Synopsis: In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.
***********************************************************************

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 8.25

That’s it, then. It’s over. Years and years in the making and the storyline has finally come to a close. The producers were disciplined enough, hammering out a new film every year or so, and blanketing fans with enough Harry Potter for a generation.

Was it worth watching all eight films, in the end?

Well, as someone who hasn’t read the books at all, I have to say that some things escaped me at times. However, I feel that the films still played well to an audience that has no previous knowledge of J.K. Rowling’s work; they made it enjoyable without spelling out all the finer details (although I suspect having read the books probably enhances the viewing).

This particular installment, as can be expected, isn’t as forgiving as the others were: it was designed as the second part of a two-part ending to the series and, as such, it assumes that one has seen the previous part. Frankly, I could hardly imagine watching this film without some knowledge of the story thus far.

In brief, here are my thoughts on this final chapter:

The acting is decent enough, although Daniel Radcliffe was pretty soft in the beginning. The best performances, as has always been the case in this series, comes from the old(er) guard: Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter (who hams it up suitably) and especially Maggie Smith – who I simply adore.

I was disappointed with Alan Rickman, however; his heart didn’t seem in it at all. When he’s “on” he’s the best there is. But it didn’t happen here. On the flipside, I was extremely pleased to see Matthew Lewis’ character, Neville, bloom. I always felt terrible for the character (and the actor, truth be told), so seeing him morph slowly but dramatically into a self-assured, less nerdy individual was a welcome sight.

The story is typically convoluted and many of the twists and turns are facile, convenient: things are resolved as easily as they had unspooled in the first place, consequence-free and easily forgotten – a simplistic stepping-stone to the next scene, really (case-in-point, the Room of Requirement scene, which concludes with an escape – wholly ignoring the fact that a major fire was blazing in this most important area of Hogwarts).

Somehow, these issues don’t deter from the enjoyment, though: I had fun anyway. The pacing was good; the story, while filled with casual holes, holds up just enough to suspend disbelief; and the special effects, while not always credible, were mostly decent. I don’t know how they managed it, but I guess I can chalk it up to “movie magicÈ. Or, perhaps, to plain old magic.

I’ve forgotten much from this epic series along the way, being eight movies in total and none of which are less than 130 mins long, so I don’t know if the pieces all fall into place neatly. But I did wonder what happened to the unbiquitous Ministry of Magic from ‘Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ and why the Muggles were no longer referenced even though the war was impacting them in the first installment.

Sigh… I suppose I shouldn’t look for complications or consequences in this (or any!) Harry Potter film; these screenplays were meant to generate as little thought or anxiety in their audiences as possible. It’s all supposed to be exciting and (relatively) good fun. “Forget your troubles with Harry Potter” is the rule of thumb, and should probably be the tagline.

I suppose I’ll have to read the books if I want to know a bit more than how the characters got from point A to point B.

In the end, I was rather pleased with this film as a closing chapter. Sure, they opened up numerous options for sequels and spin-offs (which I hope will NEVER happen!) in the last 15 mins of the film – but life doesn’t always wrap up neatly, so I can accept that. As far as the series goes, ‘Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ (or ‘Harry Potter 7.2’) is probably my third favourite of the bunch.

As a whole, the series is quite enjoyable. It’s not my favourite series, for sure, but the overall quality is superior to the legendary Star Wars and James Bond series, for instance – which both have their fair share of black eyes along the way. It’s difficult enough putting together a consistent trilogy, let alone a full series as they have done here.

So… well done, Harry Potter! I think this series deserves its success, even if it’s not perfection itself and it will never be considered masterful cinema. As escapist fantasy, it serves its audiences well. Very well indeed.