SnitchSeeker's review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, by EmmaRiddle

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II opens where the first film left off, with Voldemort acquiring the Elder Wand. As the story races towards its climax, it is a literal race; whether Harry, Ron and Hermione can destroy all the horcruxes before Voldemort finds them.

The hunt takes them to Gringotts to search the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. It is this sequence that best utilises the 3D aspect of the film, as the characters go on a rollercoaster ride and eventually escape by flying a dragon. In most of the rest of the film, the 3D element didn’t add to the story and, in some ways, I felt it was a distraction. Admittedly I’m not a fan of 3D films anyway but overall I think the use of it was unnecessary, although I can understand the temptation to use it. I suppose you could say it was understated – which is far better than being ‘in your face’ (excuse the pun) – but this just leads me to conclude that it didn’t bring anything to the film to improve it. It doesn’t help that some scenes seem as if they were added purely for the 3D factor.

The performances for the final film are definitely turned up a gear. Helena Bonham Carter makes a comedic turn as Hermione playing Bellatrix during the Gringotts sequence. Ralph Fiennes subtly shows us a Voldemort who is slowly losing grip and becoming ever more desperate as he realises what is happening to him. Matthew Lewis gets some truly wonderful moments as Neville, delivering a moving speech in the Hogwarts courtyard that will surely bring a tear to every eye. Maggie Smith is a force to be reckoned with as McGonagall and commands the screen, creating moments that had goosebumps running all over me.

The most impressive of all is Alan Rickman, who journeys from the stoic Snape we thought we knew to the man who gave his life to protect the son of the woman he loved. Snape’s relationships with Dumbledore, James Potter, Lily Evans and Harry Potter are fully explored and explained in a sequence of scenes that unlock the key to Harry’s survival that fateful night in Godric’s Hollow. There are moments where his performance will truly break your heart.

The Battle of Hogwarts is truly worthy of the word ‘epic’. From the collapsing sets to the range of creatures involved in the warfare, the production team have clearly held nothing back, knowing that they want the franchise to go out with a ‘bang’. Some films can fail if they show too much action but here there is always a recognisable character at the heart of what is happening, drawing you in as viewer, and retaining your attention and, more importantly, your empathy. The deaths of key characters are lingered but not dwelled upon, leaving enough time for acknowledgement but not enough to wallow. All the key moments are there and humour is used in appropriate intervals to counter the darker notes. Some of these are helped along by romances, both the expected and the unexpected kind. The much-anticipated kiss between Ron and Hermione is a highlight; it’s cute without being romanticised.

The film ends, as the book does, with the epilogue, bits of which we know to have been re-shot. As someone who wasn’t a fan of it in the book, I have to say I enjoyed it in the film. It focused less on the children and more on the now adults, which in my mind makes sense as they are the characters we know and ultimately care about most. I also suspect that the prosthetics were improved; Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t look as old as they did in the paparazzi photos from on location; rather they look the age they should be.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is ultimately a film about the power of love and forgiveness. It may not be as powerful as the book but it certainly packs a punch. I suspect the both parts will work most effectively as one long film, rather than two.