A History of Magic

"Neither can live while the other survives." With this pronouncement, the fates of the Wizarding and Muggle worlds alike are finally decided when Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort meet their destinies in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The film is a triumph, capping off a 15-year history of Harry Potter films and books in a grand finale of epic proportions. For millions of fans, the arrival of the final film in the Potter series was a bittersweet moment. For those of us who have clung to the wondrous world of Harry Potter since the final book was published in 2007, our attempt to hold onto our childhood is finally at an end. The movie series, which began 10 years ago with the magical first installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, has grown over the years both in scale and emotional content.

The first two film adaptations (Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets), helmed by determined-to-be-faithful director Chris Columbus, were the most literal adaptations of the books, sacrificing a real filmic feel in order to preserve the integrity of the novels. While this approach worked for the first couple of movies, the more freewheeling director Alfonso Cuarón cleverly refocused the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, on Harry himself, trimming away the subplots and bringing a much more visually creative and interesting approach to the narrative.

The rest of the films followed in suit. Director Mike Newell's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire acted as a brooding, suspenseful thriller and successfully transformed the series into a darker, more adult-centric saga. David Yates took over direction for the last four films in the series, beginning with the somewhat dull Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but improving with increased heart and soul in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Each film grew bolder in scope and direction.

The film series overall has garnered much criticism for cutting out so many of the books' fascinating characters and subplots and for trimming some of the story's subtler, yet still integral, moments. But when all is said and done, the films succeed far more than they disappoint—and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is no exception. In this final installment, Warner Bros. craftily decided to split the book into two films, both to satisfy the legion of perfectionist fans, and, of course, to make a mint in box office returns. It may have been a slightly money-driven decision, but it was the right one to make­­—certainly a fitting way to end 10 years of magical history.

‘The Deathly Hallows'

Hallows: Part 2 opens right where Part 1 left off—with the insidious Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) robbing the grave of the recently deceased former headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). The item Voldemort steals is the famed Elder Wand, said to be the most powerful wand on earth, and one of the three Deathly Hallows—items which Lord Voldemort covets. All three Hallows combined are said to make their owner the Master of Death, and with the Elder Wand in tow, Voldemort is set to bring about his ultimate goal: the murder of Harry Potter.

We are then reintroduced to the young man himself, as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) plots along with his best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) to hunt down Lord Voldemort's last remaining Horcruxes—objects to which his soul is tied. When the Horcruxes are destroyed, the Dark Lord himself will finally be killed.

This quest provides the backbone of the film's story, a narrative that leads the daring trio into the depths of Gringotts bank (a thrilling scene, complete with a breathtakingly shot dragon flight) and eventually back to Hogwarts itself. The castle has been completely transformed from the warm and inviting castle that Harry called home to a dark and impregnable fortress, watched over by ever-ambiguous Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), whose motives are finally revealed in the film's most heart-wrenching scene. It is in Hogwarts where the battle for control of the Wizarding world takes place, and more than a few secrets are revealed about Harry and his destiny.

The film is successful on numerous levels, starting with the action. Hallows Part 2, more so than any of the other Potter films, is a true action/adventure film. Hogwarts serves as a war ground for many of the movie's suspenseful battle sequences. These pieces are all phenomenally well-directed by Yates, and the action is never chaotic and doesn't overwhelm the viewer. Sweeping camera angles along with the depth-enhancing 3D imagery serves to give a truly grand scale to Hogwarts. It is highly recommended that the film be seen in 3D; unlike so many other films that have been converted to 3D purely as a marketing scheme, Hallows makes glorious usage of the 3D effects. The audience is virtually plunged into Hogwarts, creating a visceral magnitude that simply could not be equaled by a 2D experience.

Among the spectacular visuals, each character is firmly grounded in the fighting, serving to give audiences an emotional anchor in the battle sequences. There is always the sense that someone could die at any moment, and no character is safe from the onslaught of Death Eaters, trolls, spiders, Dementors and giants that storm the castle. Each character is given his moment to shine in battle, particularly Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), who over the course of the series has transformed from a timid, bullied youngster into a full-fledged hero. But Harry Potter has never been about wand duels, and always at the center of the story is Harry himself. The transformations he goes through are what truly represent the emotional underpinnings of the film.

Hallows is an emotional roller coaster, helped along in no small part by the acting. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson have truly grown into their roles. They began as 10-year-olds with no real acting skills, assisted by the far more experienced adults around them, and have grown to the point where they completely carry the movies. Grint has always seemed the most comfortable of the three, so it's a shame that his role is a bit downplayed in this film. His relationship with Harry doesn't really have the proper resonance that it should after spending so many years by his side. Watson, however, really has shined in both parts of Deathly Hallows and is a standout among the three.

Watson and Grint also play off each other well, and as someone who never quite bought the chemistry between the two of them, I'm pleased to see that Ron and Hermione's romance blossoms quite effectively in this installment. Radcliffe is still the most wooden of the three, but he has nevertheless grown into his role, and the emotional burden he has to carry throughout this film comes across despite his relative stiffness. Granted, it's more the story itself and the actors around him that make his character's transformations most believable, but Radcliffe still manages to hold his own and gives his best performance to date.

The rest of the acting is up to par, with no real sore spot to be found. Ralph Fiennes' predictably hammy and over-the-top performance as Voldemort is a bit grating sometimes, but it works for the character. But by far, the standout performance is Rickman's, who brings a touching beneficence and emotional vulnerability to Snape that has never been seen before. Rickman has always played Snape with an air of malevolence and mystery, so to see him here with his impenetrable exterior cast aside and his tumultuous inner pain revealed truly is a startling and resonating experience. Indeed, Snape's past gives this film its emotional core, and many fans will be happy to know that the "Snape's Memory" scene is lifted from the book with delicate precision and near-perfect accuracy.

In fact, almost every scene from the novel is to be found in the film. There were only a few changes that were made, most involving setting, and the only disappointing omission was the explanation of Dumbledore's sullied past, which in the film is only given a vague mention. But overall, the story is thankfully intact, something that a few of the series' other entries (Order of the Phoenix in particular) can't really lay claim to.

There are only a couple of problems to be found in this film, and they largely have to do with pacing. The final battle between Voldemort and Harry feels peculiarly rushed and doesn't quite end in the same satisfying manner that the book's finale does. That being said, the battle is dramatically conclusive and certainly feels earned after eight movies' anticipation.

For the fans, the most dreaded sequence was the infamous "19 Years Later" scene—a snapshot of the characters as adults with children of their own, which is basically translated word-for-word from the book (a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask). Despite the somewhat cheesy nature of the scene, it wraps up the series perfectly, and it brought tears to my eyes as the film came to a close.

Nineteen Years Later

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a triumph that is among the best the film series has to offer, and it successfully wraps up the franchise. It is truly a bittersweet day now that the Harry Potter series has finally drawn to a close. Since both the film and book series have ended, there seems to be frightfully little left to look forward to in the Potterverse. But fret not, Potter fans, for there is more magic yet to come.

Potter author J.K. Rowling has recently unveiled plans to launch an interactive website called Pottermore, a virtual encyclopedia featuring information about every single character in the Potter series and where they ended up after the events of the final book. The site will also include interactive and enhanced e-books, will be managed by Rowling herself and receive frequent updates. There are also the ever-persistent rumors that Rowling has a future series in the works that will take place 20-some odd years after the end of Hallows. These remain rumors for now, but Rowling herself has admitted that she would not be opposed to returning to write more Potter novels in the future. I'm sure fans will be keeping their fingers crossed—I know I will. Because one thing is certain: Fans around the world can live, as long as Harry Potter survives.