Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review: 4 1/2 Stars
For the final installment and second half of the Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends race to find the rest of horcrux and destroy them in order to defeat Lord Voldemort, but things are not always what they seem. At the end of Deathly Hallows, we see Lord Voldemort taking the elder wander and thus magnifying his power and thus starting the events that lead to the ultimate showdown between Harry and himself.
As the movie begins, we see Hogwart’s as a much colder and prison like school with Professor Snape as the new Headmaster. Hogwart’s is no longer a refuge for those for magical abilities. As the title credits pass we see Harry sitting outside Dobby’s grave paying his respects. This truly is a heartbreaking scene, because his death was so unexpected and still resonates with those who loved the character. We see Harry, Ron, and Hermione speaking to Griphook the goblin, because they have a theory that Bellatrix has a horcrux stashed away in her vault after the way she panicked seeing the sword of Gryffindor when she had captured the group in the previous installment. After convincing the goblin to help them break into Gringotts to get to her vault, they group apparates into alley where Hermione has drunk a Polly Juice Potion before to make herself look like Bellatrix. Once they break into the vault and find the horcrux, they are betrayed by the goblin and manage to escape with the horcrux where the apparate into the outlands of Hogwart’s where they are taken in by Dumbledor’s brother Aberforth.
It is this point, we realize that he is the one who has been helping Harry and the rest of the group as well as been the mysterious eye that Harry kept seeing in the mirror shard he has been carrying around with him. At this point, it is also revealed he has been helping “Dumbledore’s Army” and has provided safe passage from his tavern to Hogwart’s via a secret passage. We learn that Neville has been leading the resistance along with some other students who are trying to help take back Hogwart’s. The group informs the rest that they are in search of Ravenclaw’s Lost Item, which they have no idea where it is or what it is. The only person who has an idea is Luna. I think people should start learning to listen to Luna, for their own good. After being informed of Harry’s arrival, Snape calls the school to the Great Hall where he tries to convince the students to give up Harry. Of course, none of them do and Harry ends up revealing his self and telling everyone that Snape is the one who killed Dumbledor. After a quick and fantastic dueling scene between McGonagall, Snape disappears from Hogwart’s leaving the school to the Order of the Phoenix. Harry tells McGonagall that he needs to time to find the horcrux and destroy them before Voldmort arrives.
We the Order start to prepare for battle by using a spell to place a protective barrier around the school and call for the stone guards of Hogwarts to awaken and protect the school. Very cool scene if I may add. The group realizes that they need to destroy the other horcrux from Bellatrix’s vault, before finding the other horcrux, so they split up. Ron and Hermione end up in the Chamber of Secrets where the use of the Basilisk fangs to destroy the horcrux. Thus after, Hermione and Ron kiss for the first time!! While all of this is going the school is being invaded by Death Eaters and all those who support Voldemort.
Harry ends up finding the horcrux which is essentially a tiara in the Room of Requirement, only to be found my Malfoy and his goons. Ron and Hermione end up there too on to be trapped when Malfoy and his buddies’ set the room on fire. While trying to find an exit, the group finds brooms that the use to escape, after helping save Malfoy and his buddies from certain death. They are able to destroy the horcrux, but not long after, Harry is able to find out where Voldemort is and find out that Voldemort’s pet snake is the finale horcrux. When the find Voldemort he is talking to Snape where it is revealed that the elder wand true master is Snape since he killed Dumbledor. Of course, Snape tries to deny it, but Voldemort kills him anyway so he can have full use of the wand. Before Snape dies and after Voldermort leaves the Snape tells Harry to collect his tears to see his memories that reveal what is truly going on.
Once the rushes back into the castle to see how everyone is doing, it is revealed the Tonks and Remus died in battle along with Fred, brother to Ron. Harry not being able to withstand the chaos and the heartbreak runs to Penseive to see what Snape wanted him to know. We learn that Snape knew Harry’s mother Lily since they were children and that he has loved her all this time. We also come to learn that Snape was informant to Dumblebor while a Death Eater and that he was the one who sent the sword to Harry in the previous installment. We also find out that Harry must die, because he himself is a horcrux that Voldemort did not intend to make.
We see Harry leave the school and essentially go to his death. He ends up in the Dark Woods where Voldemort kills him. Thinking he has one Voldemort brings Harry’s dead body to the school showing that he has won, which is certainly not the case. Harry is just pretending to be dead to throw off Voldemort where they end up having this epic battle in front of the school. In the end, it is Neville who kills the snake Nagini and Harry ends up killing Voldemort with the elder wander, because he is the true master, because he is the one who disarmed Malfoy and Malfoy is the one who disarmed Dumbledor right before Snape killed him. During the end we get to see the gang nineteen years later with their own families as their children go off the Hogwarts. This was a fantastic ending to a wonderful saga, that will last a lifetime.
The only thing that I do have a problem with is the major action and dramatic sequences. I wish the scenes, like the killing of Voldemort, or the death of Fred and Tonks were a bit more dramatic. I remember the scenes quite vividly in the books and just don’t think that it lived to the expectations that most fans had built up in their minds. It was a very good movie, but for me I just wished it had more of bang to signal the ending of a legacy. This is a good movie that I do urge everyone to see, but more importantly I urge everyone to read the books. These books have taught the world to dream and imagine once again. I don’t remember a time where people would wait in line at midnight just to pick up their book order. Books do have a way of getting under your skin and into your head like nothing else can and I think this is what the series will most be remembered by; having given the gift of loving and wanting to read to so many children around the world.
I will miss you Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Thank you for being constant companions for me since elementary school all the way up to college. I will miss your adventures and your journeys, but most of all I will miss looking forward to picking up a new book and sharing those moments and experiences with you. Even though you will be gone, you will never be truly far away, all I need to do is pick up a book, upon to its pages and say hello once more.
Originally posted on Affairs Magazine
