Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

After eight big movies and seven even bigger books, the Harry Potter franchise finally draws to a close with this epic destroyer of a film. No one is safe in this installment, major characters die all over the place, Hogwarts is nearly obliterated, and even Harry seems destined for the chop. Director David Yates pulls out all the stops to make this one count, everything he held back from in the past (such as the muted climax of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) gets let loose in this grand finale. As much as I felt let down by film seven, I have to say that Yates really delivers on the final film - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a worthy finish to the series.

• The mystical and atmospheric beginning is more than a little remniscent of The Lord of the Rings. I think I'll let it slide though, the pomp and seriousness of it seems justified in the wrapping up of eight big films.
• The main set piece that I've been hanging out for since I read the book is the raid on Gringotts Bank. The shackled dragon is awesome realised, even better than I imagined, and I'm glad they got across how sad its predicament was.
• Helena Bonham-Carter does a terrific job of playing Hermione-playing-Bellatrix (for the scene where Hermione uses transmogrification to turn into Bellatrix). You can tell she's taken great care to mimic both Emma Watson and the idea of Emma Watson trying to mimic her. Complicated but cool!
• However, while we're on the subject of transmogrification, why is it that no one ever suspects Harry, Ron and Hermione of not being who they appear to be? The amount of times that they use transmogrification throughout the series suggests that it's fairly easy to do, so why does no one in the wizarding world ever expect it?
• The return to Hogwarts is very welcome. It feels like such a familiar place, and as a fan of the films it's hard not to get attached to it. I also enjoyed the wartime feel they gave to the place, with the clandestine radio broadcasts and Snape's reign of oppression.
• It's also great to see McGonagall back, her scenes during the re-taking of Hogwarts are quite stirring and Maggie Smith steals these moments and seems to be having a lot of fun doing it. It was also strange yet satisfying to see her interact with Harry as an equal.
• Also, hooray for Neville Longbottom, the true hero of Harry Potter. After his small appearances in the last few films it's a relief to see him have more than a few moments of glory.
• I was surprised to see Sprout appear as she hasn't been seen since since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It would've been nice if they'd gotten John Cleese back as well, but I guess we can't be too picky about this kind of stuff. I'm amazed that Timothy Spall hung around for all the films as Wormtail, he only really got some decent lines in Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, after that he was just in the background a lot.
• Aberforth Dumbledore should've been played by someone more famous. Dumbledore was such a big character in the series (arguably the 'biggest' adult character), and so many of the supporting characters in Harry Potter were played by well-known and respected British character actors. It seems a shame to miss an opportunity like this, they could've cast any number of ageing British thespians in the role.
• Of course, the real reason to watch the last Harry Potter film is to see the final stand at Hogwarts. This is a full scale battle, unlike anything else we've seen in any of the other Harry Potter films, and it goes for about half the entire film (if not longer). It's a real spectacle. Top notch stuff.
  

It's hard to concieve that something as jolly and fun as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone could lead to the 'end of days' seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but such is the course of these films. It's quite gory and disturbing in parts (such as the blood-covered Voldemort-baby, looking for all the world like a living abortion), and I definitely wouldn't let young kids watch it. It's a real journey too, watching Harry, Ron and Hermione grow from these little squirts into fully-realised adults, embarking on a range of exhilerating adventures involving all manner of monsters and magical maladies. Much like The Lord of the Rings, I think it's the best possible translation they could've made for the big screen. Sure, there are a few little things that could've been done better (mainly in the first two films), but the level of quality between the later films is pretty hard to fault. Bravo, and bring on the remake in ten to fifteen years time.

DIRECTOR: David Yates
WRITER/SOURCE: Screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling
KEY ACTORS: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, David Bradley, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Helen McCrory, Nick Moran, Julie Walters, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Bonnie Wright, Matthew Lewis, Mark Williams, David Thewlis, Natalie Tena, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Clemence Poesy, John Hurt, Evanna Lynch, Ciarin Hinds, Emma Thompson, Gary Oldman

RELATED TEXTS:
- The novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
- The other films in this series are; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
- After Potter... Emma Watson appeared in My Week With Marilyn and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Daniel Radcliffe made The Woman in Black, and Ruper Grint appeared in Into the White. Director David Yates followed up his four-film Potter stint with a WWII drama called St. Nazaire.

AWARDS
Academy Awards - nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects.
BAFTAs - nominated for Best Make-Up, Best Sound, Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects.