It All Ends
Rating: 8/10
Running Time: 130 minutes
US Certificate: PG-13 UK Certificate: 12A
Love it or loathe it, Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part II is definitely the end of something huge and fittingly, HPTDHP2 is an impressive end to the biggest grossing film series of all time.
Part 2 unsurprisingly leaves off from the end of Part 1 and Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) continue their quest to find the three remaining Horcruxes and hence kill Lord Voldemort (Fiennes) by robbing him of the objects that give him immortality. Voldermort however has the world’s most powerful wand in his possession and so eventually has the might to kill Harry Potter.
The final Potter is a real return to form for a series that has been sagging in recent instalments with a lack of magic, overlong runtimes and increasing grimness. This is exciting, looks great especially the battle scenes and ties things up nicely. Director David Yates even uses many deft touches which add to the quality of the movie including surreal, artsy and macabre moments to mix things up. Happily, this leaves a total justification of a two part finale.
The downside of the final instalment is that the disappearance of Harry Potter from the schedule will now undoubtedly leave a huge hole in the British film industry and three quarters of its staff and actors will be looking for work but it was good for the Isles whilst it lasted.
It's Got: A new freshness about it, great action set pieces, a fitting finale
It Needs: To be praised for doing a decent job in a time of appalling sequels
Summary
A fitting end to the hugely popular series sees Harry Potter re-find the magic it had recently lost in previous instalments. Unfortunately though, this landmark leaves most of the British film industry unemployed.