Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part II Review

The Harry Potter book series is one of the most renowned book series of all time. Forcing the New York Times to create a children’s top seller list since this series had been overtaking the top spots well past it’s publication date. Needless to say with this series of books and films, J.K. Rowling has solidified her Potter universe into pop culture status. This is a book series that has become a transcendent story that will exists for many years to come. Harry Potter has become part of our modern day mythology. While the movie series has it’s fair share of ups and downs, this final chapter has been long anticipated. With many Potter fans calling it “The End of Their Childhoods,” the one question lingering on their minds since that cliffhanger ending in Deathly Hallows Part I (2010) is “Will the last film deliver the ending that we all want and deserve?”

This film series has come to a fantastic closure. Picking up moments after the last film’s cliffhanger, the film follows wizard Harry Potter and his friends as they seek the means to destroy Lord Valdemort. The story in this final chapter is essentially a two-hour third act. All of the elements that popped in the first seven films, make a return in a exciting and unexpected ways. The film is so taught and so emotionally wrenching that it leaves you as Harry and his friends have been dealing with this whole plot for seven films: Emotionally Exhausted. Is this a negative?; Far from it. What the tail end of the film leaves you with is the sense that this series is done. No loose ends are left and the audience is left with an astounding sense of pathos. The ending works to pin you to the edge of your seat as the pieces are coming together, whereas in the last film, the characters dealt with failure upon more failure. This is one of the grimmer entries in the series. The actors have all brought their A-game to this chapter. The film is filled with so many emotionally heart wrenching scenes that requires talented actors to really sell these scenes, and none of them disappoint by a long strench.

As much as these movies are a joy to behold, there are a few flaws. You can’t watch this film without watching the last one as this is meant to be a part two of a narrative. While a lot of moments in the film feel rushed, at a two hour runtime this film could have been longer. The shortest of the Potter films, but they could have used a bit of pace here and there. The epilogue is a bit much, but leaves the audience on a good note. A very satisfying movie despite these flaws.

The film has so much heart and story packed in that the audience is bound to leave the theater wiping away the tears from their face. The film will leave one with elated sense that their beloved series has come to a very satisfying conclusion and that story the fans of the novels knew and grew up with has been captured on film. After this film, there’s no need for anymore in the franchise. This modern day epic mythology of Wizards and Magic has come to a satisfying conclusion.

Harry Potter…thanks for the wonderful send off.

9 of 10

A-