In Part 2 of the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.
This review contains some spoilers, so if you don't want to hear anything, might as well exit. OK, so, Harry Potter is basically a legend of this era. He's everywhere. The books and movies have been out-of-this-world popular, which has created further 'Potter' things like the upcoming 'Pottermore' website run by J.K. Rowling, Harry's look is always a popular Halloween costume, thousands of toys, games, video games, spoofs, apps, etc. have been created after this uber-popular franchise that started with J.K. Rowling and her pen. It is just hard to believe that the end of the 'Potter' era is nearly over now that 'Deathly Hallows: Part 2' has finally come out (and has had some mind-blowing box office results already, might be the highest grossing movie of all-time if it keeps it up) and lots of kids that grew up with the series are now young adults or adults. But when it comes to Harry Potter, you know that the fun will never end.
Now, I am what you call a Harry Potter fanboy. You may wonder why I've only read the first book, Sorceror's Stone - it's not that I'm not a fan, it's because I purposely set it up so that I'd have 6 books to read once the films end, so I'd have something to look forward to. But my mom is also a fan (she went with me) and she just finished the series (and read Deathly Hallows a month ago) and she had said that the movie is quite different, so I honestly don't know what has changed, but thanks to the internet and my mom chatting, I have a somewhat good idea, but not good enough. People can say all they want about how a movie is well different from the book and how disappointed they are. Yes, I get your point, but to be honest, if you saw the same exact thing that you read, wouldn't it get a little obvious? Change some things up, add a few things, and it seems fresher. So yes, I get the point of the changing on the book to the movie, but it's really not a bad thing.
The trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley (portrayed by Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint respectively) all return in their roles (obviously) and never cease to amaze. I have fallen in love with the three characters. I almost relate to them (even though I don't have the well, you know.. abilities) and they've always been so likable. It's obvious that this is a Harry Potter vs Lord Voldemort showdown, so you don't expect Hermione and Ron to appear as much, and they don't. Yes, they have plenty of scenes and a good enough amount of dialogue, Harry is shown a lot more than them, however. (The first part of 'Deathly Hallows' showed the threesome together a little more than part 2 did) Ralph Fiennes plays Lord Voldemort - one of the best villains you can find in a book or film. I feel Fiennes' best effort came in this film and yes, I know, he's shown a LOT more than the other films in the 8-film series, but the amount of scenes doesn't matter. The character's development, intensity, and villainous reputation are all acted and played beautifully by Fiennes. Fieness has always been great for the role, for me, but he stood out more than ever in this. Matthew Lewis' character, Neville Longbottom used to be the easy-to-pick-on kid that always looked like a pathetic loser, right? Well, he was a force to be reckoned with. Since when was he this kick-ass-I'm-gonna-kill-the-shit-out-of-you-if-you-mess-with-Harry kind of guy? Dang, Neville was a utter beast and Lewis stood up to the challenge in his character perfectly. I would love to give a standing ovation to Maggie Smith, who played Professor McGonagoll while she was battling the disease known as cancer at the time of filming, her best performance comes when she is battling, and it is not visible whatsoever. She put her heart and soul into the character in this and that's not a easy thing to do when you have that big of a distraction going on in your personal life. And of course, Alan Rickman also plays Severus Snape better than ever. His *SPOILER ALERT* death is very tragic after you find out his true colors. I would like to give props to whoever played the younger Snape in the *SPOILER ALERT* memory scene - whoever played the version of Severus as a kid was great. Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Bonnie Wright had lesser roles in the film, they still had a few scenes, but not as much as some of the previous (Wright especially recent) 'Potter' films, but for their somewhat-limited roles, they did a swell job with what they were handed. The cast is spot-on - almost all the actors and actresses play their best performances yet, whether they were shown more or less than they were previously, they were all great, and no flaws could be found with any characters whatsoever.
The first part of the two part 'Deathly Hallows' film featured the trio on the run trying to destroy Tom Riddle (now Voldemort)'s horcruxes while this one (other than a epic bank scene at Gringott's) takes place at Hogwarts where the good guys vs bad guys square off with Harry trying to destroy the remaining horcruxes mostly by himself (with a little help from friends). The action is absolutely non-stop. From the Gringott's scene, to the opening stage of the battle at Hogwarts, unto the final battle between Harry and Voldemort himself, the film will never cease to bore you. The story and plotline aren't really the main focus, but you don't really bother caring about the plot or storyline (rating wise) considering the action keeps coming and coming and you kind of forget how well everything is put together, but honestly, you don't need to even think. Everything is just incredible. The action is non-stop, the effects such a big fire at the Room of Requirement, to the significant amount of spells cast, to the "protection shield" guarding Hogwarts, all the CGI and special effects are right on target, nothing to complain about. I have not seen the 3D version yet, but if I see the film again before it leaves theaters (which is a long time away, I think) I will most likely see it in 3D to compare. The epilogue is also very well made - it's both touching and exciting. So to be honest, there really weren't much flaws to be found whatsoever in this. I know I am bias along with many other Harry Potter fans, but unless you hate Harry Potter, you won't be disappointed in this. This gets a 5/5 stars for me easily. Hands down. Enough said. Like it or not, go see it today. If not, you don't know what you're missing.
Also, you get a little treat if you go to the movie. Before the movie starts, 'The Dark Knight Rises' trailer is featured. So just be on the lookout for that, since I know a lot of you Batman fanboys would love to see the teaser on the big screen, you can watch it online as much as you want, but seeing it in the theater is even cooler.