Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 a review
July 13th 2011 19:26
And so, the fated day has arrived; the final film, in the greatest book and film series in human history, is here and it did not disappoint. Millions of children around the world are solely responsible for bringing this phenomenon about, because they read the books, fanatically.
Each of those books were written for a specific age group, that of the main characters that appeared in them, so it is a journey that starts at eleven and continues till the characters are eighteen.
I sat in an audience filled with young adults who had been avidly reading, then attending the films, from the beginning; their story is mirrored, in a way, in the experience of the actors who played their favourite characters in the films.
Rickman plays a dour Snape
One must keep that in mind, a few films ago, parents started to object that the stories were becoming unsuitable for their little kids, as the lag between book and film, created expectations that all the films would be suitable for eleven year olds, the age of Harry Potter in the first film.
Harry makes a firey withdrawal
This series has taken the world’s children and the child in the adult, on an extraordinary journey that initially Christian groups denounced, as glorifying paganism and even Satanism. Of course, these were the utterances of the religiously bigoted and ignorant, for J.K.Rowling has woven a rich and complex tapestry that envelopes the nature of the human mind; the fears, the battles with morality, desires and betrayals and, most interestingly, a strong ethical and moral code, that encompasses all that is good, pitted against all that is evil.
J.K.Rowling stated, ““I had a very, very clear idea of where Harry was going to go. This was just one story that I wanted to tell. For me, that was key if the books were ever going to be made into films; it had to be done that way. When I met David Heyman, he completely understood.”
Bonham-Carter a perfect witch!
David Heyman, Producer of all the films who, in 1997, discovered the as yet unpublished manuscript for the first novel, stated, “I could never have imagined when we embarked on the first film the level of response from audiences through the years. It’s been beyond my wildest dreams, so I look back on it with great pride and with gratitude, for the fans and especially for Jo Rowling.”
Really, it is the stuff of dreams and matinee movies that such extraordinary luck befalls someone who is in the position to do something about it.
Together, these amazing people crafted eight films that, for the first time in history, followed a character narrative that spanned eight films, culminating in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. No author, of course, had done the same, no author had captured the hearts and minds of so many millions of readers before; and each year millions more join the journey.
This last instalment of the journey of Harry, Hermione and Ron, opens with Harry at the sea side, kneeling by the grave of Dobby, the elf that he freed from his nasty master Lucius Draco, many years ago.
In this film, Harry only has his friends to depend on, in the physical world. As they elude the minions of Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) they set out to decipher the clues and interrogate entities, which may lead them to the location of the Horcruxes; the tokens, or familiars, which the evil Lord Voldemort has secreted a part of his soul within, in order to prevent his destruction and thereby retain eternal existence.
Our intrepid heroes soon learn they must destroy all the Horcruxes, if they are to have a chance at finally and permanently killing Voldemort himself.
This leads them into many conflicts, the strain begins to create friction within their friendships, and at times they turn against each other.
The climax is when Voldemort, sensing both danger to himself and the weakness of Hogwarts, launches a massive attack on the school, where many die, before the ultimate conflict, with Harry himself.
In case the reader has not seen the film as yet, and has not read the books, I shall not spoil the ending for them.
However, in generalities; this film is much more about relationships, the action scenes are done with flair and consummate technical ability, the 3D effects are not disruptive or intrusive, the look of the film is dark and foreboding, but the real power of this film is due to the ability of the actors, starting with Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, to Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, John Hurt as Ollivander, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, all whom keep you involved in the drama and, of course, the script by Potter film veteran Steve Kloves, gives the actors a solid launching place.
Director David Yates and DOP Eduardo Serra, A.S.C., A.F.C. have created a dark atmospheric continuity between Part 1 and Part 2, and I think the last film is better far than Part 1, as the scenes run more seamlessly, delivering a more crafted chiaroscuro in palette, pace and mood.
Another reason for the success of this series is, the wonderful characters that surround and enrich the scene scapes; Maggie Smith as the imperious Professor Minerva McGonagall , Robbie Coltrane as the wonderfully warm hearted Rubeus Hagrid, Leslie Phillips as the droll voice of the Sorting Hat, Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn, Jason Isaacs as the arrogant Lucius Malfoy, and Tom Felton as his son, Draco, who in this film reveals more of his self-doubt and the inner conflicts he has with the morality his parents force upon him.
This list is much longer than what I have written here, so many deserve pointing out, particularly for past appearances, like Miriam Margolyes, whose delightfully ‘potty’ character Professor Pomona Sprout teaches the students about botany, Julie Walters as capable mother Molly Weasley and Kelly MacDonald as the icy Helena Ravenclaw, among many others, all combine to give extraordinary depth to the film with the mastery of their amazing craft; their inflections in voice, their movement and stature and their facial expressions make the world of wizards come alive before your eyes.
Praise should also go to Production Designer Stuart Craig, who has designed every one of the films in the series, another extraordinary achievement.
I can only hope, nay pray, that J.K.Rowling has another seed yet to germinate, which springs into forests of delight for the world, for we are poorer without it; for in these times of threat and uncertainty, we all need somewhere to escape to, a place where goodness wins in the end, a place where true evil is identifiable, no matter what guise it wears, unlike our world, where the leaders pretend to be pillars of society, yet they connive to economically enslave and subjugate the alleged free world, democracy. Sometimes I think, if Voldemort was real, he would be the head of a trans-national corporation, or a major player on the political world stage.
Thank you J.K Rowling, for your tremendous gift to the world; enticing millions of children to not just read, but, thereby greatly improving their vocabulary and inspiring them with tales of courage and positive morality.
official poster
The following applies to all images and trailers appearing on this post.
COPYRIGHT NOTICES:
©2011 Warner Bros. Ent.
Harry Potter Publishing Rights ©J.K.R.
Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and ©Warner Bros. Ent.All Rights Reserved.
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Mountain Fog
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I look forward to your response to it. I decided to take into account the entire body of work, more than specifically this film alone,as it is truly the end of an era.
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I also look forward to reading what you felt about the film, but, you need to see the two previous films to put it all in context, as I found out...I checked out the Part 1 yesterday, and realised I had also not seen the one before that!
Anyhoo, it is still, on its own, a prettty good flick, with a few minor shortcomings.
cheers
fog
Comment by MelG
Comment by Mountain Fog
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Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
wow! Fabbo!
You must get him to sign a poster, and bequeath any props or costume pieces he has to you!
But, failing all that, I'd love to send your rellie Griphook some questions, about what it was like working on the film...maybe you could ask for me?
cheers
fog
Comment by MelG
Comment by Mountain Fog
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Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
no matter, actually, I wasn't thinking about Orble... it would be for a print publication.
cheers
fog