Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review

• 13th Jul 2011

‘The wand chooses the wizard’ and our wizard, Harry Potter, finally chose to accept and fulfil his well hidden destiny known only to Dumbledore and a surprisingly warm-hearted Severus despite the mortal finality such decision entailed.

Following eight films and a gradual build-up leading towards the most satisfying yet- necessary ending of the longest and probably most profitable franchise bearing the Harry Potter brand, it is almost certain that dedicated fans of the Potter series will find it a well deserving epic closure.

The ‘epic’ element constantly surrounding all those little battles between Harry-loyals and Voldemort-loyals, in and around Hogwarts until the theatre stage is set for the last encounter between Harry and Voldemort, which seems to end the ‘war’, is fairly reminiscent of other epic final countdowns – namely Tolkien’s The Return of the King. Yet the young and undisciplined crowd of Voldermort’s wiz-bandits surging in myriads from the dark forest aiming to bring Hogwarts down with their equally bandit-like-behaving wands, reminds us more of those equally ‘epic’ yet super-natural ‘final’ scenes of the X-Men: Last Stand.

Of course it ends well despite the overwhelming amount of spoilers regarding the finality of the Harry Potter series and most importantly, the finite nature of Harry himself which constantly remind the viewer that this time it is a serious business for Harry.

The regular flow of Harry’s intuitive twists and snapshots from an incongruous future attributed to his ‘hidden’ connection with Voldermort constitutes an interesting touch from the director, David Yates, and probably a pleasant misuse of spoilers.

In contrast to other Harry Potter series, Part 2 actually manages to keep the viewer at the edge of the seat all the way towards the end despite the incessant feeling that a happy ending, even a ‘final’ ending, is lurking from the beginning of the film. An abundant usage of almost climactic statements from Ron, Hermione and Harry’s friends such as ‘Potter stands no chance!’ or ‘it is a suicide mission!’ precludes the viewer from having a doubt that actually things might go wrong for Harry and the rest of the benevolent magic world, through that incessant eagerness to bombard with more bad news pertaining to Harry’s ultimate mission. It’s almost too bad to be true!

On a more positive note, a fundamental element distinguishing the last Harry Potter from any other episodes is the discourse on ‘finality’ and the experience of death. Harry Potter has grown up and has come to realise that even in a world where wands have feelings and ‘horcruxes’ carry souls, his special wizard status cannot defy Death – Harry can ‘End’ as well. The existential conversation between Harry and Dumbledore in a ‘much cleaner’ King’s Cross railway station and Harry’s mortal questions as to how it feels or what it means to die, is almost a breakthrough in the series.

It aspires towards that qualitative grand finale by placing on an equal conclusive footing real life and the last Harry Potter film featuring as another self-reflective film-thinking in its own right which encapsulates and externalises its underpinning theme through Harry’s agonising interrogation of his ‘End’ and Dumbledore’s words: ‘Pity those who live without love’!

Notwithstanding the Ron-Hermione and Harry-Ginny romantic encounters in the most surprising and action-loaded moments, it is no wonder that after all what remains and makes sense to our almost existential protagonists, is the act of loving and being willing to love. ‘Magic’ and real world are mingled more than ever – Dumbledore responds to Harry when the latter asks how he knows that what he experiences in his near-death condition is not an illusion by stating that ‘If it’s happening in your head, it doesn’t mean it’s not real’!

The final Harry Potter film was the first of the series to make the viewer engage more meaningfully with its real ‘magic’.

Despina Dokoupilova