Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Much like part 1, it's hard for me to want to give this movie anything other than an "I" for incomplete. Taken on it's own that is. As one would suspect of a movie that splits a tightly wound book into two separate- but hardly distinct- movies, this one is lacking in a way that is very much a mirror image of Part 1. Where part 1 left audiences hanging and without much in the way of resolution, Part 2- again, taken on its own- lacks pretext and build-up. I had hoped- not having had the opportunity to re-view Part 1 prior to seeing its conclusion- that the beginning of Part 2 would have given us at least 10 minutes of a recap of how Harry and Co. got to where they were at the moment that Part 2 opens. No such luck. Just dove right in. And I spent a good deal of the beginning of the movie just trying to piece together everything that happened in Part 1.
All that said, let's face it, I'm splitting hairs. While I would have liked Part 1 and 2 to be released concurrently or at least within three months of each other, it really shouldn't have been that big a deal that they weren't. A minor irritation really. (I imagine I'm in the minority of folks who: a.) failed to rewatch Part 1/reread Book 7 and b.) saw the thing in August.) Putting aside my need to pick at the Hollywood system (the ONLY reason these were released so far apart. Maximize dollars. Period. I don't want to hear about how the filmmakers wanted to release it in 3D and that's part of the reason for the delay. That, in and of itself, is merely a means to grab cash. Sure, the story was incredibly long and to do it right it may have needed two movies, but this far apart? All about buzz-building and money-making.). So again, as I started to say, all that aside, I suppose all you really are looking for in the finale of Potter finales is satisfaction... and a feeling that justice was paid to what really were a remarkable series of books. And in that sense, Harry Potter 7B does the trick and then some. Considering how the films played out, I can't think of a better way to have wrapped things up. I really wish I would have had the time to rewatch all the films in the series. I imagine it would confirm that the three main leads in the series: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, have really grown and matured as actors. I can't think of another series where child- now young adult stars- have brought so much depth and nuance to their characters. And, keep in mind, these characters were hardly theirs in the first place. But they took ownership of them in a way that few young actors could have. I suppose it would have been really, really easy to phone it in after the success of the early movies, sit back and watch the green backs pile up. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint refused to take it easy. The amount of care and craftsmanship they took to creating their roles is never more evident than here in Deathly Hallows, Part 2. It's really refreshing to see.
Look, by now, virtually everyone on Earth- including those who have never seen a second of the films or read a page of the books, knows how the story unfurls and wraps up. The acting was top notch, the story-telling was par for the course (a compliment here), the film looked great (in 2D! I'm not much for 3D- it's a money-making gimmick that rarely, if ever, adds anything to the finished product). It really seemed as though everyone on board was giving it their all to send this thing out with the closing it deserved. And that, in a word, is fantastic. But in the end, as I've said, the only thing that really matters is whether the filmmakers succeeded in giving Harry and company their fitting send-off. Was the last chapter a satisfying way to bring the series to a close? For my part, I'd say absolutely, it was. The final 2 movies captured all the complexities of the story as a whole as well as the spirit and imagination of the books. Can't ask for more than that.
Grade: A (for Part 2 alone, A+ when taken together with Part 1 and treated as a single film. Damn you Hollywood money-making machine!!!)
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