Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 Movie Review

If you don't know what horcruxes is (are?) then don't begin your Harry Potter experience with HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2. (Horcruxes are - is? - pieces of hidden wizard soul, which must be collected and joined in order to achieve immortality.)

 

I've seen all of the Potter films, some twice, and read 5 of the books, but even I was a little lost as the plot unfolded. Basically, the flick picks up where PART 1 left off, Dobby dead and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) on a mission to stop Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Feinnes) overall evilness. Flanked by faithful friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine (Emma Watson), Harry sallies forth.

 

Venomous Voldemort has taken over the kids' beloved alma mater, Hogworts, and turned it into a prison camp of sorts, torturing and even killing many of Harry's cohorts. There are moments of true horror and white knuckle suspense whenever the disfigured demon takes center stage.

 

PART 2 is a sweeping epic, with lots of beautiful masters and grand gestures (there's an especially emotional reveal during a flashback featuring Dumbledore and Snape), the cgi is impeccable and the movie is blissfully Quiddich-free... But I must confess, I was beyond bored most of the time. Aside from a few crackling set piece moments and that one heart-stinging zinger, the pacing just didn't work for me.

 

Having said that, I did compare notes with Potter fans who also attended early screenings, and their opinions contrast mine. While I don't not like the Harry Potter 'verse, I simply cannot bring myself to care very much.

 

My favorite installments in the film franchise remain CHAMBER OF SECRETS and DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, but of course completists must see PART 2. (For the record, I did not see the movie in 3D; but judging from some spinny, De Palma'esque camera moves, the 2D will be much preferred for the nausea-prone).

 

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson