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"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
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The second part of the two-part finale to the Harry Potter franchise released in 2011.
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Rating:
+3
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One. I felt that it was a very nice nod to fans of the book series of HP. Of all of director David Yates' Potter flicks, Hallows Part One was my favorite. Part Two, despite being very good, appears to be a bigger nod to fans of the film series instead.
With that stated, I'm not saying that the film is bad. There are many differences in the book and the film, particularly one involving Voldemort and Harry, but I'm not going to spill the beans on this. If you've never read the books, you won't even notice the changes unless a book fiend like myself points it out to you.
The film does get many things right. Without revealing too much, I enjoyed the treatment given to the characters of Lucius Malfoy (portrayed by Jason Isaacs, who made a vile character very enjoyable to watch), Snape (the always brilliant Alan Rickman), Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton, who got better with each performance despite not always having the best lines to work with in some of the films) and Molly Weasley (Julie Walters, who has always shined). For fans of the books, Molly delivers THAT line (you know which one I'm talking about)!
The cast as a whole has always been very good, but I have to admit that Daniel Radcliffe's performance is a bit dry in this final installment. Something is missing in his performance that I just cannot pin down. I also felt that Helena Bonham Carter's performance as Bellatric Lestrange was reined in a bit too much. I wish Yates would have allowed her to completely lose herself in the character as she appeared to do in her previous performances in the series.
The special effects were very good, particularly the scene in which Hogwarts' protectors prepare for battle. In fact, I found only one flaw in the FX department (and it's a biggie), but I'll get to that in just a bit.
Much of the film was very good, but there was plenty about this final chapter in the HP films that fell short of expectations as well. While Matthew Lewis gives a wonderful performance as Neville, the actual treatment of his character (which is very important in this film and even more crucial in the books) is somewhat bland. All of the things that need to happen to him occur, but with a lot less fanfare than I expected.
Also, the great battle at Hogwarts, while very good, just didn't play out as well as it did in my mind while reading the books. There are many major characters who are killed during the battle (on both sides of the war, mind you) and while many of them aren't specifically covered in the book (they are more or less announced at the end of the battle), the film dusts them off with even less attention. One particular death, which features the most surprising fighter in the battle, is plagued by poor special effects. While this is the only FX miscue in the film, it happens at what I feel is the worst possible moment.
What I dislike the most about this film is how much humor is injected into it. Of all of the films I feel that this one should be the most dire and dark. Instead, Hallows Part One gets that title while Part Two comes off as a serious film with bad comedic timing. I like comedy in dark films when it is used to give the viewer a brief break in the story, but Part Two goes overboard with the humor.
So, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two worth a look? You bet. I believe that the pros far outweigh the cons. Dedicated fans of the books might twitch their noses at a lot of the changes in the film, but they've been doing that quite a bit since Yates took over the director's chair. Fans of the film series will be quite satisfied, and if I looked at this film strictly from that viewpoint, I'd give it four out of five stars.
Alas, I cannot look at this final film strictly as a film goer, and have to give three out of five stars. It was a wonderful ride, but the books trump the films any day of the week.
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woopak_the_thrill
July 27, 2011
Great review, Kendall! Unfortunately, humor is usually done to appease all viewers; I really don't know why they do that to most movies...especially adaptations. This was already a family-flick anyway and while it was dark, it wasn't quite that dark. Nice observation on some scenes that had less than impressive EFX.
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Scotman
July 26, 2011
Interesting. I actually liked the humor, feeling that the book was too dark! Interesting how we get different things from the same source. Good review.
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About the reviewer
Kendall Fontenot (kfontenot)
Ranked #32
Ranked #32
Despite looking extremely cool, I have to admit that I'm a dork. I grew up on the outskirts of the small town of Oberlin, LA. I have since relocated to the Lake Charles, LA area.I love my home state … more
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About this movie
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final installment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman, David Barron and Rowling. The story continues to follow Harry Potter on a quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The supporting cast features Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith.
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Principal photography began on 19 February 2009 and was completed on 12 June 2010, with the final day of reshoots taking place on 21 December 2010 marking the series' closure of ten years of filming. Part 2 was released in both 2D and 3D cinemas worldwide on 15 July 2011. It was also screened in IMAX cinemas from the same date.
Cast:
Helena Bonham Carter,
Emma Thompson,
Ralph Fiennes,
Jason Isaacs,
John Hurt,
Jim Broadbent,
Maggie Smith,
Michael Gambon,
Gary Oldman,
Rhys Ifans,
Alan Rickman,
Robbie Coltrane,
Bill Nighy,
David Thewlis,
Timothy Spall,
Brendan Gleeson,
Daniel Radcliffe,
Emma Watson,
Rupert Grint,
Warwick Davis,
Julie Walters,
Tom Felton,
Imelda Staunton,
Joshua Herdman
Director:
David Yates
Genre:
Adventure,
Drama,
Fantasy
Release Date:
July 15, 2011
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Screen Writer:
Steve Kloves
Runtime:
130 minutes
Studio:
Heyday Films,
Warner Bros. Pictures
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