Deathly Hallows 2 is a Superior Potter Swan Song

[wpcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]

Fiennes gives his character a keen edge, making him a terrifying pleasure to watch. His emotions are crisp and vague at the same time, killing followers on a whim, laughing at strange times and giving hugs (not making that up) to people who join his cause. He is disturbed, arrogant and the human that people never imagine evil dictators to be. His character is more clearly defined than we have seen since his introduction in the fourth movie.

The runaway hero in all of this is, funny enough, not Radcliffe’s Potter (I felt like the main trio floated effortlessly through the movie – they were good, but not spectacular), but the character of Neville Longbottom, played by Matthew Lewis. If you followed him through the books and films you had little hope for this character, but Rowling (and subsequently Yates) deliver on a complete character turnaround. Lewis owns it. He has an incredible amount of fun playing this former loser, and it shines through in his performance.

For those of you who read the book (and at this point, I pray that’s all of you), I hated Dumbledore’s family

[/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]

drama that littered the text. It was all cut. Not just cut, but Harry tells Dumbledore’s brother that he just doesn’t care about any of it (+1 for Harry!).

This lack of family drama is reflected in the King’s Cross scene, which I also hated in the book. The book version was a wordy cop-out of endless explanation (much like Angela Lansbury at the end of every Murder She Wrote episode). The movie replaces it with a more cryptic but streamlined scene that gives us what we need and nothing else.

And then there is the epilogue. Where do I start here? I didn’t like it in the book. It was only okay in the movie. The main stars (Radcliffe, Watson and Grint) were aged for the scene with hair dye and prosthetics. It’s true to the book and hardcore fans will probably like the addition. If it wasn’t there, I think I would have missed it. (Unwinnable Fact: Harry’s second child, Albus Severus Potter, has the initials “A.S.P.” The irony shouldn’t be lost on any Potter fans.)

If the movie were to follow the end of the book to the letter, the result would be stunted, awkward and far too wordy. By distilling it down and tweaking bits, the movie is concise and flows easily throughout all the onscreen action, making the plot easy to follow (this one can get confusing at points if you miss a step). I haven’t spoken to many people, but I believe Potter fans will really love this final installment.

I, a self-proclaimed book purist, loved it. I think it was the best of the series and better than the part of the book it was based on. And that’s not idle flattery. There was almost nothing redeeming about the other movies in the series.

I’ll be frank here, part of my childhood has ended but on the best possible note. And now, for lack of anything more appropriate to say:

Mischief managed.

[/wpcol_1half_end]