Harry Porter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film Class: B+

Genre: Fantasy

Ok, let me be open about this. I know there are many Harry Porter fans out there who would have unconditionally sung praises of the last film to this epic franchise but let's face it, the director under-delivered. I don't even have to read the book to know how much injustice this movie has done to it, but don't resort to conformity. Just because almost "everyone" says it's nice, you don't have to say it. I won't say it.

I may not be a Harry Porter fan, and I may not have caught the entire franchise, but I was truly impressed with it ever since I watched the Half Blood Prince. Many may not have liked how "dark" the franchise had evolved since then, but I felt it brought a more "adult" feel to it. I'm not saying that adults who appreciates the movie are childish, all I'm saying is that there seems to be more "substance" than just impressive magic, cool flying-stick games and triumphant good vs evil battles.

It promises more than what I've mentioned... and I was so looking forward to the finale. But after catching HP7 Part 2, it proves to be just all that. Period. The plot progression felt too rushed, and as a result created too many loopholes or convenient closures to it. Since I believe I have much to critique about the negative aspects of the film, I shall start with what I liked about it. Hmm... I've got one. *major spoilers ahead* The scene where the villains started to invade Hogwarts, was epic-like. Reminded me of the battle of Helms Deep for Lord of the Rings. It was dark, depressing, seemingly impossible outcome of the bad being defeated. It is this feeling which draws you closer to the storyline, because a part of you is dying to know how the tables can be turned.

And now... the negative aspects of it. I didn't like how the focus of the film shifted entirely to Harry Porter and left Hermione and Ron so calefare-like. Then there was this god-knows-where-he-pops-out-from guy who stole part of the limelight at the end. I understand it's a "Harry Porter" film, but if you're going to build on a franchise with the previous 7 installments fairly distributing the limelight to 3 main leads, then the director shouldn't have shifted this focus away. I honestly felt this last movie didn't bring justice to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint's characters.

I was curious to find out how 4 horcruxes could be destroyed in a single 2hr long movie when the previous 3 drained out the entire contents and runtime of the movie... but I was pleasantly impressed with how it was done. It makes sense, since two horcruxes were close to the main villian, Voldemort and the main lead, Harry Porter. But how the other two were destroyed, felt a little under-developed. Not sure if it's the same for the book, but I thought rather then making a final movie just for the sake of closure, why not invest more runtime in making those scenes more exciting and engaging?

The ending where Voldemort's invincible-like snake was killed was also... underdeveloped. Same for the witch, Helena Bonham Carter, who was so invincible-like in several of the installments but was killed in merely 10 seconds in the finale. Tsk. Such a let-down. And finally, Voldemort. Lorrrddd Voldemort. The name in which everyone in the magic world of Harry Porter fears. Loses in a duel with Harry Porter because... because... I don't even have any idea why. Just because his wand didn't "listen" entirely to him, Lord Voldemort couldn't overpower Harry Porter, who has never been shown to win any solo battles. The sudden surge of power Harry Porter displayed was enlighteningly absurd.

And the way the elderwand (ancestral wand, most powerful wand in the whole world) was snapped into half and thrown into the abyss, was rather hilarious. The way the elderwand flew high up from Volemort's hands into Harry Porter's was so dramatic... and yet, it stopped at such. Under-played, under-developed, under-delivered.

Nonetheless, a fitting ending to a long-standing franchise. Only wished it had packed more of a punch. Honestly, I don't see how this movie could have gotten in the top #250 of IMDB other than pure bias-ness of its fans. Objectively, this film was mediocre and falls behind many of the hidden gems in filmology.