Rowling’s stirring novel, the big standoff between Harry and Voldemort amounted to little more than a shouting match before a relatively brief skirmish. The bit where Voldemort watches in stunned silence as Harry (who was presumed dead) leaps from Hagrid’s arms and then explodes into a fit of rage is genuinely frightening, but also in line with his villainous nature. Despite the severity of his situation, the character refuses to relent and becomes wildly unpredictable as a result. RELATED: The Rock on Black Adam: ‘The Hierarchy of Power in DC Universe is Changing’Įach time a Horcrux is destroyed, Yates cuts to Voldemort reacting in agony. A sequence early on features Voldemort appearing shocked at his aptitude for horrific violence. In DHP2, he’s cruel, broken, angry, bitter, alone, and curiously awkward. In previous films, he was merely a menace to be thwarted and a tad one-dimensional to be honest.
Speaking of ole Voldey, Yates spends a great deal of time focusing on the villain’s continually fractured persona. Where underwhelming finales such as Return of the Jedi, Spider-Man 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End lost sight of their characters, or dwarfed them amidst overwhelming spectacle, DHP2 fully embraces its lead heroes and villains and actually places the Battle of Hogwarts in the background in order to keep the focus on important character beats such as Severus Snape’s decidedly subdued confrontation with Voldemort. Is it any wonder audiences cheered the loudest when Ron and Hermione finally locked lips? Readers will understand how vague point A connects to vague point B, but casual audiences may scratch their heads trying to comprehend the how’s and why’s of the Elder Wand and the overall importance of those damned Horcruxes. Additional information is certainly available at your nearest library for those seeking deeper Potter knowledge once the credits roll, but really the gist of Harry’s final predicament boils down to: yadda yadda kill Voldemort.Īnd really, at this point, who cares? While the wicked battle against Darth Voldemort’s army makes up the film’s skeletal structure, DHP2’s main focus lies with the dozens of characters - essential or otherwise - zipping about Hogwarts’ rotating staircases, classrooms, and secret tunnels. Chief among them, the complete disregard for several of the novel’s key plot points, such as Dumbledore’s entire backstory, Harry’s invisibility cloak, and anything to do with giants. RELATED: Leaked The Flash Photos Show Batcave and BatmobileĮven so, the film has its shortcomings. Storylines sufficiently wrap up, beloved characters receive proper sendoffs, and the long-awaited duel between Harry Potter - the Boy Who Lived - and Ralph Fiennes’ hilariously theatrical He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named actually surpasses expectations. As directed by David Yates, Deathly Hallows does a bang up job ending the decade-long franchise on an exciting high note. Not overwhelmed or overtly ecstatic, but … happy. I saw the film at midnight alongside a bunch of fellow Potter nerds and walked away happy. The film went on to become the highest earning Potter film with $381 million in the United States and $1.342 billion worldwide (though it sold 12 million fewer tickets domestically than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, according to Box Office Mojo), and earned a stunning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score of the franchise, even surpassing the superior (in my opinion) 90% earned by Alfonso Cuaron’s brilliant Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. On July 15, 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 released in theaters to a very magical (and, honestly, quite astounding) reaction from fans and critics alike.