Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Movie-Only Edition) [Blu-
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Movie-Only Edition) [Blu-ray]
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. The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the film all Harry Potter fans have waited 10 years to see, and the good news is that it’s worth the hype–visually stunning, action packed, fa
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Paul Campbell
22 Oct, 2011
And So It Ends: a look back at why Potter matters,
When all is said and done – when the eye candy special effects of Quidditch matches and fantastical creatures has been superseded by advances in technology in Hollywood blockbusters yet to come – it is the little moments that this viewer and his wife will return to.
When a friend one time bemoaned the fact that `Half-Blood Prince’ gets bogged down in pointless hormonal teen-angst instead of getting on with the story, I smiled… and shook my head.
No, I said, that IS the story and it’s what I love about the Harry Potter series: it never loses track of the characters. It never forgets that, when viewed as a whole, these eight movies are a story of growing up, of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Of love and friendship and death. Because without those little funny and touching moments between the characters – if all you want is for the movies to rush from one plot element to another – then all you’re left with is plot… and no story. Remember: plot is what happens TO the characters; story is what happens AS A RESULT of the characters.
That’s the real gorgeous beauty of these movies, and it’s what will bring viewers back repeatedly to their DVD shelves. As Frodo said to Sam in `The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’: “What are we fighting for Sam?” “That’s there’s still some good in this world,” Sam replies, “and that it’s worth fighting for.”
That’s why you need those little indulgent moments, because without them it’s just razzle-dazzle special effects and set-pieces. Harry and Ginny’s first kiss: they’re in the Room of Requirement and Ginny tells Harry to close his eyes while she hides Professor Snape’s copy of Advanced Potion Making. And before Harry opens his eyes Ginny leans forward, kisses him and whispers, “That can stay hidden up here too, if you like.” That, my fellow Muggles, is pure movie gold. That’s what the characters are fighting for. Love. Yes, the PLOT concerns itself with good triumphing over evil, but that only comes to pass as a result of the STORY which is about friendship. Because that is something worth fighting for.
It’s why the film adaptation of Philip Pullman’s astonishing trilogy, `His Dark Materials’, is an utter failure: `The Golden Compass’ movie rushes from one plot element to another: and THEN we go here, and THEN we go there. Never slowing down to allow the characters TO BE characters. What are they fighting for? Well, nothing the viewer could care less about…
Ultimately, all of this success comes about because of the brilliant way in which the author J.K. Rowling has constructed her seven-volume storyline. See, `The Chronicles of Narnia’ are good – very good – but in the end don’t quite fully succeed, and this is because the author, C.S. Lewis, had never envisioned them as a series: `The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ was originally intended by the writer to be a one off. As thoroughly enjoyable as the three Narnia movies are, there is no through-story like Rowling’s Harry-Voldermort. Indeed, over the course of the three Narnia movies even some of the Pevensie children themselves become side characters. And although that was entirely the point – part of the plot – in the end it harms the story. It dilutes what the characters are fighting for. It weakens its forcus.
Look at the Harry Potter series: viewed in hindsight it’s not just the story of teenage friendships, for it also presents an astounding portrayal of one man coming to be viewed in the end entirely differently by the viewer. Professor Snape. What an astonishing character arc – and yet Rowling had it all there, right from the beginning: Snape using a counter-curse against Professor Quirrell to save Harry during the first movie’s Quidditch match. Wait, isn’t Snape the bad guy?! We’re made to wonder, right from that first movie all the way through to the revelations of the eighth. `Narnia’ has nothing on that. It’s clear that Rowling has thought her seven-volume story through like a military operation: the first four books may have come out only a year apart, but the author had begun planning them seven years before the first one was ever published.
And the friendships, that’s all there too. Look at the Ron-Hermione moments seeded throughout the entire movie series. Harry and Hermione are just good friends, thus all the unself-conscious hugs she gives him. Yet there is a physical tension – a conscious awareness of each other – between her and Ron. At the end of `Chamber of Secrets’ Hermione flings her arms around Harry… but, both of them equally awkward and embarrassed, Ron and Hermione only shake hands. In `Prisoner of Askaban’ during Hagrid’s first lesson with Harry cautiously approaching Buckbeak, Herminone grabs Ron’s hand, before quickly letting go, both of them looking around uncomfortably. All, finally, converging in Hermione’s emotional outburst at the end of the Yule Ball in `Goblet of…
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|Russ Nickel
22 Oct, 2011
A Perfect Ending!,
In this superb conclusion to the tale we’ve been following for over a decade, the intrepid Harry Potter finds that only by satisfying his hankering for Horcruxes can he hope to defeat the dark lord. Most of the film is spent following his search for these last few objects, and what could have been a tedious series of fetch quests is kept from falling into the realms of boredom by a sense of pacing so perfect the future film student in me started taking notes. Admittedly, my last movie experience was Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a “film” with such atrociously jarring momentum that I nearly disgorged my five dollar hot dog (but five dollars is five dollars, so I willed it down). Even though anything will seem well-paced by comparison, I haven’t been so blown away by such artful interweaving of action and calm, fear and love, and an ensemble cast, since, well, ever.
[Warning: Contains SPOILERS!]
The most powerful example of this is when Harry ends up alone in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the giant showdown between good and evil. After seeing young students cut down by death eaters as they tried to hold their own in a war that was far beyond them, after witnessing stone statues come to life and make battle with club-wielding giants, after bridges burn, forcefields collapse, and spirits break, after dementors are driven off by those who refuse to relinquish their hope, we find ourselves in a clearing of silence.
Turning the resurrection stone in hand, Harry is suddenly accompanied by the ghosts of those he cares most deeply for: Sirius, Lupin, and his parents. Their undying love for him brought tears to my eyes, for it is a love that continued into the afterlife not thanks to some magic, but because all those who have left us live on in our hearts. The writing was beautiful, the acting sublime. The calm in the center of the storm, this one scene is a masterpiece of pacing.
The rest of the storm was nothing to shake a stick at either, not that shaking a stick at a storm is really that common of an activity. In fact, I’m not sure that it would accomplish much of anything, unless the stick is a wand and you have control over the weather. Then it would definitely help. Anyway, the point of all this is to say that, while the emotional punch packed by Deathly Hallows Part 2 is nothing to shake a wand at, the visuals are equally impressive.
For instance, cast your imagination gaze on Gringotts. Its labyrinthine rollercoaster-tangle transportation system is a wild ride that puts every Six Flags everywhere to shame, especially since it ends with a dragon. Now, a lot of movies have done dragons (Harry Potter included), but this was potentially my favorite CGI beastie ever (don’t worry, Toothless. No one can replace you). The dragon was not a glorious mount of yore, but rather an emaciated, abject figure, trapped underground for his natural life, chains cutting into his majesty and leaving nothing but raw, bloody hopelessness. The creature instantly evokes overwhelming pity, something I’ve rarely witnessed from CGI.
Dragons are basically my favorite, but if there’s one thing I love more, it’s love itself. We all knew the Ron Hermione romance was going to come to a head. The only question was, after so many years of buildup, could the climax do it justice? I, for one, say that nothing has ever been more just. You know that moment in truth or dare when someone asks you your most seductive fantasy and you finally let spill the secret you’ve never told anyone? You launch into graphic detail, explaining that it’s all about thrusting your basilisk fang into a goblet-shaped Horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets while under attack from a giant watery snake that eventually comes crashes over you? We’ve all been there. Everybody gives you these weird looks, as if that’s somehow not the hottest thing ever. Ron and Hermione certainly thought it was, because they immediately launch into a passionate kiss that had the theater cheering up a storm.
Perhaps the most beautiful scene is the one bathed all in white. Halfway between life and death, Harry finds himself in King’s Cross Station, his own personal limbo. There, the sage and mysterious Dumbledore delivers some of the most compelling wisdom in years of cinema. The English major in me rejoiced when such a beloved figure told us that words are the most powerful magic, able to do great harm but also to heal. I’m using words right now, and man do I feel mighty. And when Harry asked “Is this all just in my head or is it real?” and Dumbledore responded with “Of course it’s in your head, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.” Gah! So sagacious!
But enough nonsensical gushing. As perfect as this movie was (and it was), there were still a few things that I would’ve done differently. The whole series is about the battle between Harry and Voldemort; this is a showdown ten years in the making, and I…
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|Brian Nallick "METALMANMN"
22 Oct, 2011
A Spectacular Finale.,
I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t lol.
I’ve been with the Potter series since someone (I can’t remember who) told me to watch “Sorcerer’s Stone”. I loved it. I watched “Chamber” as soon as it came out and loved that also.
Then came the books and there you go…another devoted Potter fanatic.
And we come at last to the final movie…(sniffle).
The good?
Everything….everything that really mattered from the last half of the book was included.
An amazing translation.
Beautiful direction.
FX are amazing.
The score is gorgeous.
My only advice is bring tissue…there was a lot of crying going on around me and I had to bite my bottom lip REALLY hard in a few parts to keep my own tears in check.
Any complaints?
Yes…it’s over.
It was a brilliant movie, the perfect send off but I’m already sad.
It’s such a rich and wonderful universe I don’t want it to end.
I really hope JK decides to revisit this world again some day.
All in all….genius.
If you’re new to the Potter world this probably isn’t the place to start, start with the first one and work your way up, you’ll be so happy you did.
And lastly,
It’s been a joy and a pleasure to see these actors grow up right before our eyes.
They’ve all turned into fine actors and I wish them the best in the future no matter what they decide to pursue.
I think like a lot of you I’ll be doing a Potter marathon this weekend.
Oh and I saw it in 2d not 3D and the 2d was still amazing.
Highest recommendations.
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