Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 Movie Review

After all this time?

Always.

Do they have to rub it in?

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Director: David Yates
Based on: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
IMDb rating: 8,1/10
Rotten tomatoes rating: 96% (Wow.)
My rating: The first thing I thought the morning after watching it: Can I see it again?



I don't even know what to say. It is such an amazing film, especially if you watch 1 and 2 so closely together. Despite the slight sense of sadness now that it's over, I just felt really content with this ending.

The big question: Did they have to split the book into two movies?
The small answer: I don't really know if they HAD to do it, but I’m kind of glad with the decision, because I feel like it wouldn't have felt so epic and final if they'd tried to squash it into one 2,5 hour movie.

I cried. I laughed. I smiled. I loved it. And now it's over.

Probably my last spoiler warning of 2015. Enjoy.

Now some people argue that this movie doesn't have enough character development and plot. That it's just a lot of battle. But that's not really a fair thing to say.

Reason #1: This is not a movie, this is the second half of a movie. We have done the plot building in part 1, now we can have our CGI fancy Nancy light bolts and flashes party.

Reason #2: What do you mean no character development?

I wish I could just cover every last minute of this movie, but that would take me about six hours, so I'll just pick some of my favorite moments.

In the book, the chapter about breaking into Gringotts wasn't really my fav. Frustratedly waiting for the epicness I knew was coming, I just couldn't take it in as well. But in the movie, I gave myself a chance to drown in it all, and it was amazing.

Then we meet up with Aberforth, which I wish they would've dragged out a little more. In the book, Dumbledore's personal story plays a way more prominent role, and already in the first part I kind of missed it. Because of this, I wasn't really expecting them to make a big deal out of Dumbledore and Grindelwald and Ariana and Aberforth, but I secretly wish they had, because that part in the book is really moving and it gives Dumbledore so much more depth.

Getting back into the Room of Requirement felt like coming home, but was kind of overshadowed for me by this:

I <3-ed both McGonagall and Snape, but this was just so awesome to watch.

Seeing everyone prepare for Battle. Okay, that was one of the coolest things I have ever seen on screen. It was basically exactly what I pictured in the book, only now on my retina instead of just my brain. The statues coming to life and the sassiness of McGonagall, the force field around Hogwarts, the fact that Voldemort could pull it all down but doesn't because he's just that lazy... Everything. The fighting too. I mean, the creatures and spraks and the bridges giving way and--

And then there were the small disasters. And the big ones.

Yeah, well, we can imagine what happened at those parts. When Remus and Tonks reach out their hands, and when Fred and George ask each other if they're 'okay'. In retrospect, I can just see this producer grinning at the misery of thousands of book readers. Also, this is extremely cute:

Not that there wasn't any happiness to go around. Ron and Hermione were really sweet together, like when they were nearly drowned by a Horcrux, or almost murdered by a snake...

Okay, this movie was not the happy kind. Let's go back to the sadness then.
I had been really looking forward to the Pensieve scene. There were some changes, but none of them REALLY bothered me (though I found him giving his tears a little too much). I loved that we got a little insight on how it all had happened that night and Snape hugging Lily was just really emotional. I wish they could've explained a bit more WHY Lily didn't remain at least friends with Snape, because this way it became a little more love triangly. I guess that could go onto the list of why-you-should-read-the-books.

So in the movie Harry did choose to say goodbye to Hermione and Ron, and I can see why they did that. Just the look Ron gives Harry when Hermione hugs him made Ron earn a few points from me. He hates Harry's going, but he knows there's no other way, and that putting up an argument or something would only make it harder for him.
Just as in the book, the Resurrection Stone is to blame for some of my tears. It will always remain one of the most moving parts of the series for me.

--I'm skipping to the final battle between Harry and Voldemort here, because it's the only part of the series that I really had a 'problem' with--
It's not really a problem, it's just that I'm not that happy with the changes they made. FYI in th book, Harry and Voldemort dueled in plain sight with everyone standing around them and there was a whole monologue about how Voldemort couldn't harm anyone there, because of Harry's sacrifice and how Harry asked Voldemort to regret his deeds and murders. For me, that part of the book really mattered, because it gave a little more depth, but I also noticed some religious marks in there, which is for me personally interesting.
Then Voldy dies in a... well a way that I again liked less than the book-way. I don't know what spell Harry used to kill Voldemort in the movie, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Expelliarmus, which is a spell that's really connected to him in the books. And I like the idea of Avada Kedavra backfiring on Voldemort. The moral context but also just the irony of it would've fit better.

Side note: One of the things that freaked me out about the book's ending was that Voldemort's body wasn't gone. The movie feels safer this way.

Then we have the ending.

Nothing to add. (Except that I can imagine Ron craving the Hogwarts feast at this very moment.) (No, look at his face. It's there. I can see it.)