Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 2011

A-

I had really had almost enough of Harry Potter in Part 1 of this final installment. The whole search for horcruxes, which could be anything, was just hard to get into and seemed a particularly unsatisfying way of confronting evil. There were a lot of things in motion with no real payoff of any kind. And that summarizes the last few movies, unfortunately, as the series became more focused on Voldemort’s rise to power and the inability of anyone to do anything about it.

With this being the last movie, we finally get some much needed resolution. The characters, their actions, the stories, even the horcruxes all become meaningful. That gives this movie a lot more punch than the ones that came before it. Meanwhile, the young characters continue to develop and are pretty much treated like adults at this point. Plus there is neat magic and a little less exposition since we know who a lot of the people are, how wizards travel, cast spells, and so on. We’re finally able to sit back and just enjoy the movie. I had read the book and you pretty much know how it has to end, but it is still entertaining getting there.

I feel like the whole Voldemort thing should have resolved itself earlier in the series and then we could have enjoyed a couple of simpler movies without the weight of this heavy story arc crushing everything else. So in that sense, I feel like there could still be a future for these characters if the creator ever lets go a little.

Written: 31 Dec 2011

Owned on: Digital