|
 When
we look back upon the phenomenon that was the Harry Potter series, it will be
one of the most unique accomplishments in both literary and cinematic form.
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy will always be one of the most
extraordinary efforts in film history. The Star Wars films may have set the bar
but, in at least one way, actually regressed in its manner of storytelling (some
would say several ways) while the Potter stories actually adapted to the ages of
its readers and viewers. If you were a boy or a girl when Sorcerer's Stone was
first published, you were a teenager or young adult by the climax of the Deathly
Hallows ten years later. Whatever age or life period you were when it first
began, to keep up with the series you were experiencing the same growing pains
along with the characters. A Hardy Boys adventure series with magic and wizards
turned into a legitimate passage through the ages where love and friendship were
as difficult to maneuver as countering a Cadavra spell. While passed from
director-to-director over the course of its first four films, the Harry Potter
franchise found its true headmaster in director David Yates. Unquestionably
delivering the best films in tone, structure and progression in Order of the
Phoenix and the Half-Blood Prince, the combination of the Deathly Hallows' two
parts may have just outdone them both.
When we last left our heroes, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and
Hermione (Emma Watson), they had just escaped the clutches of Bellatrix
Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wizarding world's nemesis, Voldemort
(Ralph Fiennes), had just obtained the Elder Wand, the most powerful and coveted
among them. The trio are continuing to uncover the mystery and location of
Voldemort's horcruxes, pieces of his evil soul split apart to grant him
immortality. As long as they remain uncovered and intact. This will take Harry
into the acquaintance of wand-maker Ollivander (John Hurt), the devious goblin
Griphook (Warwick Davis) who must lead them into the deep, dark recesses of
Gringotts' vaults and none other than Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth (a
terrific and unrecognizable Ciaran Hinds), who is hesitant to lead Harry down
the path that his longtime mentor had planned for him. All of this is naturally
leading to the epic battle for Hogwarts where we will lose many of the
characters, bad and good, we have come to know over a decade.
Readers are already well aware of the plot - and could likely point out each and
every change or omission from text-to-screen. Diving back into pages 477-759 may
not be the best way to experience the second half of the split film, but a fresh
viewing of
Part 1 immediately before picking up exactly where it left off last
November must not be passed up if possible. It seemed odd at the time that the
first film ended with the promise of a "to be continued" or "concluded" the way
Back to the Future Part II and
The Matrix Reloaded did (even if we knew the
final part was a mere months away.) Now, it should be looked upon as somewhat of
a blessing as the continuous flow of the two movies will hopefully be molded
into a single four-hour plus viewing experience on Blu-ray (where the
cinematography by Eduardo Serra will really pop even without the 3-D) and
solidify its place as one of the best final chapters of any movie franchise
ever.
One of the elements that should be remembered about the Deathly Hallows,
something that helps set it apart from many wrap-ups is that it is not just
settling debts and paying off conflicts. Throughout both parts of the film, the
characters (both major & minor) have grown in stature through new information
about their history and subtle moments of behavior as they are forced to wait
around or react to an immediate threat. Hermione's hesitation in how to comfort
Harry by putting her head on his shoulder in
Part 1, Ron becomes a decision
maker in Part II and everyone, but especially Harry, learns what it means to
sacrifice for the greater good in protecting your loved ones. Greatest of all
may be the clarified arc of Professor Severus Snape. Alan Rickman, even in small
bursts, throughout these stories has been a stand out. But even in a moment
where exposition appears to be low on the agenda while death and destruction
rarely takes a break, Rickman and David Yates deliver a montage of Snape's
history that emotionally puts into perspective a life and relationship as
wonderfully as Carl & Ellie's was in Pixar's Up.
It is a revelatory sequence in many facets. For one it puts into perspective all
of Snape's motivations and deadly secrets. Secondly, it is a notable summation
that in this universe everyone matters and every decision, secret and promise
affects another. The twists and turns in J.K. Rowling's text never feel like new
ideas meant to superficially shake up things, thus negating the circumstances of
the past - as we often see on television cliffhangers. That reevaluation of what
brought these characters to this final battle only raises the stakes higher and
provides a greater pain in our chest as Harry walks into the great Hall to
peruse the lives that have been needlessly snuffed out because of one evil,
egotistical power monster and his legion of blind followers.
This is not to say that the climactic final battle, which goes on in fits and
spurts, is full of just the doom and gloom. It is magnificently exciting in a
way that someone like Michael Bay with all his technical prowess could never
pull off. Because we care. Every magical light bolt, incantation and path
through Hogwarts spells danger for somebody we do not want to see in that
position. Still, Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves have structured the climax
with every bit of the fantastic multiple objectives that audiences have loved
from the return of jedis and kings. There are a couple hero moments and villain
vanquishes that do not exactly rise to our expectations of grandiose posturing,
but in retrospect there is an appropriateness to not relishing every death in
war.
Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows was left off the ever-increasing money grab of
extra 3-D dollars - surprisingly for artistic merits in that the conversion
process would not be up to standards in time. Part II is not so lucky, but
audiences may find for a change that the process actually compliments the film
rather than detract from it. The frequent washed-out colors may be unnecessary
in the dark murkiness of the death-intensive finale but there is also a depth
and scope to many of the shots that brings to mind the best moments the format
has offered in animated pictures, where 3-D receives more praise than scorn,
just like in Avatar. The real 3-D of Harry Potter though has always been at the
level of characters and storytelling, particular as the series progressed from
the child-like simplicity of Chris Columbus to the wondrous visual mind of
Alfonso Cuaron and experience with British actors of Mike Newell.
Eventually though it is the mature braintrust of David Yates who really deserves
to take a personal bow after the seemingly never-ending final credits listing
all the commendable production mentions. Harry Potter was an easily dismissible
fad when it first appeared on bookshelves and Columbus' first adaptation was
enough to bring out the "big deal" in all of us. When you consider all the
wannabe book-to-film adaptations that have tried to capture that same Potter
magic (Columbus' Percy Jackson, Shyamalan's The Last Airbender and the Narnia
films to name just a few) in the ensuing years, it only makes the accomplishment
by Rowling, Kloves, Yates, Radcliffe, Watson, Grint and everyone else you can
fit into an awards speech, all the more special.
What began as the story of a boy’s wondrous introduction into a limitless world
of magic ends in an epic display of war, death, and desire for peace. “Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” is the final chapter in the longstanding
fantasy series and it’s a fitting conclusion to the legend, marrying the
extensive exposition of “Part 1” with an intermittently furious finale that
satisfies and rouses in all the proper ways. I'm certain few will want to say
goodbye to the admired franchise, but the production has secured a superb finish
that’s elegant and carries significant emotional heft. It’s hard to believe
we’ve had Harry Potter on screens for a decade now, with each feature finding
its shape and purpose through an unbelievable level of artistic surprise. Rarely
has a film series enjoyed such success and consistency, creating an epic arc of
maturation, heroism, and friendship to savor for decades to come. “Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” is the end of an extensive journey, hauling a
weight of finality that’s bittersweet. Still, there’s much to celebrate here,
with the picture a stirring, magnificent conclusion to a marathon wizarding
odyssey. |
