And Then There Were None: A Review of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2

Expected grade: 9/10

Actual grade: 10/10

(For a full explanation of my grading system, check out this post.)

Wow. It's over. For weeks, the omnipresent trailers and posters have warned us: It All Ends -- and it finally did. And boy, what an ending it was. By far the strongest film in the series, it contains the best acting, the best directing, the best cinematography, the best visual effects, and the best adaptation. I cannot imagine a true fan of either the books or the movies leaving this film disappointed. It is a faithful, emotional roller coaster ride of thrills, and in the end, one of the most completely satisfying experiences I've taken part of in a movie theater.

I got in line with my friends outside the 34th St AMC at 8pm, a full four hours before the movie, dressed in my Hogwarts t-shirt. The energy and enthusiasm of everyone in line was palpable and contagious. It is this communal experience of sharing something we all love and care about so deeply that I will miss most about these films, and is also part of the reason the film was as satisfying as it was. But apart from that, it's just a damn good movie. I expected it to be incredible, and it exceeded even my enormously high expectations.

It is hard to say much without sounding repetitive after all the glowing reviews extolling the growth of the young actors and the maturation of the franchise as a whole. So I will simply say that those reviewers are correct. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have grown into fine young actors. Perhaps the most satisfying experience of the franchise is watching their development over the years, and Deathly Hallows Part 2 puts the perfect cap on that growth. Radcliffe in particular carries the entire film on his now-broad shoulders, which is no small feat when up next to the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter and Michael Gambon. But his charisma shines through the grit and grime of this entry, particularly in the scene where he learns a secret Dumbledore has been keeping from him and recognizes that his fate is already written.

But he's not he only one who has grown -- Matthew Lewis as the once-bumbling, now-heroic Neville Longbottom nearly steals the show with his unexpectedly heroic turn. One speech in particular that Neville delivers had most of my audience in tears. It is shocking to recognize that these actors are no longer children (or even teens) -- they are now fully adults, just like their characters. It would be nearly impossible for all these young actors to have spent a full decade of their lives alongside some of the best actors in England and not have become great actors themselves.

I cannot imagine 7P1 and 7P2 having been made as one film -- the expansion gave the adaptation room to breathe, a choice which now pays off a hundred fold. What many people, critics and fans alike, scoffed at as a ploy to simply rake in more money is now revealed to have been an exceptionally well-thought-out decision. For all its success, the Harry Potter series has never been famous for its faithfulness, with many die hard fans bemoaning the complete excision of some of their favorite moments. And while a little bit of this is still true (some people may miss things like house elves running into battle or elaboration on Dumbledore's back story), this is the most faithful entry by far. There is not a single large occurrence from the book that is completely missing, with only a few tweaks here and there for the purposes of translation from page to screen. Many fans derided the fifth movie for its decimation of Snape's Worst Memory, turning a pivotal chapter into a thirty second flashback. Those fans can rest assured that this entry's equally pivotal Snape flashback is given a much fuller treatment, allowing Alan Rickman plenty of room to shine in his final moments as the increasingly complex Snape.

Rickman is not the only veteran actor who receives a shining moment. This is by far Maggie Smith's best turn as McGonagall, who had my whole audience cheering wildly at several moments, most notably her defiant duel with Snape and her gleeful delivery of one of the best lines invented for the film. Helena Bonham Carter is still delightfully demented as Bellatrix, but also delivers a hysterical double-performance early on as Bellatrix ala Emma Watson, when Hermione disguises herself as the evil witch to gain entrance to Gringotts. Michael Gambon should finally put all his detractors (who maintain that Richard Harris, the original Dumbledore, was better) to rest with his pitch-perfect turn in his one scene with Harry. The one veteran actor who was underused was Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid. He was barely in the film at all, appearing in just two short scenes. But the film is so jam-packed with everything else that I didn't even notice his absence until the first time he showed up.

By far the most impressive performance by a veteran goes to Ralph Fiennes. Ultimately this film is about a young boy learning to accept his own mortality, while an older, more powerful man struggles desperately to deny and overcome his own. It is a message brought poignantly home in this film, due mainly to the stellar performance crafted by Fiennes as Voldemort. He transcends the typical power-hungry villain, layering in increasing amounts of fear and desperation as he approaches his final confrontation with Harry. These surprisingly human emotions will make Voldemort a villain for the ages.

It bears noting that I saw the film in good old-fashioned 2D. I reasoned that I had seen every Harry Potter entry to date in 2D, so why change it up just for the last chapter? I didn't want to risk a darkened or blurry screen at this point, and I didn't end up feeling like I missed out on anything. The big action set pieces were all perfectly spectacular in only two dimensions: the Gringotts break-in, the battle of Hogwarts, the final duel -- they were all breathtaking, beautiful, and suspenseful. Perhaps one of this film's greatest achievements is its ability to combine typical blockbuster action fare with heartbreaking portrayals of characters we truly love and root for (or against).

It would have been easy for this film to have been disappointing, after a buildup of fourteen years since the first book and ten years since the first movie. It could have succumbed to the final-chapter-sucks syndrome, ala The Matrix, Spider-Man, X-Men, Star Wars, and many others. Instead, it followed the superb examples of Lord Of The Rings and Toy Story and delivered the most layered, rich and satisfying entry for its final outing. The only faults with the film were faults from the book, and therefore the film cannot really be blamed (beloved characters dying with little to no fanfare being my biggest gripe). And in fact, my least favorite part of the book (the overly saccharine epilogue) played much better on screen than it did on the page.

HP7P2 already attained the highest gross from midnight showings of all time with $43.5 million (breezing past Twilight: Eclipse's $30 million). There is no doubt it will be one of the greatest commercial success of cinema history. But what is more surprising is its critical success. Currently at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, its score surpasses those of every film that won best picture in the past two decades, with the exception of The Hurt Locker and Schindler's List, with which it is tied. I would not be surprised if this film snags a nomination for Best Picture, considering all its achievements. It could easily fill in the "blockbuster" slot previously occupied by Avatar and Inception. That would be a first for the Harry Potter franchise, and a fitting way to go out -- with a bang.

This is a film you must see in theaters. Even if you've never read a single Harry Potter book nor seen a single Harry Potter movie, go to this one. Go just to see the reactions of all the fans in the audience. It is truly magical, and is likely to be a cinematic experience that will never be equalled in our lifetime. If you are a fan, then even better -- you will laugh, cringe, cheer and most likely sob like a little girl. In the end, you will feel like you have just sat through not just a movie, but something more important. You have closed the book on a saga that has tied you to complete strangers for fourteen years through your shared passion for some fictional characters. It is sad, to be sure, but also exhilarating. Thank you, J.K. Rowling for giving us that gift, and thank you to David Yates and the entire filmmaking team for living up to it. This film is exactly what people are talking about when they say "The magic of movies." Don't miss it.