The wait seems to have been well worth it, as second part of the Deathly Hallows did not disappoint!
After really liking the first part of this film, I wasn’t truly eager until this weekend. If it hadn’t been for my job, the clan would have been there Saturday morning for the first showing. Sadly we had to wait until Sunday afternoon.
Was this part better than the first? Well yes it was. The first film (my take here Deathly Hallows part 1) was dark, more mature and a great building block for the second part. Now the second part is just as gloomy (for a long bit), a bit more intense, just as if not more mature themed and not lacking in great moments. It is a 125 minute movie, but it clips along fairly well. It didn’t seem like two hours once the dust settled.
The events in Deathly Hallows 2 are so much better than part 1 and I loved part 1. In part two we have; the “trio’s” race to destroy the remaining horcurxes/ Voldemort before he can stop them, also Voldemort now has his ultimate weapon to vanquish Harry Potter, Hogworts is a school turned internment camp under Snape and something has to be done there, and then there is this little wizard battle thing that happens. Well there is a little more to it than this, but that was just a quick overview.
The battle at Hogworts is pretty stellar. It is like the Normandy sequence from Private Ryan, but only PG-13 and with wizards. Seriously there is just as many explosions, slow motion shots, deaths, bodies flying around and those moments that make your mouth drop (or in my case giggle like a school girl). There is also the behind the scenes stuff going on during this fight that is very story important and pretty damn cool. This was probably my favorite bit of the film. I mean who doesn’t like a giant running wizard battle, giants spiders, stone statue warriors, giant animal shaped fires, a werewolf/ animagus nom-nom-noming on teenagers, a hefty death toll (including some larger characters that surprised us and made Manders tear-up) and big plot points all revealed during this battle sequence. Seriously my favorite moments are all within this giant sequence.
We also have our now properly grizzled hero (every hero must have proper facial stubble before the finale or it just isn’t right) ready to face down the best villain of the last decade (if not the last two). Seriously, Voldemort is just a great bad guy. He is what chaotic evil D&D characters should strive be. He is strong when he has the upper hand, and more than happy to flee if he thinks the advantage is lost. He also goes through lackeys like tissue paper either to prove a point to as means to an end. Plus he is trying to murder a kid. Once again that is pretty damned evil. Anyway, back on track, did the confrontation live up to the hype? Yeah it did. I’m sure there was more to it in the books, but it was suitable for me. I don’t think they needed a lengthy lightsaber-esqe duel. It was long enough to enthrall by not too long to bore. It was Goldilocks, just right.
Hell there was even a proper dragon in the film. The sequence with that even warmed the last remaining cockle of my heart. The release of the C.G.I. creature from captivity made me all warm and fuzzy inside for some reason. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the fact I had seen one of those Humane Society/ A.S.P.C.A. Sarah McLachlan commercials before we left for the show. Anyway, anytime there is a proper dragon in a film it is a plus in my book.
With the end of this film I can maybe, in ten years, look to read these books. All the hype will have gone away. There will have been a dozen or so “must read” series and I’ll probably have forgotten most of the events (due to my advanced age) by then. If anything maybe, just maybe Hollywood will take notice of how a multiple part series can be made and made well. As I said in the previous Deathy Hallows review, this series gets better and better with each movie. So far there hasn’t been a series of movies like it (well the newest Batman series has potential). I’m glad my son talked (asked me irritatingly for the longest time) me into watching the Sorcerer’s Stone a decade ago. It all pays off in these two final films. Go see it, or watch the series and go watch the end of a damn fine and fun set of films.
I wanted to wait out the crowds - so I caught this on Tuesday after work - and it was just as much as one could hope! What worked in the books doesn't always work on the screen - and I think the compromise was there - but only to the greatest effect. The scenes that I wanted to see from the book were home runs!
ReplyDeleteI felt it really moved along at such a great pace too - there's something to be said about the evolution of the directors who have tackled this series... David Yates was the right choice!
A jolly good time!