It's been a long road ever since I first cracked open the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I've now read Harry's entire adventures, and I've seen all eight of his films. It was a journey that took over a year, but I can say with confidence that it was worth it. Let's revisit the final chapters of Harry's journey together.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (***1/2)
While a critical film in the franchise, the splitting of Deathly Hallows in two means that this film doesn’t have much fun in its runtime.
One of the things that I noticed pretty quickly about this film was its unhurried pace. Where before it seemed like some films moved at a breakneck pace to keep up with all the material Rowling put in her books, this film was content to linger on the despair and hopelessness that our characters felt. It felt like the opening of Avengers: Endgame in that regard, where a franchise normally packed with laughs and action suddenly hit the brakes. I won’t criticize this shift because it’s important to have moments like this – particularly at this stage in the game – but there were times when I wondered if too many of the fun parts of the book had been allocated to Part 2. Then again, Part 2 was an absolute blast – so maybe I’m just being nitpicky. The break-in to the Ministry of Magic was a great sequence, to be fair.
Harry and Hermione’s relationship was interesting in this film, particularly because Ron became so skeptical of it. Ron felt that something romantic was going on between the two of them – and to be honest, I can’t say that I blame him. The scene where Harry and Hermione share a little dance definitely had romantic tension in it – at least the way I saw it. I know that the two of them are just friends, and that it was always meant to be that way – but dancing the way they did seemed like the kind of dance you’d have with a romantic interest, didn’t it? Maybe that’s my North American squeamishness talking. Regardless, no one can argue with the intense discomfort resulting from Ron’s vision of Harry and Hermione making out. Nothing will ever make that scene bearable. I get why it’s in there…but did it really have to be in there like that?
The climactic scenes at Malfoy Manor were terrifically intense – Bellatrix torturing Hermione was a horrendous but invaluable way to heighten the danger our protagonists were in. Dobby’s role in this climax was terrific, but it was just a shame that we hadn’t had more of him in the film series. This moment in the books was heart-wrenching because of the role he’d played in so many of the previous books – five out of seven. In the films, he’d been MIA since Chamber of Secrets – which likely made his sacrifice much less meaningful to fans who hadn’t read the books. All the same, it was a beautiful end to his tale.
While this film lacks so much of what other Harry Potter flicks have, it’s a crucial step towards the final chapter – and boy, we are in for a treat.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (*****)
An epic pulse-pounding conclusion to the Harry Potter franchise, Deathly Hallows Part 2 is everything you could ever ask for from a series-ending film.
First of all, everyone you love has their moment in the spotlight – and every moment is a blast. The break-in to Gringotts kicks things off with a spectacle of action, and I was very thankful that they changed the curse in the vault from the one in the novel. In the book, the multiplying treasure also heats up and burns you, which seems positively hellish. Here, the removal of the burning part made the whole sequence feel more fun and mischievous, saving the drama for later. And hey, they got to fly a dragon! Loved that.
The Battle of Hogwarts was one of the most spectacular battles I’ve ever seen in cinema. From the magic shields that went up to Snape’s duel with McGonagall to every second of wizarding action, the battle was nonstop adventure. The visual effects were incredible, and the performances were just as immersive. The world was crashing down, but our heroes weren’t going down without a fight. What a blast.
Another change from the book that I liked was how we got to see Ron and Hermione destroying a Horcrux together. In the book, we only found out about that via a few lines of dialogue after the fact. Getting to see it happen live – as well as the subsequent moment of romance – felt really deserved for their two characters. As a counterpoint, I wish we had gotten more screen time regarding the deaths of Fred, Remus, and Nymphadora. Finding out that they had died at the same time as our protagonists felt too rushed and glazed over – but then again, that’s how it happened in the book as well.
One thing that I’m thankful was removed in the process of translating book-to-film was Harry’s use of the Cruciatus Curse. We’ve known for some time that there are three Unforgivable Curses: mind-control, torture, and murder. That makes sense. I’m on board with that. But in the book, Harry ends up using two of these in order to get to the finale. He uses the Imperius (mind control) Curse to get into Gringotts, and he uses the Cruciatus (torture) curse on a Dark Wizard after they spit in McGonagall’s face. Will there be any repercussions for Harry using these curses? I thought they were unforgivable – but by the end of the book, it seems like they’re really no big deal as long as you only use them in emergencies. The other thing that troubled me is that the implication from our protagonists using these spells is that sometimes in order to do the right thing you must first do the wrong thing. In other words, the ends justify the means. I don’t agree with that. As many heroes say in other films, stooping to the level of your villain just turns you into them. Admittedly, the use of the Imperius Curse is still in this film, but I’m still glad they got rid of the Cruciatus moment.
As the credits began to roll, I was nothing but completely and totally satisfied with what this film ended up being. It was the perfect finish. It was jam-packed with action, heart, and it tied up every loose end that had been established over the course of the films. I loved it. To everyone involved in these films, thank you. You brought the wizarding world to life for millions of fans, and changed the face of fantasy forever.
Now I can finally go to Universal Studios Orlando and really get my money’s worth.