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at the movies: harry potter and the deathly hallows part two

July 13, 2011 in movies

After ten years and eight films retelling the story of seven books, we’ve finally reached the end of the Harry Potter film journey. It feels like just yesterday that I sat down in the Kensington Odeon cinema to watch the first of the films the day after I graduated from high school.

Enough reminiscing, there’s plenty of that in the trailer/featurette below. The real question is… how was the final film? Was it the epic conclusion we’ve been promised for months through the global advertising campaign?

In a word – yes. As a fan of the books, I felt the magic (pardon the pun) was translated well onto the big screen. There were spectacular effects, a satisfying tying together of loose ends and a few good one liners thrown in to ease the tension.

I can’t imagine you would want to see this film if you hadn’t seen the previous seven but really, there’s no point. If you are familiar with the back story, it doesn’t disappoint.

I should also mention that this is the first film of the series I’ve seen in 3D and while I normally prefer Harry to be the only person wearing glasses in cinema, I was very impressed with the effects. One scene towards the end is particularly powerful, though 3D is used subtly to great effect throughout the entire film.

The boy has been teasing me for bursting into tears about half way through and not stopping until the credits, but I cried just as much in the book so I guess that’s a positive for the film, right? The take home message here is don’t forget the tissues!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two is a powerful and well-executed conclusion to one of the most successful film franchises of all time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating: ****

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(almost) at the movies: harry potter and the deathly hallows part two

April 28, 2011 in movies

Ok, I know I’m not the only Potter fan out there and I’m certain that even though there’s a royal wedding tomorrow (more on that later today), there will be lots of people more excited about the trailer for the final Harry Potter movie, which was finally released today.

As I mentioned in my review of the Part One, I wasn’t a big fan of the films to start with but I think they’ve improved with each release – meaning this final instalment should be truly spectacular. It certainly looks like it will be from the trailer. Be one of the first to check it out below and let me know what you think.

The film hits cinemas in Australia on 14 July and in the US on 15 July (though I get it first in France on 13 July – woo!)

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at the movies: harry potter and the deathly hallows part one

November 19, 2010 in movies

It’s very rare that we get a studio blockbuster hitting the Australian cinemas before it hits the US but the new Harry Potter film is one of those special times due to the global release date of 18 November.

I got into the books way back in 1999 thanks to a wonderfully precocious seven year old who was working her way through the first in the series. As a result, I’ve always been one of those annoying critics of the films who say things like, “well, the visual effects are pleasing enough but the plot was lacking some crucial elements and frankly, I don’t know how anyone who hasn’t read the book could follow the film.”

As the years roll on, I don’t know if my expectations have dropped or the films have improved but I find myself enjoying them more and more. I was looking forward to seeing if Deathly Hallows continued the trend and had pre-booked tickets to last night’s session several weeks ago.

The film, like the book, is the darkest yet. Voldemort (oh yes, I said it) reins supreme and everyone who dares oppose him is in danger. Harry, Ron and Hermione continue the search for the Horcruxes rather than returning to Hogwarts. Let me be very clear – this is not a kid’s movie. However purists will be glad that the film follows the plot of the book more closely than previous films due to the multi-part release (Part Two will come out on 14 July 2011).

Despite the overall darkness of the film, there are some great one-liners that help break the tension. People in my cinema were laughing so hard at some points that I missed the next lines of dialogue. It’s also great to see how the three lead actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) have grown into emotive and fairly believable professionals.

I strongly recommend you see this film, even if it’s just so you know what everyone else is talking about. Take a group of childhood friends and be glad you made it to adulthood without having to face the Dark Lord.

Rating: ****

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