Brotherly Dispute:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (Part I)

Hello, my name is Joe, and I love Harry Potter. Let me be clear, the love I speak of is not for the written word but for the moving pictures. I remember the first time I saw the Philosopher’s Stone. It was in a tiny 50 person screen that was more like a projector set up in a living room than a cinema screen. It was noisy and there was clear excitement in the room as this was a premier screening (so we were all eager as all hell) When the lights went down just to show the adverts and trailers everyone was silent as if expecting the projectionist to just flip the film on to try and catch us off guard. When the BBFC certificate came on the screen many people cheered and one overly eager middle aged woman even whooped. And there it was, the first film. And that started me on the path of Potter love. I was too young to be reading the books myself so they would be read to me and I was easily distracted or sleepy, so as a result never really liked them. It was the films that really got me interested. Now older and somewhat wiser as far as filmic knowledge goes, I can see the bad in the early films. Don’t get me started on Emma Watson’s terribly over thought drama school acting and over-pronunciation. But I still enjoy them. I won’t go into the whys for the whole series because that would make this more an essay than an article. And after all I am here to defend this final instalment. However my first argument is about me and my opinion entirely. I am this films ideal customer. No real experience of the books and a love of the film. So the way I see it, if someone like that sees this new film and loves it, then it has done its job, entertaining its key audience. Of course this is not my main argument as that’s simply me saying “Well I liked it so I don’t care what you have to say” What is it that really makes this final instalment in the saga of Potter so good?

In addressing this film you’ve got to remember that it’s a split story. In the same way you can’t really talk about Return of the Jedi without having seen Empire Strikes Back, you can’t go on about Part Two without Part One. The first part of The Deathly Hallows is a very different beast in terms of pacing. It’s really a story of frustration and boredom than the final epic push that the second half is. When they announced that the last two films would be split in two, I was sceptical just like many others. “I’ve seen the book on shelves and it’s definitely shorter than the fourth and fifth so why does it need to be an extra two and a bit hours long?” I asked my sister, an avid hater of the films ever since she began courting the books way back in 1997, “Well” she began “They skipped out so much in the last six films that they are probably going to use this time to fill in all the necessary gaps.” That made a lot of sense to me and I realised this wasn’t all about the money but giving the series a proper send off. And in many ways that’s what Part One feels like, build up so we can appreciate Harry’s final battle. I think this is the first time I’ve really noticed how expertly the books have been translated into a screenplay. There is a clear and different mood to both films and while Dobby’s death was handled poorly toward the end of Part One, Voldemort finding the super-wand and pointing it to the skies with a classic Finnes roar is a perfect ending. And with it we are rewarded with a pure 2 hours of Hogwarts in Part two (Clearly just for nostalgic purposes, which works wonders) This second film is pretty much 2 hours of the three teen wizards bounding around all over the place finding a Horcrux every 20 minutes which is a refreshing change from the overly long camping trip in the first. I’m not saying the first was poorly paced, in fact I think this contrast just helps the second movie feel even faster and all the more desperate.

But there would be none of that emotion or desperation without a stellar cast which this film offers in spades. Ralph Finnes has always been a very ghostly and intensely creepy Voldemort but in this he offers up something very different, fear. You can really see that Voldemort is getting desperate and there is nothing more terrifying than a madman on the edge of the end. In fact I began to sympathise with him. I could almost understand his frustration and pain, I found myself hoping he would be granted some mercy at times, which was truly bizarre and brilliant. Then there is Michael Gambon who delivers a truly brilliant speech that would rival any political activist for the impression it makes. Radcliffe and Watson are solid as ever but you can’t talk about the cast without mentioning the best character of all, Snape. Alan Rickman has always offered an excellent performance as the brick wall to Harry’s exploits and has always made us doubt where he stands. But finally we discover why he is such a hard man to read and Rickman entirely takes this chance to shine. In a flashback of all things, we begin to feel like total crap for ever being mean to the guy and in a way making him the hero of the whole saga. One bad point though. Through some bad scripting, Rupert Grint (Ron) is truly lacklustre. A huge shame, as his performance in Part One was brilliant.

Even though war is a busy and commonly messy business this film manages to keep it beautifully clear and simple. And really simplicity is what makes the best kinds of media. Think of Pixar. Their films have simple ideas behind which is why they are so wonderful and flow so expertly. Harry Potter is a series that inspires simple child-like glee much like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones’ of this world. A clear cut good versus evil tale with epic set-pieces and charming characters.                                                               
                                                                                      JO