Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Reviews

And so the end to an epic journey has been completed.

Over the last ten years, Harry Potter has graced our movie theaters with eight films beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a lighthearted movie based around a children/young adults novel. During these ten years, we've watched as the characters have grown and faced various perils of both the magical and normal teenage lives. That is part of what made the Harry Potter movies so delightful, entertaining and enchanting, watching the actors grow with their characters.

In 2001, I sat in the theater watching The Sorcerer's Stone and found myself less than impressed by the movie. I had not read any of the books by that point and could not see what the craze for this young wizard was all about. Most of my friends adored the movie and thought I was the strange one for not enjoying it. Though, I still went to see the Chamber of Secrets the following year and even still, I did not fully enjoy the movie the way most everyone I knew was enjoying the movie. Two years later,  I sat in the theater to watch The Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm not sure what compelled me to keep going to the theater, but I did and I did finally begin to realize the appeal to the young wizard.

Last Christmas, the Deathly Hallows Part One was released to theaters. It was clear it wasn't a full movie. While still entertaining, something was obviously missing, a clear cut ending. Of course, you couldn't fit the entire Book Seven into a single movie and so they split the story in two to the best of their ability. The Deathly Hallows Part Two continued immediately from where Part One left off, flowing seamlessly to the next chapter.

The story for both parts follows Harry, Hermione, and Ron in their search for the horcruxes to destroy and end Voldemort's rule of magical world. Many obstacles lie in their path and many friends must give their lives for the mission to fully succeed. The actors bring to life the tragedy and stress the three characters face, showing just how much the actors have grown and developed their talents.

The characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione have never been my favorites, even though they are the three prime characters. Instead, I have always preferred Professor Snape, Remus, and Fred and George Weasley, as well as preferring their actors. Alan Rickman (Snape) has been given a much heartier role this time to show there is more to his character than what we've previously seen. Rickman handles the role magnificently, showing just how great of an actor he is when given amazing scripts. It's his story that nearly brings me to tears this time.

The battle scenes in this movie were reminiscent of the battles seen during the Lord of the Rings trilogy, massive and spectacular in scale.  Though this is where my only true complaint lies, the first Battle of Hogwarts seemed far too short and leaves out far too much in the story itself. We see the battle begin, end, and the effects. Yet we do not see the cause of the effects. This seemed to cheapen the effect and weaken the impact.  Compared to the other movies, this movie was short and there was plenty of time to add the full battle scene into the movie.

I do recommend everyone to see this movie. Though, perhaps before seeing it, sit down and watch all of the previous movies, even if it takes you a week. Watch the progression of the movies as they grow just as the characters grow. It most certainly adds to the final movie.

However, you can skip the 3D for this movie. Once more, this gimmick is an unnecessary feature that adds little to nothing to the movie. The previews before the movie did better with the 3D than the actual movie itself.

Overall, this is a proper end to the Harry Potter phenomena that we have witnessed over the last ten years. Though, in a way, I'm sad to see it end.