Film Revisitations: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (2011)

When it was announced that the final instalment of the multi-billion dollar franchise Harry Potter was going to be split into two separate pictures back in 2008, the factor of it being one of the first major films of the modern era to split its material into multiple films raised the eyebrows of everyone everywhere. Sure, due to the continued strength of the franchise since both the first book's publication back in 1997 and the release of the first feature back in 2001 it made sense from the standpoint of fans – why not celebrate the finale as though it was like a TV series  - but as a concept that had rarely worked outside of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill volumes. Add a first half which was slow on action and trudged across its 150 minute runtime with camping adventures and the occasional giant snake and wasn't that well-received and reports of dodgy post-production 3D effects which made the film practically invisible. But fast-forward to today, where it now only broke records for the biggest opening weekend of all time in the US (later beaten by Marvel's Avengers Assemble, Iron Man 3, Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World) but also at point the third highest-grossing movie of all time. Of course, these days that doesn't mean all that much when even the Minions can crack into the $1bn club, but I digress; Deathly Hallows Part Two was an event movie which not only defined a generation, but also paved the way for the future of filmmaking, with the Divergent and Hunger Games franchises following in the same path by splitting their finale while Marvel and DC are separating their next big team-up movies. And with the franchise far from dead thanks to upcoming spin-off prequel Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, why not revisit the franchise from its finishing point?

Following swiftly on from the events of the previous film, and Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively) are continuing on their quest to find what remains of He Who Must Not Be Named's (a.k.a Ralph Fiennes' Lord Voldemort) Horcruxes – a selection of objects and beings which withhold a piece of the person's soul, with a heist into major bank Gringotts and a return to their second home Hogwarts, which is now overrun by Death Eaters and Dementors following the murder of previous headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) under the hand of the untrustworthy Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) who now seizes control. From there, a huge battle begins, with the students and alumni of Hogwarts fighting to protect not only their freedom but Harry against Voldemort and his Death Eater army, alongside the numerous creatures that he has under his wing. Can the Golden Trio destroy all the Horcruxes and be ridden of Voldemort forever without too many casualties? 

As an eighth instalment to a continuous and long-running franchise, Deathly Hallows Part Two thankfully doesn't suffer any of the drawbacks most franchises that reach that point do, including possibly alienating any new viewers who wish to see the big event film of summer 2011. You don't necessarily need to know who Griphook (Warwick Davis) is to get into the Gringotts break-in segment, nor have a large understanding of the Room of Requirement. And while there are still plenty of easter eggs and in-jokes present throughout for the die-hard fan, they're mostly obscure enough to not bother any newbies, as the plot surrounding it is also a strong one. Never faltering but always leaving enough breathing room for the audience to catch up, it emasculates its predecessor in terms of quality just by having so much more in it despite having a large proportion of it dedicated to a war – albeit somewhat sidelined to the main quest. That does also mean that some of the core characters are sadly diminished in screentime even if they don't inevitably die, but otherwise it would become somewhat bloated and audiences would get a tad bored by it. But thankfully, the film doesn't and therefore it stands tall. 

The great thing about this film is that there isn't a single bad performance involved. Certainly, some actors are underused and only appear for the sake of closing the franchise off (notable mentions here include Jim Broadbent and Robbie Coltrane), but in a film so filled with story and focus it does make sense. And they do leave some breathing room for some characters who deserve attention such as the Malfoys (Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs and Helen McCrory) alongside some space for new characters such as Kelly Macdonald as one of the House ghosts. Yes, underused actors are everywhere in this film, but the ones that are allowed some breathing room are thankfully well into their roles by this point, with notable standouts being Radcliffe, Rickman and Fiennes – once you get past his reoccurring screams. 

There's very little to really comment about when it comes to the final film that hasn't been said by the millions who saw it back in 2011 – it's a strong conclusion to a franchise that despite its occasional bumps in the road never really faltered. With a plot open to any audience despite its status as the second half of a previous film, a strong batch of actors and some great visuals by both David Yates and the FX team, you have a great conclusion which, while does sometimes leave some disappointed (especially with the prologue), makes you satisfied that you stuck with the franchise over the course of a decade. 9/10