It's over. It's come to an end like we all knew it would when the first book hit the bookshelves. There are no more books so there will be no more films, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 brings this billion dollar franchise to an epic close and honestly, I expected better. Wait, let me not say better and instead I'll say I expected more. I suppose the reason I was looking for more was because I really loved Part 1. It gave me everything I could have wanted that movie to be. Could it have been darker? Sure but that would have excluded Potter's demographic so it was as dark as it could have been and I was good with that. I think what I was looking for in Part 2 was that darkness that wasn't in Part 1. Hell, this WAS the last movie after all.
Picking right up where Part 1 left off Harry, Hermione, and Ron are at one of the Order of the Phoenix' safe houses. Harry realizes where one of those ever important horcruxes might be and with the help of the goblin who escaped with Harry and company from the Malfoy's residence they head to Gringotts and Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. The sequence of getting in and getting out of Gringotts Bank is as entertaining a sequence in any Potter film and the 3D is fantastic. It's a great beginning to a movie filled to the brim with cinematic flourishes that will most undoubtedly take your breath away.
It's an impressive curtain call as well. Characters that came and went, faces that were forgotten from previous movies are all back to do battle against the Dark Lord (who seemingly refuses to change his clothes no matter what) and his minions. This time around Professor Sprout makes an appearance along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Professor Trelawney. We also get to meet Lilly Potter as a fully formed character as well as Severus Snape (who turns out to be the real hero within the Potter lore). You get to see Snape's love for Lilly develop from when they were just children. It's both touching and heartbreaking when it all comes to a head with Snape finally showing Harry love in his own way. We also finally get to meet Albus' brother Aberforth Dumbledore played by the very talented Ciaran Hinds.
Now my problem with this movie is yes there's violence, death, and destruction of which I am all for. It's all around but it's all done so at a nice antiseptic distance. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of who the good guys and the bad guys are. Big characters, good characters buy the farm but we don't get to see them fight until they can't anymore. I almost felt cheated when characters I liked and admired are dead and you don't know how valiantly they fought or if they ran like cowards. I'm guessing director David Yates wanted to save the hero worshipping for Harry, Hermione, and Ron or maybe he thought you the viewer got enough of all that from the books. Either way in my humble opinion it fell short.
What didn't fall short was Alexadre Desplat's score. Not only did he NOT copy the same score from Part 1 (which I really enjoyed) but he also incorporated some of the musical cues from the last two composers John Williams and Nicholas Hooper. The music for Part 2 was better than Part 1 and that's saying something. It was a job well done by Mr. Desplat and I tip my hat to the man. Did I love Deathly Hallows Part 2? Sadly not and maybe that's because I was spoiled by Part 1 or maybe I just need to see it again. Either way, I'll see you at the theater.
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