(This review is full of spoilers. If you haven't read the book or haven't seen the movie yet, I shouldn't read it. Even if you have seen the movie but haven't read the book I don't think this review would be easy to understand.)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 2)... Where do I begin?
It started with Voldemort stealing the elder wand, just how part 1 ended. When I saw the Warner Brothers logo afterwards I realized... It's ending. This is it. And this will be it.
I was very shocked to see Hogwarts the way it was during the second wizarding war. It was just like Auschwitz or something, really terrifying. Even though this was just the first minute of the movie, I was already moved and I thought it already was the best Harry Potter movie so far.
The movie didn't quite have an intro. It just started where it ended. If you haven't seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1) yet or if it was quite some time ago, I highly recommend watching it before this one. If you don't remember where it ended and what the main characters were up to, you won't understand a bit of the first 20 minutes.
I really liked the 3D. This was actually the first movie in which I really appreciated the 3D. The 3D in Avatar, for example, was just annoying me. The best part in 3D was the part in Gringotts, where they rode the cart like it was a rollercoaster. It felt so real.
The whole Gringotts scene was better (and much shorter) than I expected. I actually laughed a lot about Hermione, disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange. It was just too fake, which made it super realistic. Too bad it wasn't as long as it was in the book.
After they escaped on the dragon they immediately descided to go to Hogsmeade, as quick as they did it in the book. That part was kinda scary in my opinion though! Just when they arrived you heard these alarms and death eaters screaming: "They're here! Harry Potter is here!" and you saw the "Undesirable Number 1" posters on every wall, in every street. So sad to see what's become of our beloved Scottish town.
The part with Aberforth was very much like the book. Unfortunately they didn't quite mention him in the previous part, so people who haven't read the books must have been a little confused by this part. They could have just cut it out actually, but I was happy they didn't. To me, as a book reader, I was very moved by the fact the movie makers actually cared about Dumbledore's history.
Even though I knew what was going to happen, a smile appeared on my face when I saw Neville coming out of the tunnel. In my opinion, he was the hero of this movie. He showed every muggle in the audience he really IS a Gryffindor.
The first time I cried was when Neville came out of the tunnel in the room of requirement and told his fellow students he had a surprise for them. When Harry, Ron and Hermione came out of the tunnel the nostalgic tune "Harry's Wondrous World" started playing, which made me so emotional. That song was featured in the first two movies (The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets) and has been the theme of my childhood, together with Hedwig's Theme.
It felt really good to see all the characters back I missed during the war. Lavender Brown, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Padma Patil... It was one big reunion of friends. So emotional.
Luna sounded kinda sane in that scene. She was the only one who knew what Harry was talking about. Never underestimate the Ravenclaws!
The was Hogwarts is in this movie shocked me again when they marched into the great hall. It was like Hogwarts turned in some kind of military school.
When Harry brought in the members of the order of the phoenix, the actual fight began. Right after Snape jumped out of the window because he didn't want to fight with professor McGonagall you saw this little Ravenclaw girl screaming in a corner of the great hall. It was absolutely terrifying. Voldemort's voice gave me shivers down my spine and it seems like I wasn't the only one. It was a scary moment. I was very moved by McGonagall, telling Harry it was good to see him back and telling him he had to do what he had to do and she'd give him time.
I will never forget the conversation Harry and Luna had when Harry was on his way to the Ravenclaw common room to look for the diadem. The whole grey lady part afterwards was JUST how I thought it would be. She didn't tell him that much, but it was enough for him to understand where the diadem was and satisfied all of the fans.
McGonagall got the whole audience cheering twice. Her "BOOM!" was funnier than Argus Filch, who came to tell her there were students out of bed, even though they were supposed to be. And when she made the statues come to live to form some kind of army. The line "I've always wanted to use that spell!" and the cute smile afterwards made the whole audience laugh and clap.
The whole battle of Hogwarts was very realistic. You saw it from many different points of view. Voldemort's, the members of the order's, the trio's and the students's. Whilst Ron and Hermione went to the chamber of secrets to destroy one of the horcruxes, Harry went looking for another one in the room of requirement.
And yes, even though you had many shots of war between Ron and Hermione entering the chamber of secrets and Hermione destroying the cup... They eventually kissed! It was the best kiss I've seen in all 8 movies. I don't think Harry's a good kisser.
The fiendfyre in the room of requirement was awful. It was a pity Crabbe was replaced by Zabini, but that didn't matter. Even though it was a serious scene, I really laughed when Ron ran after Goyle, who had just tried to attack Hermione, screaming: "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!"
Unlike the book, Harry destroyed the diadem with a basilisk fang but threw it in the fire just before the doors of the room of requirement closed. Hermione persuaded Harry to get into Voldemort's mind to see where he was, so they could kill Nagini.
He was in the boat house, waiting for Snape. I knew this should have been the shrieking shack, but it didn't bother me at all. Snape's memories came out of a tear and just before he died he said: "Look at me... You have your mother's eyes."
I thought the second line would ruin the whole scene, but it didn't. Something else ruined the scene....
We all know Harry has green eyes. Because Daniel Radcliffe has blue eyes in real life and he's allergic to contact lenses the Harry in the movie has blue eyes. Than why... Why... Did Lily Evans have brown eyes in The Prince's Tale?
Before Harry took a look at Snape's memories he went to the great hall. This was a painful scene. We already saw one of our beloved characters die. Fenrir Greyback tried to eat the poor Lavender Brown and we saw her taking bites out of her corpse.
But seeing the characters I grew up with... To see their dead bodies... It was just to painful. I cried like a baby during that scene, I just couldn't believe Fred died. I knew it was gonna happen, but it just broke my heart. When I saw Remus and Tonks amongst the other dead, I thought I was gonna pass out. It was just too much for me.
The Prince's Tale was great though. It was really emotional. Snape looked really cute as a kid and so did Lily. The eyes bothered me a little bit, but besides that it was beautiful. Really beautiful and very emotional. I couldn't stop crying after I saw Snape crying and holding Lily's corpse.
The tale featured many people's favorite lines:
"After all this time?"
"Always."
To portray the killing of Lily they used the same scene as the one in Philosopher's Stone. I already hoped they would have done that, because the actress playing Lily is 10 years older as well now... It would have been kinda weird if they would have used a completely different scene.
Right after Harry finds out he's the seventh horcrux he tells Ron and Hermione he has to die and they have to kill the snake. I don't know whether I'm happy with that scene or not. It's a good scene, but Neville should be the one to kill Nagini and Harry's just too stubborn to tell Ron and Hermione he has to die.
Right before Harry goes to Voldemort and he accepted the fact he's gonna die, he brings back Remus, Sirius and his parents with the resurrection stone Dumbledore hid in the snitch Harry caught during his first quidditch match. They tell him they never left him and they will always be with him. He leaves the stone behind (many people won't understand this part, but I don't really care about that) and meets Voldemort in the forbidden forest.
The King's Cross scene after Harry's "death" is pretty good. Voldemort used the Avada Kedavra spell with the elder wand and even though book readers know what's going on I think many muggles believe he's in heaven or something. And indeed, before he takes the train back that goes on, Dumbledore says the line that drives us Potterheads: "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
Just as in the book, Narcissa is the one to check if Harry's really dead. When he confirms Draco is still alive Narcissa tells Voldemort he's really dead, even though that's a lie and she's actually risking her life with that lie. Who didn't get some respect for Narcissa because of this?
When Voldemort and the death eaters bring Harry's body back to Hogwarts to prove their victory you see every Hogwarts teacher and student moarning. Except for Draco, who's a pussy and moves over to the side of the death eaters. Narcissa takes him away and leaves. We all know that's because they know Voldemort would kill them if he finds out Narcissa lied.
Neville takes some steps forward as well. Voldemort thinks he wants to join them, but he is wrong. Even though he thinks Harry's dead, he shows everyone he's still loyal to him and he will continue what he's started. Right after Neville's moving speech Harry runs away, ready to destroy Nagini, the final horcrux.
The fight goes on. Voldemort's after Harry, the members of the order of the phoenix are after the death eaters and Ron and Hermione are after Nagini.
Molly kills Bellatrix in the great hall. She does say the line: "Not my daughter, you bitch!" but doesn't kill her with the Avada Kedavra curse. It's some kind of unknown spell which makes Bellatrix freeze and explode.
Harry and Voldemort are still fighting each other at that moment, but Voldemort isn't vunerable until Nagini's killed by Neville, which he eventually does with the sword of Gryffindor. When Voldemort casts the Avada Kedavra curse at Harry after the final horcrux has been destroyed it backfires and Voldemort goes up in ashes. A little disappointing. I must admit it's a cool effect in 3D, but honestly... It would be much more dramatic if you had Voldemort's corpse lying there.
In the final scene you see Harry, Ron and Hermione for the very last time, walking down the viaduct and discussing what they should do with the elder wand which Harry actually owns. Harry breaks the wand in two and throws both pieces away. It already caused to many problems, and you can't deny, Harry's already had enough of them.
(From left to right: Hugo Weasley, Albus Severus Potter, James Potter II, Rose Weasley)
When the words "19 years later" appeared on screen, I heared people in the audience sighing in a negative way. I must say I thought this was a bit of a cheap ending too. It was great in the book, but it's just not original to end this spectacular movie series with. But because J.K. Rowling has written it, I don't think they should have left it out. That would just be awful.
Harry, Ron and Ginny look pretty old in this scene, but Hermione just looks like a teenage girl dressed in her grandmother's clothing. It's kinda cute though. They're on platform 9 3/4 to say goodbye to James, Albus Severus and Rose who are going to Hogwarts with the Hogwarts express. You see Draco Malfoy on the platform as well, with a child identical to Draco in his first two years at Hogwarts. Just too funny.
The best thing about this scene is... This is the ending I had in my head since 2007. I knew it had to end with Leaving Hogwarts playing in the background. And when it ended... I cried. I knew I was going to, but when I saw:
Directed by
David Yates
on screen, I knew ten extraordinary years of my live had come to an end. I couldn't even concentrate on Hedwig's Theme, which has playing during the end credits. I just cried and felt really relieved that it came to the end we wished for.
My rating:
Points: 9/10
+ The battle of Hogwarts
+ "Not my daughter, you bitch!"
+ John Williams's nostalgic music and Alexandre Desplat's best soundtrack ever composed put together
- How Voldemort went up in ashes
- Lily's brown eyes
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 2) is my favorite movie. I don't think there will ever be a movie better than this one. I can't wait to see it again.
