Review: Last Harry Potter Film Packs A Successful Punch

After ten years and seven films, it’s a near impossible task to wrap up the Harry Potter franchise. However, The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 did just that, there is something magical about seeing a film in a full theater and laughing, cheering, and crying together. Ultimately, the piece does find an appropriate spot on that spectrum, making for a great series conclusion. Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) are back and in the midst of their Horcrux hunt. With Griphook (Warwick Davis) the goblin’s reluctant assistance, the trio infiltrates Bellatrix Lestrange’s (Helena Bonham Carter) vault at Gringotts where they suspect yet another Horcrux containing a piece of Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) soul hides. From there, it’s on to track down and destroy the remaining items, both of which are suspected to be at Hogwarts.

The final movie, based on JK Rowling’s books, gets off to a slow start, but in a beautiful way. Rather than beginning with a scene driven by magical action, we get two very somber and very authentic conversations: one between Harry and Griphook and the other with Ollivander (John Hurt) of Ollivander’s Wand Shop. Sure, sparks don’t literally fly in either, but these are two moments that pack an impeccable amount of power courtesy of noteworthy performances.

From there, it’s back to the action as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Griphook execute their plan to snag the Horcrux from Bellatrix’s vault. The moment is packed with some glorious CGI and an amusing performance from Bonham Carter, as Hermione, who is posing as Bellatrix as part of the plan. The sequence then comes across as a mere stepping stone to get to the good stuff – the Battle of Hogwarts.

Once the stars are back at school that’s when things pick up big time. In fact from that point on, the action is rather relentless in the best way possible. There are quite a handful of impressive action sequences including one where Ron, Hermione and Harry desperately try to escape a raging fire and a bridge collapse courtesy of Seamus’ (Devon Murray) pyrotechnic skills. Thanks to so many years of character development, these moments come to mean much more than a stellar showing of CGI as there’s something incredibly rousing about seeing the gang stand up and fight.

It was also rewarding to see Professor McGonagall do some major damage, and enjoy it after so many years of keeping a low profile. We did see Neville join in on the action in past films, but this one in particular showcases what he’s capable of and lets him have some fun while doing it. Without spoiling anything, the Malfoys, manage to leave one heck of a mark before the series concludes as well.

As for Voldemort, Fiennes makes him as threatening as ever while still suggesting his existence is weakening. Harry is the forced to recognize a disturbing truth that Radcliffe manages with grace, successfully conveying the impact of the news as well as its potential repercussions, and this significantly increases the tension.

Like the other seven films of the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is an incredibly well made film and enjoyable production. Grab your family and head out to the theater because this is an event you won’t want to miss.