Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2Home and family are some of the most powerful forces in our world, and have been constant themes and sources of strength for Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe); they are extensions of the spirit of love. This is the strength that runs within Harry, as he braces for his final, inevitable confrontation with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). It is a race against time as the place which Harry Potter has called home--his true home--is besieged by an army of Death Eaters, as he searches for the last of the cursed horcruxes, so that he may end this waking nightmare.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is the long awaited conclusion to the Harry Potter series, which debuted its first installment in theaters in ten years prior. It would be no exaggeration to describe such a dedicated continuance of films and story with a consistent cast of actors as ambitious. This is a series of films in which we see the children depicted within it actually grow up into adults, and this makes the trial they must endure as they defend their beloved institution from destruction all the more poignant. The Harry Potter craze which dominated theaters and bookstores for a decade did so because the audience could feel included in the events, not just as observers, but as somebody who could identify with the more grounded troubles facing these kids--who hasn't had to deal with a bully or suffer the consequences for skipping out on studying for a big exam? It means that when these characters--these people--who we get to know like friends are beset by overwhelming forces, the tension is sharper, the concern is more powerful. What the students of Hogwarts face is no less than death and subjugation at the hands of a malevolent monster--but every monster has a weakness, and Harry Potter races desperately to uncover his secret to his malignant immortality. As the battle rages, with all hands on deck to defend not just the stone and mortar of the school, but more importantly those inside, Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) chase these dark relics, inadvertently revealing their efforts to Voldemort, courtesy of Harry's psychic link to the dark lord. What follows is a game of cat and mouse, as Harry must discover a way to eliminate these anchors to Voldemort's unholy tenure on life, without giving his plans away in the process. As Harry discovers, he has not been alone in the underground movement to destroy Voldemort, with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) having laid even more contingencies in place prior to his death, revealed at key moments in the film, if sometimes too late for Harry to overturn.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 also concerns itself with the eponymous "Deathly Hallows", a tripartite group of magical items, which are reputed to grant the wielder command over death itself. It is a large-scale "MacGuffin", which is in keeping with many of the preceding entries into the series, where uniquely powerful items prove essential in some capacity to the story. But what is ironic here is that while Harry Potter has found the benefit in the applications of such items, he himself is hardly interested in the power which accompanies them. The key differences between Voldemort and Harry--between good and evil--are represented in both the similarities and the differences between these two wizards. Both are orphans; but while Harry had sought--and found--fellowship with his classmates and mentors, Voldemort sought only a means to his own glorification. Voldemort/Tom Riddle was no friend to anyone, merely using those who would be able to lift him aloft; Harry Potter may not have always agreed with his friends or teachers, but showed generosity and fairness to them--even when some may not have deserved it--and was repaid in kind. Voldemort took his home for granted, merely to be a dwelling in which he could acquire knowledge of the dark arts; Harry understood the value of home, and the family within, having lost his so many years ago. Voldemort pursues objects like the "Elder Wand", because it is powerful, and he expects it will make him stronger; but what Harry Potter shows is that while he may require the use of objects in his quest to destroy the horcruxes, he is not bound by them, not owned by the power they promise, because he learns that the power they seem to possess pales compared to the love he has known. There is no shortage of reveals and tying up of loose ends, as befits the conclusion of any series, and many moments prove to be of bittersweet enlightenment for Harry, learning so much more about those who he only thought he knew, and those whom he has had to say goodbye to on the way. This final part in the Harry Potter series may be the shortest entry by length, but it is packed with intense action sequences, which resembles a war movie, save for the giants and animated statues, not to mention the volleys of spells cast across the battlefield which Hogwarts has become. As a result of the decidedly lethal conflict which rages--a true wizards battle--there are casualties, those who have sacrificed in the name of what they hold to be good and true, and those they seek to defend. And this underscores one more key difference between Voldemort and Harry Potter--the deciding factor in their final confrontation: Voldemort has crafted the horcruxes because he ultimately fears death; Harry Potter comes to accept death--as in the "Tale of the Three Brothers" regarding The Deathly Hallows--because death has meaning, because he has truly come to understand the value of life, something Voldemort cannot know, because he cannot understand what makes life important...love.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting and bold conclusion to a series which has been a part of the cinema scene for ten years, for those who have loved watching these characters learn and grow in their time through adolescence. And if somehow, you happen to be reading this and have not seen the prior films, well, make it a point to start your lessons from the beginning of the Harry Potter series.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 also concerns itself with the eponymous "Deathly Hallows", a tripartite group of magical items, which are reputed to grant the wielder command over death itself. It is a large-scale "MacGuffin", which is in keeping with many of the preceding entries into the series, where uniquely powerful items prove essential in some capacity to the story. But what is ironic here is that while Harry Potter has found the benefit in the applications of such items, he himself is hardly interested in the power which accompanies them. The key differences between Voldemort and Harry--between good and evil--are represented in both the similarities and the differences between these two wizards. Both are orphans; but while Harry had sought--and found--fellowship with his classmates and mentors, Voldemort sought only a means to his own glorification. Voldemort/Tom Riddle was no friend to anyone, merely using those who would be able to lift him aloft; Harry Potter may not have always agreed with his friends or teachers, but showed generosity and fairness to them--even when some may not have deserved it--and was repaid in kind. Voldemort took his home for granted, merely to be a dwelling in which he could acquire knowledge of the dark arts; Harry understood the value of home, and the family within, having lost his so many years ago. Voldemort pursues objects like the "Elder Wand", because it is powerful, and he expects it will make him stronger; but what Harry Potter shows is that while he may require the use of objects in his quest to destroy the horcruxes, he is not bound by them, not owned by the power they promise, because he learns that the power they seem to possess pales compared to the love he has known. There is no shortage of reveals and tying up of loose ends, as befits the conclusion of any series, and many moments prove to be of bittersweet enlightenment for Harry, learning so much more about those who he only thought he knew, and those whom he has had to say goodbye to on the way. This final part in the Harry Potter series may be the shortest entry by length, but it is packed with intense action sequences, which resembles a war movie, save for the giants and animated statues, not to mention the volleys of spells cast across the battlefield which Hogwarts has become. As a result of the decidedly lethal conflict which rages--a true wizards battle--there are casualties, those who have sacrificed in the name of what they hold to be good and true, and those they seek to defend. And this underscores one more key difference between Voldemort and Harry Potter--the deciding factor in their final confrontation: Voldemort has crafted the horcruxes because he ultimately fears death; Harry Potter comes to accept death--as in the "Tale of the Three Brothers" regarding The Deathly Hallows--because death has meaning, because he has truly come to understand the value of life, something Voldemort cannot know, because he cannot understand what makes life important...love.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting and bold conclusion to a series which has been a part of the cinema scene for ten years, for those who have loved watching these characters learn and grow in their time through adolescence. And if somehow, you happen to be reading this and have not seen the prior films, well, make it a point to start your lessons from the beginning of the Harry Potter series.