Movie Time! 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'

"The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality.  But as the mystical Deathly Hallows, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again."

Once You Get Past This Point, You Will Be Bombarded With Spoilers.  Don't Say I Didn't Warn You.  You May Continue.

If you know me or have been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a humongous fan of Harry Potter!  Yes, I'm one of those people that was wondering weeks before this movie even came out how life would be different when this movie came out and I had seen it.  But we'll get to that part later.

This final (I hate that word) installment in the Harry Potter movie series did justice to the series as a whole.  It was the crowning glory of these movies.  Everything was extremely well done!

Alan Rickman performed so well.  I've never been terribly taken with him or Snape, but I couldn't help but be impressed.  I'm always impressed with an actor that can convey pure anguish or any other soul-crushing emotion, and when Snape's memories were being shown with Lily, and he was hugging her limp corpse to himself as Harry was crying in the background with a raw looking, brand new scar on his forehead, my heart snapped into seven pieces.  The same thing happened when I read the books.  I didn't realize that Snape could feel this deeply.  Many emotional displays came out as the movie went on, especially as Harry walked to his death, when Fred died, when everyone thought that Harry was dead (I'm thinking of Ginny mostly), the list goes on and on.  This raw emotion prompted my own tears.  This might not seem very significant until I tell  you this: I don't usually cry during movies unless the animal dies.  I cried like a baby during 'Marley and Me.'  Now there were people dying and I had tears in my eyes.  It was very new.

From what I remember from the book, the movie was very true to what J.K. Rowling wrote.  I went into the movie knowing that certain things wouldn't be included due to time or fluidity, but I felt like the directors and writers went about this movie in such a way that they included many important scenes and several memorable quotes that appeared in the book (one of them is going to be my senior quote, I've already decided) and also one that I don't remember being in the books, but Dumbledore said it while Harry was dead.  Something to the tune of, "Words are a powerful weapon, and when used without caution, they can injure."  I really wish I could remember the quote, because I loved it so very much!

"Tell me one last thing.  Is this real?  Or has this been happening inside my head?"

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" 

 (Page 723, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling)

There was so much action from start to finish.  In the beginning, we're headed straight to Gringott's so that we can break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.  We ride a dragon and break everything we so much as brush past. We're headed into the Forbidden Forest aiming to give up our own lives for the sake of humanity.  We're rushing around Hogwarts dodging killing curses and debris.  So much action that you'll be sitting on your seat the entire time.

But this movie isn't just violence, sorrow, and romance, it also makes you laugh, even though many feel they shouldn't be laughing, this is such a serious part (hello!  The Wizarding World is in mortal peril!), but it's great comic relief.

The romance: I'll be brief, because this post is long enough as it is.  Ron and Hermione's kiss was perfect!  I cheered in my seat (I'm not even kidding).  I couldn't have asked for more.  Also, Ron calling Hermione his girlfriend, made me smile, because it was finally happening!  It's about time, guys.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' will appeal to a variety of viewers, whether they like funny parts, drama, movies that make you cry, or action-packed adrenaline rushes.  Overall, this movie was very well made and (as I said before) the crowning glory of this series of movies.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. I'll make a "Harry Potter=My Childhood" post later, seeing as this review is getting pretty long.