Eric's Movie Bin: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
by Eric Naud,
August 11, 2011, page 7.....

All good things must come to an end, and, sadly, the groundbreaking Harry Potter series must come to its inevitable conclusion. For the film adaptation of the final chapter, the book was split into two movies, with Part 2 now out in theaters. It begins where Part 1 left off, with Harry and his friends at the Shell Cottage recovering from the death of the heroic house elf, Dobby. Now they have to resume their quest to destroy the three remaining Horocruxes, artifacts that give Voldemort immortality. The search takes them from Gringrotts Wizarding Bank (a location not seen since the first movie, The Sorcerer’s Stone, ten years ago) to Hogwarts, now run by Professor Snape. It is there that the ultimate final battle between Harry and Voldemort will take place.
While the movie was good, I was disappointed that some of the best phrases from the book didn’t make it to the film, especially from the final battle. For example, I was hoping for Harry to give Voldemort the scolding when he tells him, “You don’t learn from your mistakes,” a great scene in the book. However, the good stuff far outweighs the bad parts of the film, especially if you look at the main actors. They were only kids when they started, untrained and raw; now they are adults, truly acting. Some of the most memorable scenes are when Harry looks into Snape’s memories and sees that he was a childhood friend to his mother, showing Snape’s true side. This, along with the scenes of Harry, now knowing what he must do to defeat Voldemort, encountering the spirits of his deceased parents, and of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) are very emotional, and I heard people actually crying in the latter scene.
As for the movie itself, it proves to be a satisfying ending, especially when (Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read the books!!) Harry and his dear friends have all grown up, and their kids are going off to Hogwarts. For this scene, composer Alexandre Despalt could have ended on a quieter note, which I was expecting. Instead, he provides a rising crescendo, which provides an excellent alternative. The final moments of score bring to mind the curtains of a play closing, and the audience applauds.
The audience actually did applaud at my screening. How about that?

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 4