“Unprecedented” and “epic.” Terms that are attributed far too casually in today’s pop culture but remain the embodiment of what the tale of “the boy who lived” has accomplished over the past decade. But no matter how amazing, how grand or at what heights a saga can climb, it will only ever be as strong as its climatic conclusion. This is the heavy burden carried by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.Resuming very near the instant where Deathly Hallows Part 1 closed, Harry, Hermione and Ron continue on their mission to destroy the remaining horcruxes of Lord Voldemort in an effort to make him vulnerable. With very little to go on and still piecing together the significance of the Deathly Hallows, the trio make their way back to Hogwarts to confront the now Headmaster Snape and take back the school. With each horcrux Harry destroys, Voldemort becomes more unhinged and he sets out to kill Harry once and for all.
Director David Yates (Deathly Hallows Part 1, Half-Blood Prince, Order of the Phoenix) masterfully and slowly gradients his way out from the jarring, ominous tone he set in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Largely due to the main three characters emerging from their seclusion and the reappearance of the very important supporting cast, including the Hogwarts School itself. Even in its dark state, seeing the school again was extremely comforting after the manic transgressions of Deathly Hallows Part 1. Which may be where some reviews of “Part 1” were slightly short sighted, present writer slightly culpable. The exclusion of Harry from his friends, teachers and the school in “Part 1” is an integral component of what makes “Part 2” so powerful, but even more important, it may be the key to fully understanding one of the dullest, interesting, vanilla, complex characters ever created, Harry Potter himself.
I’m going to break my own rule of not writing in the first person for this review. Much like a narrator in a film like The Shawshank Redemption or Fight Club, the tactic only works if it truly adds depth and meaning that could not be achieved otherwise. I feel the need for this because I now believe that I have been something that I definitely do not like to admit being. That thing would be “wrong.” I’ve been wrong about the character of Harry Potter for seven films. I’ve had expectations that I had no right to presume, I’ve been advocating and petitioning for this character to act in a way he was never meant to act. I was not alone in my frustrations, and I take zero responsibility, no way, of course not. I was tricked, bamboozled, run amuck, led astray. I didn’t land on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts landed on me! The realization that I’ve been so wrong is what sets the Potter "chosen one" saga apart from all others. Not because I’m a “know it all,” although that accusation has been cast my way more than a few times, but because being wrong about Harry, putting pressure on him, waiting for him to do something that is completely beyond his abilities, is exactly what the character feels in the story. I’m just another outsider, thinking this boy is “the chosen one,” waiting for his legend to come to fruition and defeat an all-powerful dark lord. Harry Potter is not Neo nor is he Luke Skywalker. He is simply a boy who was born into an impossible situation, trying to save the world even though he has no business doing so. This is not to say Harry does not have special abilities above all others as it becomes quite clear in this film why he has been so often compared to his mother Lily throughout the series.
Aside from the great storytelling, witty dialogue, and perfect chemistry you’d expect from actors that have been on the same job together for a decade, there are two standout performances in this finale. No, it’s not the nervous courage of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry or the immersive hopelessness once again perfected by Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, this time around its Rupert Grint’s Ron and Alan Rickman’s Snape who exhibit the welcome evolution of a stronger and a vulnerable side respectively at symphonic moments in the story arc.
Deathly Hallows Part 2 also embraces a much grander Return of the King or Return of the Jedi experience, but makes sure to still spotlight smaller characters, which are so important to the drive behind Harry’s purpose. A good portion of the plot focuses on revealing the answers to many of the questions that fans who have only seen the films have had for many years, but the script is able to incorporate them into the story naturally to avoid feelling like a Wizarding World version of "This Is Your Life." Readers of the books, who will undoubtedly tell you every single thing that was left out or changed whether you elicit the information from them or not, should also be very fulfilled. Of course that’s taking into account they have enough inherent logic to comprehend if the films were a direct transcript of the books, we would still be awaiting the release of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Part 3”
So with the triumph of Deathly Hallows Part 2, the question can finally be seriously debated, is the "Harry Potter Saga" the greatest film franchise of all time? Perhaps, perhaps not. It’s not really a question that would have had a definite answer whether this film emulated The Empire Strikes Back or Howard The Duck. The real achievement is that the franchise is now in the argument. Although, during such discussions an ironic parallel will undoubtedly and maybe even unknowingly be drawn to its title character. Against titans like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Rocky, and The Godfather, advocates of Harry Potter will shout at the top of their lungs that it is easily the greatest film saga of all time and cannot be defeated. Detractors will claim the “Potter” films have no business being uttered in the same breath as those franchises. Others may even placate that they are greatly misunderstood, or say that they had so much potential to be greater than they are.
Before this film, if I had heard an argument such as that I would have aligned myself with one of those facets and fought for it vehemently. Now I would simply say . . .
Brilliant.
Story: 8.0
Acting: 8.5
Writing: 8.0
Captivation: 8.5
Replay Value: 8.5
Total = 8.3 out of 10
