Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Well, folks, it's all over. The eighth and final movie in the Harry Potter franchise, one of the most successful in film history, has arrived and is fiercely breaking all opening weekend records. The experience of seeing it in a theater was a surprisingly different one from when I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire what feels like so many years ago. That crowd back in 2005 was loud, rowdy, and very, very excited. For Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the theater was still just as packed as I expected it would be, but there was an odd hush over the audience once it began, as opposed to the cheering that accompanied the logo for the fourth entry. This was because the Goblet of Fire crowd was ready for an exciting summer blockbuster and that's what they got. The Deathly Hallows crowd either had read the books and knew what was soon to occur, or, like myself, they hadn't read the books and had no idea what kind of outcome to expect.

This is such a dismal affair. Gone from this film are all the whimsical situations and silly shenanigans that Harry Potter and his pals got into as children. They grew up, just like their audience. It is very odd to think that the movie versions of the Harry Potter stories have been around for half my life. There were very few people in my theater that were younger than teenagers because those of us who have followed these movies since their beginning have gradually matured along with them. This last chapter is the darkest and most violent one yet and would likely not be appropriate for the children who were the target audience of the first few. Not to mention that, at least purely in the realm of tweens, Harry Potter is no longer cool. Though this is obviously not true for the devoted fans who spent over $90 million opening day to see the ending, and it is sort of like the closing of a book in the lives of those fans who now must open new entertainment volumes, though none are likely to be as epically entertaining as the Harry Potter films have been.

The eight movies in the series were brought about by four different directors, each of whom added their own artistic flair to the proceedings. Chris Columbus helmed the first two, which were light and charming. Alfonso Cuaran directed the third, which was equally whimsical, but slightly darker, and is arguably the best single film in the series. Mike Newell handled the fourth, which was my first theatrical introduction to the series. David Yates brought us all the rest, and he has proven himself as the most capable of bringing about the slightly traumatic events that occur during the story's final hours. I am sure his direction would have made the story interesting if there weren't so much at stake, but there was, and he pulled it off. All of the primary actors are as good as they always have been. I am still so impressed by the large-scale casting choices that were made for the first film and how fitting they still are. All of the children grew into their roles with ease and style, and the adult actors, mostly made up of a plethora of famous British people, are also most excellent and memorable.

As I said earlier, there is very little cheerfulness present here, and this is a good thing, as unnecessary comic relief or general silliness would have made the events seem less important than they are (Though it is a little depressing to see Hogwarts fall to ruin, Quidditch field burning, and important characters lying dead, but it is all for necessary impact.) On the other hand, one could argue that things have played a little too much on the dramatic side, making things important that shouldn't seem that way. This is just a fantasy world spawned from a children's book, one could argue, but it has become so much more than that. The films and its characters have made a genuine connection to us. We have been able to spend approximately eighteen hours over a ten year span with Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Dumbledore, and the rest. Because of the excellent way the movies have been crafted, what happens to these fictional people becomes important to us. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a triumphant and very fitting conclusion to one of the biggest phenomenons of my lifetime. I must say that I'm glad I've been a part of it.

9/10