Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: A review

So, how many of you went to go see the new Harry Potter movie last night? At our local theater, there were people in long long lines waiting to get into the theater. Let me tell you, the wait was worth it. As a warning,this review does contain spoilers for the movie.

I know that there may be some book purists out there who were less than thrilled with the way the movie turned out. I can understand their points of view because we all have favorite scenes in the book that aren’t always included in the movies. I do feel that I need to point out that film is an entirely different medium than the written word. And sometimes, things don’t translate well onto the film screen. So, screen writers need to change things up and create new scenes or even rearrange sequencing in order to make the book into a good movie.

That being said. I thought the movie was fantastic. The only downer that I had about the movie was the fact that the air conditioning in our theater wasn’t working. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem for me in the theater because I’m always cold, but when the entire theater is packed full of people, it warms up really quickly.

The movie picked up with our three main characters at Shell Cottage just after Harry buries Dobby. They quickly plan their Gringott’s break in with the goblin. It was kind of trippy to see Helena Bonham Carter’s face use Emma Watson’s voice. I felt pity for the dragon locked up in the vaults of the bank. He was so different from the dragons in Goblet of Fire. I wanted to cheer when the trio used him to aid their escape from the bank.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione get into Hogwarts with the help of Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth. Casting did a decent job in finding someone who resembled Albus. Once inside of Hogwarts, we get to see how much Neville Longbottom has matured. It was nice to see Neville come into his own.

We finally have the revelation as to whether Professor Snape is friend or foe. In his last breaths, he shares his memories with Harry, and we learn that Snape was in love with Lily Potter. When he discovers that Voldemort killed Lily, he does what Dumbledore asks of him to help protect Lily’s son.

The battle in the castle was what you would expect of any battle. There was a lot of confusion. Students, professors, Order members, and Death Eaters running around casting spells and lots of flying debris. As for the scene I was waiting for, the battle between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange. It was worth the wait. Mama Weasley becomes a mama bear when Ginny is threatened by Bellatrix. And she wasn’t going to have it anymore. The entire theater cheered when Bellatrix was killed. And let’s face it. We all just wanted to hear Ron’s mom call someone a bitch.

They did a good job with the epilogue. I’ve always been the kind of person who wondered about the characters after the final scene in a book. I’m glad that they gave us a glimpse into the lives of the main characters 19 years later.

Now, what I didn’t like about the movie. While I know that Rowling built a relationship between Ron and Hermione, I felt like in the movie it was a little forced. It didn’t feel as natural as the friendship between Harry and Hermione. The kiss in the chamber of secrets was just odd. While I know that sometimes a kiss can be spontaneous, this particular kiss just didn’t seem to fit. I rather preferred Luna coming to sit down by Neville after the battle. That felt more natural and you could see their feelings about each other.

The other scene I had some difficulty with was Voldemort’s death. We didn’t have the complete dialogue between Harry and Voldemort as we do in the book. So, while Voldemort knows that he isn’t the master of the Elder wand, we don’t get to see his reaction when Harry tells him that Draco was the master of the wand at least until he disarmed Draco earlier. When Voldemort died, he just kind of flaked away and dissolved. I guess it was fitting that he just dissolved, but after a huge battle like the one that just happened, you kind of want someone to go boom. Or explode. Or do something momentous. Those were the only two things that I wasn’t completely happy with, so all in all I was pleased with the movie.

So, I was pleased with the movie. I think it was a great way to end the Harry Potter legacy. The actors did an amazing job with their characters. I have enjoyed watching them grow up and mature from first year students learning to manage a wand into mature fully capable witches and wizards. The audience goes through an entire spectrum of feelings from sadness at Snape’s love of Lily and Harry talking to the ghosts of his parents to exhilaration when Mrs. Weasley defeats Bellatrix to humor when Neville and Seamus are given permission to blow things up. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was worth the wait. It is a definite must see in my book.