Dem Reviews: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

I first learned about Harry Potter in 2001. The film version of “Sorcerer’s Stone” was in production and my younger sister was reading the book version as a school assignment. I had heard good things about the series thus far, so I started reading and was immediately hooked! I read all four books that were currently in release and gobbled up the remaining books in the seven-part series as they hit the shelves. Are they kids books? Sure. But the writing matures with the characters, and J.K. Rowling just weaves such a rich and fascinating tale. It’s great story for all ages. And the films have been admirable adaptations. So suffice to say, I was highly anticipating this final film in the series and to sum it up: it doesn’t disappoint. Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is probably the darkest and most action-packed of the entire series. If you’ve been following along thus far, you’ll probably love the film. It’s a wonderful wrap-up for the story and beloved characters. And if you haven’t, well then why would you go see it?! There are some scenes that are handled differently from the book that I could gripe about, and there’s one pivotal scene that I think comes off rather anticlimactic. But there’s been hiccups like this in all the films, it doesn’t ruin the experience. Of course, the final film is not quite as satisfying as when I read the last page of the book, but hey, they’re different mediums. Bottom line: the filmmakers and cast that brought these books to the screen for the past 10 years did pretty damn good job! The acting, especially for Alan Rickman as Snape with his character coming full circle, was fantastic. The visual effects were amazing. It was definitely a smart choice, aside from obvious financial gains, to break this up into two parts – the first of which was a quiet, character piece – but this one is nonstop action packed! By the way, I don’t think I’ve heard more weeping in a movie theater… ever. Some folks were literally gasping for breath whilst crying. I think I even spotted a tear falling from the face of our own Roque “Brodiemash” Rodriguez. Pretty powerful stuff. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in theaters Friday, July 15. So what did you think of the final installment of the Harry Potter series? Sound off in the comments section!