Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Back in December, I reviewed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One, the film which was half a book and thus, half a movie. And now, the other half, Deathly Hallows: Part Two, is finally here.

It's all a straightforward plot this time. Evil Voldemort's taken over Hogwarts and can only be killed if the Horcruxes containing his soul are destroyed. Intrepid boy hero Harry and his friends set out to do just that. Things change for the heroes once they find out who the last Horcrux is. Oh yeah, and a lot of people bite it.

This last Potter is presented in optional 3D showings, the kind that Part One was supposed to get before Warner Bros. bailed. And that's all I'm going to say about it.

What I am going to say more about is what Director David Yates, and the cast and crew mostly first assembled by Chris Columbus have done now. They've just made the split-up of the last book very much worth it.

Easily the shortest of the franchise, the film devotes much of its time to battle scenes. These scenes are aided by great visual effects depicting such aspects as magic spells, giant trolls and even Voldemort's face. In fact, I'm forced to consider the last mentioned as the best effect because it's the least obvious.

There's much fun to be had from seeing the cast at work. The who's who of British cinema are fun to watch, as are the younger actors first made famous by this franchise. They know what to do with their characters and seeing them together on screen makes it all the more fulfilling.

The end result is that the film is thrilling, amusing and moving at once. And it makes it all the more satisfying to see good triumph over evil on screen.

The End.

Jethro's Note: Rather than put makeup on actor Ralph Fienne's face, his face is sculpted into Voldemort's on the computer.