I should begin with the caveat that I have only read up to the fourth book (when I was 11), and am not a hardcore Harry Potter fan by any means. I have seen every film and definitely enjoy the world that JK Rowling has developed but if you want the opinion of a big fan, I am not that person. Also, if you have never seen a Harry Potter movie, don’t even bother trying to watch this because they don’t play catch-up and you will be completely lost.
The first half of this movie really had me hyped up and interested in how everything would play out. I already knew some of the basics of the plotline for the book, but I was really hoping for the Deathly Hallows storyline to come together in an interesting fashion. The story was paced very tightly which was a welcome relief after the very slow build up in HP&tDHP1.
The second half of this movie is what has left me feeling almost strange about the wrap up of this series. The pacing became uneven and the storyline started to get spotty. For example, the whole “Deathly Hallows” aspect of the title almost becomes a second thought. (For those unfamiliar, the Deathly Hallows stands for three items that together make you invincible to death.) Perhaps, if you read the books everything would be much clearer but for a non-reader things became muddled and while I can accept that magic is beyond belief, I’d still like some explanations when things don’t seem to make sense. I felt the ending to be anticlimactic, but I hear this film is super faithful to the book, so that may be where this fault lies.
I’m sure by now it’s no original thought that Daniel, Emma, and Rupert were the most amazing choices for their parts, but they seriously elevate this series beyond what it might have been with any other actors. They are remarkable and JK Rowling has written brilliant characters for them to play. I would have liked to see more Ron in this, as well as more Ginny to really flesh out her and Harry’s feelings for each other which just seem to be there. As far as perfomances go Alan Rickman gives an incredible one as Snape, really commanding the audience in every scene that he is in.
Overall, I did like the movie, and several scenes were really well done (namely, the scene in Gringotts, when Hermoine and Ron are in the Chamber of Secrets, and when Harry sees Snape’s memories). I could have done with a few changes but who am I to judge? Every huge HP fan I know thought this movie was the perfect ending.
FTS SCORE:
