Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (screen-play written by Steve Kloves, novel by JK Rowling) Directed by David Yates, had to be one of the most…awaited experiences for me of all time.  I started with the “Pottah” franchise way back in my high school years. At that point, at around 17 years of age, I was way late to jumping in on the franchise. I got involved when the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, was released.

Ever since the moment that my eyes made contact with the first curve in the “c” of “chapter 1” I was wrapped up in a magical wizarding world where the most complex things were just…simplified. It snatched my consciousness from the first book through the last.  I literally read the first five in one sitting. Not because I was on a time limit of any sort but because the author’s story telling is simplistic yet so immersive.

Unfortunately, some of the previous films, purely in my opinion, did not live up to their written counter parts.  Well I am not here to discuss any kind of novel written by JK Rowling. I screened the FINAL installment in a franchise that consumed my younger years, and that I have followed closely since the beginning…The Harry Potter films.

We are quickly brought to the final moments of the previous films. Voldemort is anxiously approaching Dumbledore’s grave, a strange lust sewed onto his face. He grabs the fragile wand from Dumbledore’s stiff hands, raising it in the air forming an immense blast of a blinding white light. It seems Voldemort has finally got his hand on one of the deathly hallows, though I don’t think he is interested in the other two.

After that little glimpse we are taken to the safety zone Dobby took Harry and other prisoners of Malfoy Manor; Bill and Fleur’s Seaside Cottage. This Seaside cottage, in the books, was actually a place often visited by Lord Voldemort in the past but that is literally, just history locked within the books. Also, just in case you feel you get the whole experience from just watching the films, please understand that there is a giant history of both Voldemort and Dumbledore that they very much avoid elaborating on in the films.

The relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore is one idea they had not enough focus on. Also, the books dive deeper into Voldemort’s past. We get introduced to his magical mother and charmed/charming father. We see his growth from a muggle orphanage after he is forced from his family, to the evil entity he is now. Not to mention we learn how he obtains the knowledge of horcruxes and why he chose specific items to be horcruxes. Not to mention that each horcrux was made through a separate murder. For more information on the history and background of your favorite harry potter characters, check out harrypotter.wikia.com.

The transition between part one and two is seamless, creating the effect that you just forgot to finish part one.   I would say about 10 minutes into the film, business starts being handled by both the protagonist and antagonist. You see our hero and villain both slowly, but steadily, climb their respective ladders of power to gain an advantage over the other. Anything beyond that leaking from my mouth will be considered a spoiler, and I don’t want to be silenced by You-Know-Who (Swift in this case ;]).

The chemistry between our three heroes still resonates the same with the audience as it did during The Philosophers Stone, except now, they are older and have more advanced thoughts, relationships, and social ideas.   There is not much different in terms of acting or actors. You meet a few new people but no story changers or anything of the sort.

I noticed almost instantly the “air” of the film has changed, we no longer hear whimsical melodies with high pitched notes conveying youth and intrigue and that sense of awe the harry Potter series originally delivered. Now it has all been washed out to resemble the grim future. The music is a slow drone, and any bright colors were replaced with deep blues, greens, and browns. The production crew used color and music to set the tone in an otherwise familiar, common world.

We have been inhabiting the world of Harry Potter for years, so having that sort of veil being pasted on everything nearly blows your mind after experiencing the afore mentioned feelings of joy and naivety.  If you are going in expecting to see the book play to life, you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome; so much so that I will go as far as saying that if you have read the book, it is physically impossible for you to have this movie spoiled for you. Everything happens as it should and even in the right chronological order.  

You see the growth of these characters as they are faced with the most difficult decisions in their lives really polishing what has been a stretch of time, realistically these seventeen year old we see on screen are well into their twenties by now so, the movie could not have been made at a more perfect time.

Visually, The Deathly Hallows was an electric masterpiece. Not sure how to say so otherwise. The Dementors look stunning, and hovering eerily in the third dimension, they are almost too close for comfort. The dry worn texture of their cloaks waving in the wind and other tiny details made it apparent this film held nothing back what so ever.

Forget anything like Aloha Mora or Wingardium Leviosa.   Spells have moved on from being just handy to being necessary tools and weapons of destruction.

We see several different spells, obviously reserved for extreme situations due to their sheer magnitude. I mean, they literally fucking huge.  Just as one example, IN THE TRAILERS they show the Hogwarts “Army” enveloping the school with a giant bubble of a barrier, in an attempt to slow down the coming onslaught by Voldemort’s dark army.  The battle is extremely epic taking up most of the movie. Seeing the hexes fly back and forth in the masses of bodies fighting was an interesting sight to see.

There was an awe of a firework show happening, seeing colors fly and zip through the air in such a  fantastic fashion is exhilarating, especially with the end of a long ass saga looming in the near distance.

With that said, I just have a special message for my fellow Book fanatics. It ends the same way as it does in the book. Yes, that entire scene is shown and you do see everyone as it should be shown. EXCITING RIGHT!? For those who haven’t read the book, be prepared for the perfect ending of a saga that has engraved itself into your hearts over the ages.  Please don’t confuse this as some kind of kid’s movie pushing the boundaries of maturity. The body count rises and it does so very fast so be aware of that before you go traumatizing your younger ones! Any age though, with the right mindset and timing would definitely enjoy this movie. Everyone better be at the midnight showing, they are giving out limited edition POTTER 3D glasses!!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 15th, 2011 at 11:13 am and is filed under 5, Film Reviews, Sergio Diaz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.