Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2

It's amazing to think how ten years ago, how epic Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone seemed, and yet how quaint it now appears in the grand scheme of the entire story as we reach the end with Deathly Hollows Part 2. In Sorcerer's Stone, we met young Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), and his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and have since watched the three characters mature into noble heroes, and the actors who play them into seasoned pros. We got our first glimpse at the enchanting world of Hogwarts, thrilled to our first game of Quidditch, and had almost no idea that we were watching the beginnings of what would become one of the strongest film franchises to come out of Hollywood in years.

Of course, none of the films would have been possible without the imagination of original author, J.K. Rowling, who created not only a magical world, but one that has been extremely well thought out, executed, and has become deeper and more complex than anyone probably imagined. The joy of Deathly Hollows Part 2 is seeing how everything comes together - All the memorable characters, all the ideas and story threads come to play here, creating one of the most satisfying blockbuster experiences of the summer movie season. In Part 1 of the Deathly Hollows story (released back in November), we got to see how things were starting to fall into place to form the conclusion audiences have been waiting ten years to see. Now, we get to see everything come together and end magnificently. Screenwriter Steve Kloves (who adapted all but one of the books for the screen) moves the story at a breakneck pace, usual with summer tentpole movies, but does not sacrifice character development or emotion. Anyone who has spent any time watching these movies will be hard pressed not to feel a little choked up as not only things come to an end, but as final revelations about certain characters are revealed.

As expected, the film picks up at the exact moment the last film left off, with Harry and his friends still seeking the horcruxes that will make the vile dark wizard Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) vulnerable enough to be defeated. Voldemort has already located the ultimate weapon that he needs in his conquest, is still relentlessly tracking down Harry, and has begun to conquer Hogwarts with the aid of his loyal follower Snape (Alan Rickman), who is now serving as headmaster at the school. This is all a set up for the ultimate confrontation that we all knew was coming from the very beginning of the story, as well as an epic battle for control of Hogwarts itself, where characters that we have been following for years step forward either to become heroes against the invading dark forces of Voldemort's growing army, or casualties in the final battle. We also learn the long and tangled backstories of certain characters, who will not be revealed here. As a climax, Deathly Hollows is pretty much everything we could want. It's enthralling and emotional, it's exciting and suspenseful, and it ties ten years worth of characters and plot together into one compact and successful film.

With its growing cast of characters played by some of the finest British actors working today, it's almost been overwhelming keeping track of it all, but this film does a good job of not only keeping focus, but giving many of its supporting characters a chance to shine. While the main focus is on Harry facing his destiny, we also get moments for Ron and Hermione to cement themselves as heroes. Even wise old professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) gets to take center stage for a little while as she helps to summon a shield to protect Hogwarts from the invading forces. Sure, we got a little bit of this in the last movie with the return of Dobby the Elf, but this movie really puts the series' love of its own characters front and center. Nobody is wasted or unimportant here. Loose threads left dangling from previous installments are resolved. And with the apocalyptic ruins of the once beautiful Hogwarts serving as the battleground, we finally get the big confrontation we've been waiting for.

And while spectacle certainly is not in short supply in Deathly Hollows, it is the dialogue and the characters themselves that draw us in. Nothing is left to chance in this final entry. The dialogue has conviction, the characters have a purpose, and nothing seems to exist just to keep the special effects artists busy (although they certainly are, almost from the start of the film, where Harry and his friends make a daring break in and escape on a dragon). Unlike the empty spectacle of Transformers and Green Lantern, there is a sense of weight and purpose here. There is personal involvement with these characters we have seen grow over the years. Not only that, there is a sense that this truly is a climax to a great tale. It doesn't feel rushed or hollow, it feels planned and calculated in the best ways possible. When the story reaches its end, it feels logical and we are satisfied. This is not just great filmmaking, but great storytelling.

With the Harry Potter films now over, I've come not only to respect the imagination of original author Rowling, but also the integrity of the filmmakers, who have not lost sight of the integrity they had when they started this massive project over ten years ago. The cast, the various directors who have helmed the movies over the years, the effects artists and crew...Nobody has lost the sense of wonder and integrity that they had at the beginning, which is a rare thing indeed in any long-running film franchise. It's been a joy to experience this series on a whole, even if the experience is muddled a little by this film being in 3D (my advice, as always, is to seek out the 2D screenings). When all is said and done, you just can't deny how well this series was planned out as a whole.

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