapter. In between the action set pieces are a few quiet, thoughtful, character-driven scenes--including a few noteworthy moments involving Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), Harry himself, and a goblin named Griphook (Warwick Davis)--which emphasize the quality of the film's cast and Yates' thorough understanding of the source material.

As with any other Harry Potter movie, quite a few subplots from the books are missing in the movie. For example, the tragic story behind Ariana, the late sister of Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), is nowhere to be found; she makes a cameo appearance as a portrait in a scene with Albus' brother Aberforth (Ciarán Hinds), but nothing more. While the omission of this and other back stories doesn't keep Deathly Hallows Part 2 from being a great movie, their absence stand as reminders of how the movies' set running times cause them to fall short of the narrative richness of Rowling's books--even when one book is split into two movies, as is the case of Deathly Hallows. Nevertheless, I don't know how the ending of the Harry Potter saga could have been portrayed any better on the silver screen than what Yates and company produced in Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Furthermore, if there's one film to see in 3D this summer, it's Deathly Hallows. The already impressive action scenes in both Gringotts and Hogwarts gain an extra level of almost immersive depth in the 3D format, which further enhances the multitude of thrills that this sequel provides.


Comments

  1. DanJuly 22, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    I totally agree with you on pretty much everything (though I saw it in 2D so I can't comment on the 3D). I think with many of the subplots that didn't make the cut, the film likes to throw in a quick reference that will remind fans of the books but will go right over the head of those who only watch the films. It's a great film though and a nice conclusion to the series.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TimJuly 22, 2011 at 6:47 PM

    Thanks for the feedback, Dan!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Rush BlogAugust 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    What happened to the narrative in this movie? What happened? Instead, the movie was basically the Battle of Hogswarts. It failed to explain the Elder Wand, Dumbledore's past and how he got his hands on that particular wand.

    Instead, the movie was all action and hardly any narrative.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TimAugust 2, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    Rush,

    Personally, I think that the filmmakers were over-compensating in the action scenes in Part II after the lack of action in Part I. You're right--such pacing throws off the narrative and results in quite a few glaring omissions. These adaptations would've been better off as a series of miniseries IMHO, but unfortunately that isn't where the money is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Rush BlogAugust 3, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    But there were plenty of action in "Part I" - Harry's departure from the Dursleys' home, their escape from the Weasleys' farm during Bill and Fleur's wedding, the Deatheaters' attack at the London cafe, the Ministry of Magic sequence, Harry and Hermione at Godric's Hollow, the Deatheaters' attack at the Lovegood home, the trio's capture by the snatchers, and the entire Malfoy Manor sequence.

    So, I don't see any signs of "lack of action" in Part I that had to be made up in Part II.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Tron: Uprising (Part 1 of 4): Characters

Image
This month marks the one year anniversary of the cancellation of Tron: Uprising , which aired on Disney XD for 19 episodes. Set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy , Uprising chronicled the events shortly after Clu’s rise to power within the stand-alone Grid created by Kevin Flynn. Personally, I think that Tron: Uprising got a raw deal from Disney. It’s a fantastic addition to the Tron saga that went on to win both Emmy and Annie Awards , yet Disney clearly had other priorities and was willing to toss Uprising aside without so much as an official cancellation notice. Even to this day, Uprising has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray and I’m wondering if it ever will. In honor of this amazing animated series that was cut down in its prime, I have decided to do something that Disney won’t. Since there will never be an official Tron: Uprising art book, I have searched across the Internet to find a selection of art from Uprising that I can share here on my blog with ...
Read more

FOUND: Mechanical Shark from Universal Jaws Theme Park Ride

Image
When the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida shut down its Jaws ride back in January 2012, Jaws fans everywhere were devastated. Yet even though this part of the Jaws franchise is no longer operational, some of its sharks are swimming around out there … including places such as Frederick, Maryland. A few days ago, I was contacted by a fellow Jaws fan named John Ryan, asking me if I knew anything specific regarding the sharks from the Universal Jaws ride. He was asking because he thought he found one and is trying to verify its authenticity. We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and here’s what he told me about his find: “I've been collecting Jaws memorabilia for decades and when I found this incredibly rare gem sitting in a backyard in Frederick, Maryland, I wondered about its connection to the state. The current homeowners said the shark was already there when they purchased the property. They also told me it had been the subject of neighborhood rumor for y...
Read more

Machine Robo's Magnificent Robot Combiners

Image
I don't collect Transformers merchandise, but I see articles and advertisements about it when I browse through Japanese robot toy sites. From what I can gather, one of the latest product lines for Transformers is called "Combiner Wars" , a line that consists of five or six transforming robot toys that combine into one bigger robot. Combiner robot toys have been around for a long time, and Transformers had quite a few of them even back in the '80s. Yet of the many combiner robot toys I've seen over the years, the ones that have consistently impressed me were the ones released by Bandai under the Machine Robo line. Whereas other robot toy lines are stuck in the novelty of combining smaller toys into a bigger toy, Machine Robo has used the concept of combination to promote creative play. Read on for a review of how Machine Robo has built upon its combiner toys throughout the years.
Read more