Reviews & Previews - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

By: S. Tran

 

Cha-Ching!

J.K. Rowling will no doubt be jumping into another pool filled with gold and diamonds this summer as the latest Potter movie opens this weekend and is expected to take in a billion dollars worldwide. As this is the last film in the series it is sure to pull in Potter fanatics and others like me who have not seen all the movies but wanted to see what the fuss was about. As I left the early screening the entire lobby of the theatre was filled with kids, and a few adults, dressed in costume, waiting for the midnight screening. This was kind of amazing to see because for a lot of those kids in line the first book came out when they were toddlers.

Given that this is eighth movie in the series it would be impossible to try and summarize the plot except to say that Harry and his friends move to an ultimate show down with Voldemort. Having not seen any of the films since the third one I found myself a bit lost during the movie until a scene near the end that acted like a bit of a recap. But be warned, if you have absolutely no idea of the difference between a muggle and a Dumbeldore, this movie really isn't for you. Read the book or see the first movie to give yourself a fighting chance. 

What was interesting for me, having been away from the films for so long was the difference in the three main characters played by Radcliffe, Watson and Grint. The three are no longer the young teens from the first film and it was a bit jarring to see them as young adults, no longer wide eyed and innocent. It also made me feel old.

Unfortunately this was the film's biggest problem, at least for me. Part of what made the series fun for me was the wonder of the wizard world,: magic spells, wands, broomsticks. To me this was no longer evident in this movie. The tone of the entire film was dark and brooding. That sense of awe was replaced by a constant sense of dread. Even the colors in the film were muted and dull. I understand this is where the story evolved but I miss the feeling of the first few movies. Apart from a few moments of comic relief everything was pretty darned serious.

We saw the movie in 3-D which was a bit of a treat. It wasn't the best 3-D I have ever seen but it worked well enough. Production wise the film was big budget Hollywood all the way except for a couple of green screen scenes that looked a little cheap for some reason. 

But at the end of the day nothing I, or anyone else writes about this movie is going to make one lick of difference. This is going to be a blockbuster and Potter fanatics will both rejoice at the final outcome and weep for the end of the series. The crowd I saw it with had people clapping and cheering which you don't see much at the movies anymore and that made the experience a little more fun.

For a casual fan like myself the movie was good, but didn't make me a bigger fan. I can only rate the movie for people who may only have a passing interest in the series. For all you wizards out there just ignore this old guy and see the film.

NOTE: The showtimes listed on CalgaryMovies.com come directly from the theatres' announced schedules, which are distributed to us on a weekly basis. All showtimes are subject to change without notice or recourse to CalgaryMovies.com.