As someone who hasn't ever really been drawn in by the whole Harry Potter craze I am actually delighted to report that I greatly enjoyed this one.
I don't know how to possibly elaborate on the plot beyond what ninety percent of the earth already knows. Certainly all the people who read this blog know the storyline so I'm not going to tell you about the plot. Besides, I just returned from short term disability and am feeling kind lazy so I'm just going to give my review.
The film is a highly satisfying conclusion for both fanatics as well as the casual observer. Every question one might have wondered previously is answered. Especially for the Potter-illiterate individuals like myself who haven't read the books. So for all six of you out there don't worry it makes sense. One of my biggest criticisms for the first part of the finale was that there was too much that I had to have explained by an expert. Anyway there are many good things about the film and, regrettably one bad thing. The best thing is the performance by Alan Rickman. As Severus Snape he is powerful, complex and most of all captivating. I found myself completely drawn in and moved by his performance in a way I did not expect. His first scene features him atop a tower looking out at the landscape. Talk about a face saying a thousand words. In that one shot everything about his character makes sense. This is furthered later on when we see a long montage covering events in the last seven films. This sequence is not as drawn out as it could have been but lingers just the right amount of time in the film.
There are other great things like the final battle between the good guys and the bad guys. I'm not sure what those magic beams were made of but they do look incredibly painful and the film was not unnecessarily loud or overrun with over the top visual effects. Michael Bay should take notes on how it's done.
My earlier statement about the one bad thing does not happen until the end. After the climax of the film we fade to black and then see a title saying "19 Years Later". All the kids are now in their thirties and have their own kids who they are sending off to school. This epilogue could have been axed and I would be able to give the film four stars but it's there and I can't. Everyone ends up with who you'd expect and have 1-3 children. This Disneyish-everybody-gets-what-they-wish-for-happy-ending cheapens the whole thing for me. It completely feels tacked on and in my opinion, insults the audience. I've been told that it's in the book but that doesn't mean it had to be in the movie. I would have been happy without it.
Still I am overall praising the film's brilliant use of sets, costumes, special effects and in particular Alan Rickman's performance.
★★★1/2
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