Film REVIEW Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

So, the boy wizard is finally becoming a man wizard. After years of sorcery, and philosopher’s stones, and chambers of secrets, and prisoners of Azkaban, and billions of pounds of takings, Harry Potter is set to hang up his wand. If you’re coming to this film like I did, not having read a word of JK Rowling’s world-dominating books or movies, some of the plot intricacies may be lost on you. But you will soon grasp that Harry (the main one; Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (the clever one; Emma Watson) and Ron (the ginger one; Rupert Grint) are facing off against the bad guy Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), which is a poor choice of words because he doesn’t actually have a face, or, more specifically, a nose.

This rudimentary outline is enough to enjoy the film, although the big plot revelations, when they come, may leave you cold. But there is still plenty to enjoy. The fantastical premise, huge budget and lavish production values, set the scene for some impressive sequences. An early one sees the spell-tastic trio of chums blag their way into a bank vault by impersonating a villain from previous films played by Helena Bonham Carter. The austere bank with its rows of gray-faced cashiers is an imaginative creation, the ideal staid juxtaposition for the chaos that Harry and co unleash.

HBC is just one of the phalanx of heavyweight stars on duty, in what seems like a roll call of all the A-list British thespians of whom you have ever heard. Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, John Hurt and Michael Gambon are just a few of the big hitters, while
Ralph “Call Me Raif” Fiennes is suitably sinister as Voldy. Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Colin Firth would have made a full house.

Whatever your suspicions regarding big bucks film franchise and best-selling children’s books, with this acting talent, this narrative premise and these visuals, it would be difficult not to find something to like in this final part of the saga. It may be a little slow to start, but once it’s in full swing, HPATDHP2 will soon have you, at least partially, under its persuasive spell. And though a series of this length and popularity could fall into the trap of taking itself a little too seriously, there’s enough British humor to puncture that.

A coda at the end feels a little tacked on, but in all this concluding installment feels like a satisfying way for Harry and pals to Potter off into the sunset. I still don’t know what a deathly hallow is, though.

Debbie Stowe

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Directed by: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
On at: Baneasa Drive in Cinema, Cinema City Cotroceni, Cinema City Sun Plaza, CinemaPro, Cityplex, Corso, Hollywood Multiplex, Movieplex Cinema, Samsung Imax Cotroceni, The Light