And then it ended. When the credits rolled I did not realise it. But then it slowly started to dawn on me. Harry potter, the greatest cultural phenomenon of our generation, is now officially over. For me, at least. Everyone who hasn't seen the movie yet still awaits an awe-inspiring finale, in three dimensions even. It's hard to imagine the sheer magnitude that the series has been. 8 movies that all feature a place in the top 25 most succesfull movies. 7 books that have only been outsold by The Holy Bible. Theme parks. Billions of toys, games, candy, action figures, playing cards, all devoured by an army of fans big enough to occupy a continent or two. This thing was bigger than Star Wars, Batman and Lord of the Rings put into a blender. And they couldn't have ended it in a better way if they tried.
If you are unaware with the story so far: hello caveman! How is the internet treating you so far? Anyway, Harry, Hermione and Ron are on their search for the seven magical macguffins called horcruxes that, when destroyed should kill main bad guy Voldemort, which is sort of a cross between Hitler and Dr. Evil, but in a good way (and Ralph Fiennes really hams it up in the villain department, he is pretty awesome). The framework works perfectly for what is essentially the most action-packed movie of the series, and it becomes clear that the stakes have never been higher this time.
My recommendation is almost pointless. If have read the books, or seen the previous movies, you've probably seen the movie already (the thing made half a billion dollars in single weekend!). All I can say is, this is the best one since Prisoner of Azkaban, the acting is better than ever (Daniel Radcliffe has certainly grown as an actor, and he confidently carries the weight of this story on his shoulders), the special effects are mind-blowing, and almost every single aspect of this movie is top-notch.
I try hard to find fault with this one, but it's hard. They've thankfully toned down the holocaust allegory that was so obvious in the last movie, gone is the hourlong camping trip that really bogged down that last one, there is not really a lot to complain about.
Maybe two things. For one, the movie can get exhausting at times. Set up as the grand climax of a bigger framework, there is little time to breathe, as the action set-pieces stack up. When the big showdown at Hogwarts begins, there is non-stop action, so gorgeously shot that you'll probably have difficulty taking it all in in one viewing (especially if you go see it in Imax). Another thing that may scare away younger viewers, is that the movie is very low on shenanigans. The tone is somber because Voldemort is going around killing and raping muggles, so every one is kind of bummed out by that, so there isn't really any whacky stuff going on anymore. No Dudley being a fat prick, no Quidditch games, or Hagrid adopting a pet shark with a laser beam and calling it fluffyfins. None of that. Harry doesn't have time for that shit anymore, and he puts his warface on to show he's not fucking around anymore.
And he should. As the stakes are raised, it's clear that the time for faffing about is over, and that it's time to go and fight Voldemort and his minions. This is probably why DHP2 feel like the most efficient, dense and exciting one of the bunch. Literally every minute is used to great effect, and it becomes clear that the decision to split the last book up in two parts was not just a blatant cashgrab (for that I refer to Twilight - Breaking Dawn part 1), but a smart decision that pays off brilliantly in the end.
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