The Harry Potter movies have become some of the most popular movies ever made.  I have seen all the movies in the theater, most more than once.  While I have had some issues with the movies, I have enjoyed them overall.  I have been anxious to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 since I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, while also kind of dreading it because it is the last movie.    

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the eighth movie in a series.  This is not the movie to start with.  People who haven't seen any of the movies yet should go back and start with the first one.  It would be even better to read the books before seeing the movies.  Each of the movies has built on things that happened in the previous movies, but there is even more of that happening with this movie.  At the very least, people should see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 first.

I am only going to briefly discuss the plot.  Later in the review I'm going to be a bit vague about a few things.  People who prefer to see the movie without knowing anything about it should skip the next paragraph.  Some of what I mention could be minor spoilers for the previous movies.

**Minor Plot Discussion**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione come up with a daring plan in their efforts to find the last horcruxes.  More wizards are in danger as Voldemort becomes more determined to find and kill Harry.

**End of Minor Plot Discussion**

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, is based on the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.  It is one of the longer books in the series, with a lot going on.  I think the decision to make split the material into two movies was a good one.  Too much would have been cut if it had been done as one movie and it would have ended up a jumbled mess.  While I do think one or two things weren't handled as well as they could have been, I'm happy with the movie overall.  It is a strong, well done ending to a wonderful movie series.  Some people may not like the way the movie ends - I know some people had issues with the book ending - but I really liked it and think it was a great way to conclude the movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 picks up by showing the last scene of Part 1 again before starting to move the story forward.  There isn't any sort of recap, so anyone who hasn't seen the last movie will end up jumping into the middle of this section of Harry's story.  There are more connections between this movie and the last one since they are both adaptations of the same book.  There are a few sort of flashback scenes that refer back to events in the earlier movies as well.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a fairly good adaptation of the last part of the final book.  More of the book is covered in Part 1, but there are still several important things to be dealt with in this movie.  I have had issues with some of the previous adaptations, mostly with certain explanations that were left out.  That still happens to some degree in this movie.  It bugs me, but the missing explanations aren't as important overall as the ones left out of previous movies.  A few things are changed a bit from how they happened in the books.  For the most part, the changes work well for the movie, though I do feel that one thing should have stayed closer to how it was in the book.  I did have some concerns when I learned that a very important scene is moved to a totally new location for the movie.  The new location ends up working really well.  One thing from the book is completely left out and not even referred to in anyway.  That is a smaller moment in the book given everything that was going on, but I still liked it.  I am disappointed it wasn't there, but I'm not surprised.  

There are a few things that end up happening in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 that weren't in the book.  I hated when that happened in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  It didn't bother me as much in this movie.  I did like the one new sequence, possibly because what happens is mentioned in the book, it just happened while attention was on Harry and two other characters went off to deal with something.  A few other things happen during the fighting at Hogwarts that weren't in the book and they end up working fairly well too.  

Like I did with the previous movie, I feel that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is aimed more at Potter fans who have read the books instead of including the fans that have only seen the movies.  It really relies on people having read the books to fill in things that should have been explained or introduced in previous movies but were left out instead.  People who have only seen the movies may be left wondering by a few things.  

The search for the horcruxes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione began in the last movie continues in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  The horcruxes were first introduced in the sixth movie, but that introduction was badly handled and left out certain details shared in the book.  Without those details and clues, the search is even harder for Harry and his friends.  With how the horcruxes have been set up, I did wonder how in the world Harry, Ron, and Hermione would find the horcruxes.  Something happens in this movie that replaces the missing clues.  While I don't exactly like what was done, it works for the way the horcruxes have been handled in the movie.  The continuing search adds just a little bit of mystery.  There is a decent amount of suspense in the movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 continues the darker tone established in the last movie.  The movie really wouldn't have worked with a happier tone given what is going on.  There are some moments of happiness and even a few funny things as well.  The humorous things that happen briefly lighten the mood.  I do think they help to make the movie more entertaining.  There are also sad moments in the movie and more characters die.  None of the deaths hit me as hard as one from the last movie.  I thought that one sequence was very touching.  The score is wonderful and fits perfectly with what is going on in the movie.  Bits of the theme first used in the first movie are heard again.  

There is a lot more action in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 than there was in the last movie.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up in a very dangerous situation when they attempt their latest plan and that does involve some action.  Not long after that, a huge battle takes place, though the focus does shift to other things while the battle is on going.  I think there is a good blend of the action and non-action parts and the pacing isn't too slow or too fast.  To go along with more action, there is violence in some scenes.  It isn't too graphic, though it might be upsetting to younger viewers.  Some of what happens could be scary to younger children.  Voldemort's snake is in more scenes than ever.  That snake, even though I know it isn't real, still freaks me out.  The movie deserves the PG-13 rating.  Parents really should check out the movie before letting younger children see it.  

All kinds of magic is used throughout Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  Some of the spells are performed during fights and others are done for other reasons.  I've always liked the magical elements of the books and movies.  The magic stuff wouldn't have worked without special effects.  There are a lot of special effects used throughout the movie, with some being a bit subtle.  I do think the effects are done well.  Hogwarts and Gringotts are back, with new areas of both being used.  The movie is being shown in 3D as well as the regular 2D.  I didn't see the 3D version, though I still might sometime.  I did notice some scenes, including a few with the lunging snake, that I'm sure will take advantage of the 3D.  

I have been unhappy with some of the choices that David Yates made with the fifth and sixth movies.  Because of that, I was very concerned when I heard he was directing the last two movies as well.  I wasn't as annoyed with Part 1, but I still had concerns for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 because of a few specific things that needed to be covered in this movie.  One involves some very important memories of one character.  Given how badly the memory was handled in the fifth movie, and how some important ones weren't included in the sixth movie, I have been a bit worried about how the memories would be handled.  For the most part, the memory sequence is done really well.  A few new moments are included, and at first I wondered why they were included.  I stopped wondering by the end of the sequence and think the new moments help to add even more impact to the sequence.  The memories are sort of condensed and a few from the book are left out, which did disappoint me a bit, but the sequence is very well done.  

Another thing that was I concerned about before seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was how a change in a relationship and a first kiss would be handled.  For the most part, the relationship has followed the books, but I was still concerned.  The kiss is different, though the difference doesn't really bother me.  The final thing I was really concerned about was how one character would be handled.  This character has been more in the background in most of the movies, and even in the books at times.  That did start to change a bit in the fifth book and movie.  This character had a wonderful moment in the last book and I was worried that the moment would be messed up.  It is changed slightly, but it is still there and the character really gets a chance to shine.   

The movies, like the books they are based on, have had a large group of characters and unfortunately, some of them have been under used previously.  In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 some of the characters end up with barely anything to do and that is a bit disappointing.  Some characters that haven't had much to do for a few movies end up with a bit more to do, which is really nice.  A few characters that have died earlier in the series are seen again briefly.

Professor McGonagall plays an important part later in the movie, supporting and helping Harry even though she knows that means facing death.  She also gets practically giddy over finally having a reason to do a really impressive spell.  Maggie Smith is great in the part.  Luna pops up every so often, though she isn't shown doing too much.  Several other Hogwarts students and professors are seen, many times in the background.  Draco, along with his parents, are in a few scenes.  Draco continues to be unlikable while his parents are having major misgivings about being connected to Voldemort.

Most of the Weasley family is only briefly seen.  Ginny gets a few nice moments with Harry, but she isn't shown doing much else.  Molly shows how powerful and fierce she is with a fight that got applause when I saw the movie.  Neville gets to do a bit more than he has in several of the movies.  He's really changed and it is wonderful to see.  Matthew Lewis is great in the part.  Hagrid is one of the characters that unfortunately doesn't get much to do.  Griphook the goblin shows that he shouldn't be trusted when he plays a part in Harry's plan.  Warwick Davis plays Griphook and Professor Flitwick, two very different characters.

While I have been ambivalent about Professor Snape over the course of the series, I have always loved Alan Rickman in the part.  He is absolutely perfect as Snape.  I've frequently been disappointed that he hasn't had more to do in previous movies.  He still doesn't have a huge part, but he does get a bit more to do and is in some of the most important scenes.  Snape doesn't have a lot of lines, but Rickman is still wonderful in the part, conveying so much with his expressions.  Snape has been one of the more complicated, mysterious characters in the series and he ends up being some of the more powerful moments of the final movie.   

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are the main characters and get the most to do.  They have grown and changed so much over the course of the movies.  I love that the movies have kept the same cast.  It just wouldn't have worked properly if the parts had to be recast.  All three of the characters show strength in different situations.  Ron has sort of been in Harry's shadow in the past, but he gets a few moments to shine while Hermione continues to show her intelligence.  Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have really grown with the parts and they do wonderful with them.

Bellatrix continues to fight alongside Voldemort, taking joy in torturing and killing others.  She is evil and twisted and probably a bit crazy.  She isn't a nice characters at all, but she is entertaining to watch.  Helena Bonham-Carter is wonderful in the part.  At one point in the movie, another character turns into Bellatrix with polyjuice potion.  Bonham-Carter is amazing in that sequence, acting so different with her gestures and expressions.  The crazed look that Bellatrix normally has is gone, and she is uncertain in her movements.  It really does seem like someone else is inhabiting Bellatrix.  Numerous Death Eaters are around, though most of them are just sort of in the background without being identified.

Voldemort is still trying to take over the magical world while he's trying to find and kill Harry.  Voldemort is willing to do anything to reach his goals.  Nothing new about his past is shared in the movie, though he does do something new at one point.  He is a wonderfully evil, menacing, twisted character and a great villain.  Ralph Fiennes is wonderful in the part.  Voldemort's snake is slithering around in several scenes.  I still hate that snake even though it does fit Voldemort.  

Main Cast

Helena Bonham Carter - Bellatrix    
Warwick Davies - Griphook/Professor Flitwick
Ralph Fines - Voldemort
Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley
Matthew Lewis - Neville Longbottom
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
Alan Rickman - Professor Severus Snape
Maggie Smith - Professor McGonagall
Emma Watson - Hermione Granger

David Yates - Director

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow: Part 2 has a few minor issues, but it is a wonderfully entertaining movie overall that is a good ending to the series.  It is one of the better movies in the series and is a must see for fans of the series.  It is one of the best movies of the year.  I'll continue to enjoy the books and movies, but I'm still sad that there won't be any new adventures for Harry and his friends.

Harry Potter Movie Reviews
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ~ Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter ~

Harry Potter Book Reviews
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ The Tales of Beedle the Bard ~ Harry Potter Film Wizardry ~

Other Harry Potter Related Reviews
Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition (Trivia Game) ~ 2011 Harry Potter Golden Snitch Ornament ~ Harry Potter Uno ~

Recommended: Yes