Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 review

"Why are you here, all of you?"

"We never left"

So we approach the end of the decade long record breaking film franchise and it's time to say goodbye to Harry and company and Hogwarts. It is a shame therefore that Warner Brothers' tired, cliche ridden marketing campaign "It all ends here" does little to enthuse and satiate this feeling for moviegovers as we say adios to the boy wizard. Promotion aside, this is the final stand, and if you have found Harry's transition from page to screen somewhat lacklustre over the last 10 years, you might be in for a pleasant surprise.

Part 2 begins where Part 1 left off. Voldemort has secured the elder wand, one of the three Hallows of the title, and our trio are still hunting the remaining horcruxes that hide fragments of our snake snouted antagonist's soul. Our first reminder of the bleak state of the wizarding world is of Rickman's Professor Snape, the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, surveying marching students in the school courtyard as the clouds roll over ahead. As Neville announces upon our trio's return to the magical haven, "Hogwarts has changed". We fade from this to a sombre moment of Harry surveying Dobby's grave at the idyllic shell cottage. Though we are unfortunate enough not to have a scenic tour of the cottage's interior (screen time constraints and all that...) we get straight to the dialogue. John Hurt is suitably frail and ambiguous as wandmaker Ollivander but it is Warwick Davis as goblin Griphook who elevates the character from Rowling's novel and personifies him superbly on screen as the conniving creature we have come to expect.

The film's first set piece is Gringotts, the wizarding bank. The descent to the vaults seems as if it has been lifted straight from the notion of theme park rollercoasters (the wizarding world theme park which opened to the public in Florida in 2010 was the clear inspiration) and is one of the few moments that benefits from the 3d transfer planted onto the film. The sequence is well realised and Helena Bonham Carter has Emma Watson's Hermione mannerisms down to a tee. The first evidence of Alexandre Desplat's captivating melodies for the final film comes from the swelling instrumentation of John Williams' signature theme for the series as the Gringotts' dragon soars out of the bank and flies across the clear blue London skyline. The attention to detail of the CGI in moments like this make you applaud the fastidious filmmakers.

The supporting cast, including some newcomers even at this late stage in the series, are largely terrific. Ralph Fiennes plays the rage and the vulnerability of Voldemort effortlessly, as if he wrote the character with his own hand. His slaughter of many at Malfoy Manor when he learns of Harry's escape is haunting, particularly in the short but effective shots of his bloodied bare feet and the striking use of subtitles as Voldemort converses with his snake. This is a man not to cross and in this final film Fiennes really demonstrates this antagonism well. Ciaran Hinds is welcomed to the Potter family as Dumbledore's brother Aberforth. Regardless of the regrettable fact that there is little screen time for this character and the Dumbledore family back story, he portrays the bitterness over his power hungry brother well and joins the fight for the wizarding world in style.

Within half an hour we have made it back to Hogwarts, once a safe sanctuary, now a battlefield, where the rest of this epic finale will unfold. Learning that Harry has been spotted around the Hogwarts grounds, it is once again Rickman's chance to stay centre screen and frown as the indecipherable Snape. Let battle commence. A sweet addition to the film is having Voldemort's echoing voice permeate the ears of all staff and students. The music is silenced, the air is still and there is a chilling sense of foreboding for what is to come. Though brief, the scene works brilliantly in capturing these characters' nerves and anxieties. Maggie Smith shines once again as Professor McGonagall and the moment that she brings the stone statues alive to guard the school with a smile is terrific.



The battle itself is played out on screen in a grand scale but it does not undermine character development. As we have discovered with the previous three films in the series, director Yates' interest is in the character development and the emotion of the story and without these elements and this focus we would not have a final product as engaging as this. For all the giants and dementors and wand battles there has to be sacrifice, loss and empathy with these characters that we have followed for the last 10 years. When characters lose their lives in battle we stop with Harry and their survivors to reflect and share their pain. It is these short bursts of emotion that put this kind of fantasy adventure series above the emotionless, bang for a buck Transformers movies, for example.

It is Alan Rickman's performance as Snape as Harry and the audience realise Snape's true intentions that provide the emotional core of not only this film but the entire series. In a beautiful eight minute sequence we realise Snape's motivations and share in his heartbreak at lost love. The scene is not only a testament to the remarkable nuances of Rickman's acting but also the power of Rowling's words on the page. The most intriguing character in the series gets the most bittersweet conclusion. Desplat's score, incorporating Nicholas Hooper's Dumbledore's Farewell theme from Half Blood Prince, additionally compliments and heightens the emotional impact of this pivotal scene.

Desplat's score for this final film could have been bombastic, loud and gratuitous and in the hands of an inexperienced composer it likely would have been so. As evidenced in Hallows Part 1 and countless other films however, it is clear that Desplat, like Yates, embeds his music into the emotional core of the narrative and the plight of these characters. Courtyard Apocalypse and the stunningly haunting Lily's Theme demonstrate a master at work and not even series stalwart John Williams could have bettered what we have here.

The principal trio are always scrutinised for their performances in these films. Either Rupert Grint is too gurning as Ron, Emma Watson tries too hard as Hermione or Daniel Radcliffe lacks the acting chops to deliver the goods as the reluctant eponym of the franchise but to give them their credit they are all fantastic in this final installment. Whilst Radcliffe still struggles to portray a multitude of emotions on screen, his performance in the Forbidden Forest scene where he is reunited with his family is beautiful to watch; understated and effective. Watson has little to do in this final film but we feel for Hermione when she hugs her best friend for what she believes is the last time as he walks to his fate. Rupert Grint has always seemed to have the finest grasp on his character and this doesn't wain at the final hurdle. He holds the trio together and is the warm hearted, genuine character straight from Rowling's pages.

As Voldemort fades away after being defeated in again another understated but engaging final battle, it is all about the main trio as the camera delicately pans away, framing them centre screen. When Harry says "together" to young Albus Severus in the film's touching epilogue, we are there with these characters, 19 years later, in bereavement that we will no longer be visiting Hogwarts and revelling in the magical world. The train departs, we wave goodbye and John Williams' stunning Leaving Hogwarts from the first film stays with the audience as they leave the cinema and return to their muggle lives.

Director Yates and the entire cast and crew of the Harry Potter series have ultimately closed the curtain on this magical world in a seemingly effortless, inimitable way. If you've been with Harry since the beginning you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll wish you were heading on that train to Hogwarts. Thanks for everything Jo Rowling. A spellbinding ending to a memorable franchise.


Don't forget to check out my vlog on my Film Fanatic YouTube page. My video review of Deathly Hallows Part 2 is now available at the following link (please comment to let me know what you think):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I33kPKHQD7s