Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Movie Review)

After eight movies, the Harry Potter epic storyline is finally over. As someone who read and enjoyed the books once when they came out (but isn't a "fan" in particular) I wondered how the last movie in this franchise would wrap things up.

I can definitely say it went out with a bang. Action and effects were numerous and the best I remember in the series. Character mortality rates were higher than ever. (In fact keeping track of deaths almost requires pen and paper!) The stakes were higher than ever and the epic battles do not disappoint.

The supporting adult cast does the heavy lifting and engaged me emotionally in ways this series never has before. Alan Rickman (and Severus Snape's story) is certainly the standout dramatic element and nearly brought me to tears.

The visual design is appropriately dark, sinister and even depressing, while still captivating and fantastical. A far cry from the bright colors of the earlier films in the series. Every character looks ragged and worn.

The music also contributes a lot to the mood, sounding almost like a creepy horror flick at times (though without the cheap "jump scares").

All this work put into mood still only helps to offset, rather than contribute to, the performances of the three heroic leads. It's great that the studio ended up with passable adult actors considering they were cast as kids. But I would still place the calibre of their performances alongside or below most TV guest performers, rather than movie actors or even TV regulars. And whether because of their performances, the script, or both, I didn't find myself the least bit invested in their well-being. A very big problem, given that they are the center of the story.

Speaking of story, this movie, like the last one or two, is unforgiving toward those who do not watch previous movies in the series (or know them very well) right before seeing this one. Few or no reminders are given about who people are, what things are significant and what all the objectives for victory are. Although I've read all the books once and seen all the previous movies, I felt lost in a number of ways. My guess is that this movie (and others in the series) will be more greatly appreciated for its story on home video, rather than in the spaced out theatrical release schedule.

I personally doubt that much worthwhile conversation will come out of seeing this movie. But a few topics that you could squeeze out of it (if you have strong hands) would include: The afterlife, sacrificial love, the death and resurrection of Christ (as subtly modeled in this movie in a way I won't spoil further) and doing right while being villainized by others. Those points are all present, but would have come out much more strongly had the performances been more emotionally engaging.

This flick is a good end to the franchise that would be stronger in the immediate context of the previous films. Although key performances are lacking, supporting actors and good direction make up enough ground to provide an enjoyable experience.

Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images.

Quality: 8.0/10

Relevance: 5.5/10

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I got the impression that the parallels you are alluding to are not remotely subtle at all, but in fact highly explicit and purposefully constructed. Then again, maybe the inspiration goes back to the monomythic themes and ideas that Joseph Campbell tried to categorize.

I won't go so far as to say that Potter lacks character, but in some ways he is almost an avatar for modelling displays of perfect or near perfect love (for friends, family, adopted family, and romantic). The flaws he exhibits that are most pronounced in the final story of the series are almost functions of the plot (obsession in the book), and in one case are more serving of another character's development (relationship conflict). There are a few actions that Potter takes that one could ask, "Does that qualify as righteous anger? Does Harry have to have a dark side, or are his rare moments of 'fighting fire with fire' allowed?" Those moments beg us to examine if these actions fall within the realm of societal rules and law, or if some form of true universal justice is in play. I think those odd moments are there for a reason; when I read the book it struck me as very carefully crafted and considered, in some cases very responsibly (for young readers), in other ways it reflects how pure ideals clash within the context of the more cynical superficial realities of the world we live in.

In one sense sacrifice, death and immortality can only play out the way it really plays out in our world. Potter's parents are only immortal in Harry's world the way they would be in our own non-magical world; Harry is an extension of them; the more perfect aspects of their personalities amalgamated into a person who will make his mark on the world in a lasting way.

J.K. Rowling has said in a few interviews the religious parallels are a conscious, intentional design for the story's set-up. Without getting to deeply into the politics of religion, you can take her at her word and embrace those elements and interpret them to mean that she intended the story to be Christianity-inspired, or not. I think there's a certain amount of diplomacy there; her story is meant for a very broad audience (especially once you get to those larger volumes), but it's not meant for (and she doesn't seem too preoccupied with) those who she calls out on for being, in her regard, extremist.

My rambling thoughts are a case for relevance. Life and death, love and sacrifice, morality versus legality. Also, from a perspective outside the story, the work has relevance from the standpoint of reflecting on how Christianity as a whole approaches fiction and debates the harmfulness or divine purity-of-intent of the story's content; not too mention how Christians respond to, embrace, discriminate (I mean in the positive connotation of the word), and censor.

Desert Kris wrote:I got the impression that the parallels you are alluding to are not remotely subtle at all, but in fact highly explicit and purposefully constructed.

SPOILER WARNING!!!!





I think you're right that they were purposeful. I think their perceived subtlety will depend on the individual. For me, it seems like the Christ metaphor of a "sacrificial death" has been so over used in fiction that I've become numb to it unless there are additional elements that also parallel Christ.

In this case we also have a "resurrection" of sorts, but since it wasn't a "real" resurrection, it didn't come across as strong to me, compared to say Superman's death and return in comics (which readers only learned much later was not a true death) or Neo's death/resurrection in the first Matrix film and even more obvious sacrificial death in a crucifixion pose in the last movie.

Those are more my standard these days for a clear crucifixion/resurrection metaphor, and anything less strikes me as "subtle".

Paeter. IF you click the other button while making a message there is a "spoiler"

Spoiler:

Hackmodford wrote:Paeter. IF you click the other button while making a message there is a "spoiler"

Spoiler:

Hmm, your words mystify me. But I'll try to poke around and do something like that next time. Thanks for the heads up!

Can someone explain what happened with the Malfoy's sp? It just seemed weird for them to just walk into the sunset like that.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "sp" that's a new one on me. But you hit on one of my favorite moments of subtle, sublime characterization. Beautiful stuff, IMO.

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