Harry Potter 7 Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The End of an Era: Review of the Final Film and a look back 

at the film franchise and beloved characters.

Review by: Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

Well, it is very apropos that I am starting to write this review on Harry James Potter's birthday - July 31st. My obsession all started exactly 10 years years ago in May 2001. I had worked at Borders Bookstore the previous year and gotten a lot of crazy looks from customers who were reserving their copies of the Goblet of Fire and then heard that I had never read Harry Potter. I had to admit that I wasn't the least bit interested in a children's story but I had wondered why all these middle aged adults were so enthusiastic about this book's upcoming release. My curiosity started to peak a year later when I saw the previews for the movie release of The Sorcerer's Stone and when that DVD came out I decided to rent it and see what all the buzz was about. 

My husband refused to watch the movie at first, but fortunately I convinced him to at least start the movie with me and if necessary we could abandon it altogether if it wasn't interesting. Well, as they say "the rest was history." We knew absolutely nothing about the series except that it was about magic. It only took a few minutes to capture us. And by the end of the movie we both looked at each other in amazement and both said "Whoa we have to watch this again." Even though it was 10:30 on a weeknight we started the movie over again and thus started our love for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

We both devoured the first 4 books after this screening. We couldn't get enough. And waiting for the release of the next books was like torture. Looking back on it, it is those midnight book releases that I cherish the most. My husband and I would both buy copies of the books at midnight and read like crazy through the weekend until we finished so that we could discuss the new plot twists and new characters. And we were there at every movie release from then on. 

It's hard to believe it's all come to an end. There was a grieving process for the 7th book, and now I find myself faced with that same grief again with the release of the last movie. It was fitting that my husband and I, along with 2 friends who we had recently convinced to read all 7 books, attended the midnight release of the final installment. We had come full circle. The energy was amazing. To be surrounded by die hard Harry Potter fans of all ages felt right. There were Harry Potter rap battles unfolding in the theater an hour before the movie started. Audience members were dressed up as Draco, Harry and Dobby (who got the most cheers from the crowd). I actually felt out of place as I had not dressed up or brought a wand. But it was truly magical to behold. 

I knew that this would close a chapter in my life that had spanned 10 years and that had consisted of so much joy and excitement. We have read the books many times and watched the movies COUNTLESS times. It seems that a day doesn't go by that we aren't discussing Harry Potter in our house and there is HP memoriabilia in our home theater. You see, these aren't just characters in a book or movie. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are real people to us and Hogwarts Castle is a place we want to visit. I feel certain that if I had children that I would send them acceptance letters to Hogwarts on their 11th birthday. I know sounds crazy, but I'm that entraced by the magic.

As I looked around me at the theater, I realized that with so many teenagers present that this franchise lasted their entire generation. How could anyone just look at this as a movie. Harry Potter represents so much for those of us that have grown with the characters. 

As the movie started, the crowd cheered and applauded. I knew it was going to be one of those premieres where the audience was invested in every moment. When Ron and Hermione kissed and embraced, the crowd oohed and aahed; when Tonks, Remus and Fred died, we wept; and when Mrs. Weasley delivered the best line of the movie (you know which one I mean), the theater erupted. It was one of those nights that I will never forget. 

The only thing missing from this historical night was the butterbeer. HELLO!! Major marketing error here. Do you know how much butterbeer would have been sold had they released it only for this one special night in theaters around the country. Why does Universal Studios only get this special treat? And yes, I have been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and it is amazing to see how realistic everything looks and sounds. I didn't want to leave the castle.

This final film delivered on many accounts including drama, laughs, emotion, grief, and closure. The only criticism that I have of the movie is that it didn't stay completely true to the books. Those of us who know every line had some confused looks on our faces during certain scenes. We get very protective of the original plot and dialogue so it is difficult to see a different adaptation onscreen. Overall though I felt satisfied with this ending. 

My favorite moment I have to say is also my favorite from the final book and that is when it is finally revealed that Severus Snape was looking after Harry all along due to his undying love for Harry's mother, Lily. This, to me, was the most brilliant plot line of the entire series.

For all these years, we have loved to hate Snape but also there have been moments where Snape comes off as very endearing, and the way that JK Rowling turns Snape into an unsung hero at the end is so fitting to the overall message of the series. There are those that have called for protests and boycotts against Harry Potter for being "evil" due to the magical nature of the series and this is very unsettling to me because my first thought when I hear this is that those individuals have never read the books nor seen the movies. If they would take the time to do either, they most likely would have a different perspective. The whole concept of Harry Potter is based upon love and hope. Harry Potter is a brave, courageous and self sacrificing young man who holds the weight of the world on his shoulders and in the end walks into the dark forest to face his terrifying rival ready to die for those that he loves. That moment when he uses the resurrection stone to bring back those that have already past on was one of the most touching for me. Harry is fueled by those that he loves - parents that he never met, a god father that died right after he connected with him and Remus, a mentor and devoted family friend. The fact that he was drawing upon their courage to help him face his own death is so powerful to me. And it is such as tear jerking moment when he says to his mother, "Stay close to me."

I ask myself if those protesters to the story also protest Disney fairy tales. Most of us grew up learning valuable lessons from these same type of fantastical and magical tales. Disney is my favorite place on earth for one reason - magic. Why would we deny anyone from enjoying the whimsy of magical stories. And Harry Potter is the best one of all. He stands for so much of what the world lacks today - compassion, love, honor, loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. 

The only thing that I felt that Rowling missed the boat on was the pairings of the characters. I have always felt that Harry and Hermione had amazing chemistry and I was devastated that they never ended up together. But if she couldn't be with Harry then Ron was the next best person for her. 

One of the best things about this final movie was that all of our favorite characters made appearances even if it was for a few seconds. This was very nostalgic for die hard HP fans like me. We also learned that you don't mess with certain characters like McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley or anyone from the Order of Phoenix. And just like in the books Neville proves to be very courageous and vital at the peak of the fight!!

No matter how powerful Voldemort believes himself to be, he is ultimately defeated in the end, and everyone in the theater cheered and some wept as the long fight that spanned all these years was over in a flash of Harry's wand. 

I can’t review this last movie without paying homage to all the actors and characters from these 8 installments. Watching the actors grow up over the years has been a joy. Most have developed their craft and discovered new levels to their acting.

Casting for these films could not have been more perfect. There have been those that have questioned Daniel Radcliffe as the choice for Harry but he is that character - period! This is obviously the most important role to get right and now it seems hard to even see him as anything other than Harry Potter, which could give him some trouble when it comes to type casting although he is doing his best to choose roles that stray from the squeaky clean persona that has followed him for a decade. Dan has done a superb job at channeling the angst, torment and internal struggle that Harry experiences across the span of the 8 films especially once the story takes him into darker issues around film 5.

Amongst all these dark and heavy issues dealt with in the latter films were moments of humor to lighten the tension. Ron, Fred and George provide much needed comic relief. It’s one of the reasons that Fred’s death in this final film is so tragic.

As much as I LOVE Harry, my favorite character has always been Hermione. Being the academic, know it all myself, I, of course, related to her the most. She is simply the coolest chick in the magical world. Not only does she master every spell and have "Hogwarts: A History" memorized, she can jump in time with her Time Turner.








She is the brainy and logical one that keeps balance between Harry, who is often times impulsive and too much of a risk taker when faced with the pursuit of Voldemort and Horcruxes, and Ron who is absent minded and not as knowledgeable about spells and the magical world. She keeps her cool no matter what the circumstances and she holds their world together when no one else could. Emma Watson is spot-on in her delivery of Hermione’s smart-aleck responses and overzealous academic pursuits.

Snape, played by the wonderful Alan Rickman, adds a mysterious intrigue to the story line. We have always known that there is more going on than meets the eye with his character, but we don’t find out what it is until the very end of the last film. It is such a satisfying plot twist that it may very well be the most brilliant in the whole series.

Dumbledore offers us all a sense of security and safety when he is present. No matter how evil Lord Voldemort is, if Dumbledore is around, it seems like everything will be ok. I do have to admit that I’m partial to the original Dumbledore played by Richard Harris but Michael Gambon did a nice job of taking over and added his own take on the role.

And then there are those dreaded evil Death Eaters that never seem to give up. Draco and Lucius Malfoy come across as the most despicable characters, but don’t we just love how well they can pull off being villains. And Bellatrix Lestrange gives me all the dramatic flare that I crave from a malicious villainess. Helena Bonham Carter plays evil and insane like no other can. She deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of this vicious killer who is always on the edge of insanity – or maybe I should say over the edge of it. I love her crazy laugh and psychotic facial expressions!

Finally, Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is the most terrifying and grotesque character that I could have imagined. His role had to have been the hardest to conceive and to cast but they nailed this one. His nonverbal body language takes his performance to the next level. He never comes across as human, and all of his body twitches and tics make our skin crawl. I love when I’m watching a movie and I can no longer see the actor themselves because they have completely become someone else, and Fiennes does this so successfully.

The changing of directors for each movie or so actually seemed to give this franchise legs. I saw growth with each transition, and a new pair of eyes helps to make adjustments to the films that are necessary for the growth of the films and to allow each installment to delve further into this dark world at the height of the Death Eaters reign. Each movie is so very different from the rest. The only one I don’t really enjoy is Chamber of Secrets because the pace seems too slow and the actor's performance comes off as too unnatural. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were more natural in the first film but I have suspicions that acting coaches were brought in for the 2nd film, and it became too obvious that they were trying too hard. This is another reason I am glad they started switching directors after the 2nd film because the acting got back on track by the 3rd one.

I usually feel that books are always better than movie adaptations, but with this series I can't seem to make myself chose between either the movies or books because I can't imagine one without other. Rather, I feel that they are extensions of each other. This could be because I'm a visual person or because I was introduced to the series by the first movie and not the books. The actors bring JK Rowlings characters and words to life in such a vibrant way that I see the movie scenes and the movie actors in my head as I re-read the books. IF only she would write more books for us to devour. Maybe a prequel to the Sorcerer’s Stone or a new class of Hogwarts students with Hermione and Neville as professors. Anything to keep this magic going!!!

Out of all of the movies I feel that the first one is the most sentimental for me. Who could resist these baby faces? It's what I first fell in love with. The Half Blood Prince seems the most polished and Deathly Hallows (part 1 and 2) both seem to be the most dramatic and epic. Overall, I think films 5 and 6 seem to have the best visual effects. But the best book, in my opinion, is 7, although 6 is a close runner up. Rowling is the genius of our time and thank goodness that she had the image of Harry come to her on that train ride all those years ago.


I’m giving the final film 4 stars out of 5. I’m docking it for cutting scenes and changing plot and dialogue in such a significant way. There were too many times in Deathly Hallows Part 2 when they changed the dialogue or the whole scene to where it left out vital information from the book that could have enhanced the film scenes. Specifically, when Harry visits with Dumbledore in his mind in Kings Cross after he thinks he has died, they left out so much of the explanation given by Dumbledore about what had unfolded in the past years and why Harry had escaped death so many times when he faced Voldemort.

Also I found myself very disappointed in the final fight between Harry and Voldemort because they took out a lot of the exchanges between the two when Harry explains to him why he knows he will defeat Voldemort. This was so suspenseful and satisfying in the book and that is one area where I think they should have stuck with what was written exactly in the book. The book wraps everything up nicely and it would have only added a few more minutes to the final version. I think they could have gotten away with an extended scene there.

I've heard that some viewers thought that they should have cast different actors for the prologue that shows the characters 19 years later, but I strongly disagree. We have been with these actors for 10 years of filming and I felt that we needed to see them onscreen in those final moments. The actors pulled it off brilliantly and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks to all the actors that have portrayed our favorite JK Rowling characters for the past 10 years! It's been a pleasure!

And fitting for this occasion, after the last scene of the film, those audience members at the premiere who brought wands pointed at the screen and in unison proclaimed "Mischief Managed!"