July 17, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is an epic end to an epic series.


The series has been a part of my life for, golly gee, forever. My first experience with the young wizard happened when I worked at a Borders book store (soon to be defunct, btw). I worked behind the coffee counter making delicious cappuccinos, mochas, lattes, and other posh names for coffee. I had heard of the Harry Potter series but had at that point not read any of them. My manager loved it because it was well written and, let’s be honest, padded the store’s margins quite a bit. So, in the winter of double-oh it was beknownst to all that the fourth Harry Potter book, The Goblet of Fire, was to be released. The store got all geared up, I had to come up with a drink analogous to something called “butterbeer”, and we had to put on silly costumes all in preparation for a midnight sale. I wore a robe which on any other night could easily have been mistaken for a dress. With frills.
Now, let me tell you about midnight sales. Imagine, if you will, a thousand screaming children running mad through a bookstore. Add to that two thousand tired and annoyed parents who for some reason or another decided to attend a midnight book sale. Now, put all those tired and cranky adults in one big, never ending line in front of the barista and you have a recipe for a night which would seem like just another steamy day in the 9th level of hell. After that night, as you might guess, I wanted to find this Harry Potter and wring his scrawny wizarding neck.


The next day, after convincing myself that I really didn’t have severe psychological damage from all the screaming parents and clinically insane children, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Using my ultra-spiffy employee discount I nabbed the first book and started reading. And it was good. Really good. It was a children’s novel, but it was a well written children’s novel. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the plot. Heck, even Ms. Rowling’s writing was pretty good. When I finished the last page I discovered a horrible truth: I had become a Potterhead. I needed to continue on. So the next week I bought and devoured The Chamber of Secrets. The week after that I consumed The Prisoner of Azkhaban. Then, finally, I bought The Goblet of Fire, the simultaneous bane of my existence and unintentional introduction into the world of Hogwarts. The book was magnificent, and I understood why all those screaming, crying hooligans would venture forth to brave darkest night and purchase a book. And I realized that when the inevitable fifth book was released I would be one of those screaming, crying hooligans standing in line at midnight. Most likely wearing what on any other day would be considered a dress. With frills.


Hollywood, never passing up an opportunity to cash in on the latest teen craze, got Chris Columbus of Home Alone fame to direct a movie adaptation of the first book in the series. Everyone had high hopes, and the movie did very well. The casting for the movie seemed like some cosmic miracle, not just because of the wealth of British thespian talent in the films, but because the three child leads seemed almost born for the roles. Daniel Radcliffe was perfect as Harry, Rupert Grint couldn’t be any more Ron Weasely, and Emma Watson was sublimely annoying as Hermione Granger.


The movie adaptation of The Chamber of Secrets was also very successful, utilizing the same style as the first. It was a quirky, fun adventure through the halls of Hogwarts. Then there were rumors that Chris Columbus was leaving the series and the intarwebs cried that it would be the death of Harry Potter, at least on the Big Screen. How wrong they were.


Alfonso Cuaron was brought in to direct the third film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. This act completely changed the tone of the series, and in my opinion, changed it for the better. Where Columbus’ films were a frilly, jaunty ride of magical discovery, Cuaron’s adaptation brought in an atmosphere that was more sinister and artful. The acting by the three leads had solidified into something special. They were no longer children acting as their respective characters, but they had become the characters, and their interactions in the film showed it. Hogwarts became a much darker place. Magic, while still mesmerizing, became something to be feared and respected, not just fanciful tricks. Cuaron’s take on the Potter universe forever darkened the visual representation of Hogwarts. And to this day The Prisoner of Azkaban shows us some of the most amazing visuals, from an artistic perspective.


The remaining movies have had two other directors, each adding their own unique twist to the visual style of the Potterverse, yet still maintaining the slightly sinister edge that Cuaron introduced. Mike Newell helmed The Goblet of Fire, while David Yates took on the remaining films. Yates gave us Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and the two-part The Deathly Hallows. Each successive film delves further into the more sinister side of the Potterverse, relishing in the dark magics of evil, as well as highlighting the triumphs of good (what little there are). The Deathly Hallows Part 1 brought the concept of terror into the films by introducing themes that would have felt right at home during the early 1940s in Germany.  Part 1 is the promise. Part 2 is the delivery. And boy howdy, does it deliver.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (from now on referenced as just ‘Part 2’) opens with the exact same scene Part 1 ended with: Voldemort obtaining the Elder Wand. And then the movie rockets forward. Harry and his squad must infiltrate Gringots, get to Hogwarts, and somehow save the day. That’s the basic plot, and if you’ve read the book then you already know what’s coming. What’s amazing is that all the emotional impact from the book is masterfully carried over into the movie. The greatest example of this can be found in the performance of Calla’s dreamboat Snape. Alan Rickman is nothing short of amazing. He has a little more screen time this go’round and utilizes it to make the audience weep. I’m not saying that I wept. It was more of a slight tearing up. With an accompanying sniffle. Shhhhhhhh.


Mama Weasely has one line, but it’s great. Professor MacGonnigal also gets to strut some stuff eliciting genuine laughter and even some applause. I can’t remember the last time I was in amovie where the audience gave applause in the middle of the film. And it happened several times during this one. Especially for Neville Longbottom. Let’s just say that Neville Longbottom is a beast, and has quite possibly one of the most awesome moments in film history right next to Ellen Ripley’s “Get away from her you bitch!” The movie tries to give that moment to Mama Weasley, but Neville steals it. Like a boss. But, let’s be honest, the real powerhouse is Voldemort.


Voldemort is evil. Psychotic. Menacing. Cruel. And...a little unsure of himself. He knows he has the upper hand, yet somehow, in the back of his mind, he has an inkling that this snot-nosed brat might just, possibly, hand him his ass. Ralph Fiennes has an almost virtuoso performance in Voldemort this time around. There is nuance in his representation, and it’s nothing short of amazing. He will give you chills; all you have to do is look into those cruel, uncaring eyes.


The special effects are superb, though that’s pretty much par for the course for films these days. At least those with financial backing (and not on SyFy, who I am still pissed at for cancelling SGU). What is really great about the visuals of Part 2 is that it no longer feels like a magical adventure, but rather a war movie. The best description I could give would be that it feels very similar to a PG-13 Saving Private Ryan. The camera bounces around like we’re watching a war documentary, spells blast brick and stone like bullets, and the battlefield once known as Hogwarts has some absolutely breathtaking destruction shots. Bravo to the effects team and the art nerds. They earned their money on this one.


Now, I wouldn’t be allowed on the internets if I didn’t at least gripe about something. So there is one thing about this movie I’m going to nitpick, which also happens to be a nitpick I had with the book. Beware Spoilers:


The first has to do with the amount off-screen deaths. In the movie (and the book) many characters who we learned to love over the years just suddenly appear lying dead on the floor. Yes, it’s sad, but it’s also a wasted opportunity. I have no problem with them dying (for story purposes), but missing out on how they died seems to me, at least, robbing them of their character. Taking the opportunity to show how they died, who killed them, what they were doing, etc, should have been available within the purview of the movie. In the book we we’re shackled to Harry’s point-of-view, but the movie does not have those constraints. It would have been a perfect opportunity for at least some commentary on the nasty business of war.


So, to sum up: Part 2 is a satisfying conclusion to the decade-long series of movies. If you are a Potterhead you are going to go see this no matter what. If you haven’t seen Part 1 yet, please see that first, then watch this one. If you have to ask yourself what the hell a ‘Harry Putter’ is, you might have a good time, but you’ll be lost. This one is definitely for the fans, and is a grand send-off for the franchise!



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