Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte: Parte 2

Harry Potter is a monotonous and long-winded franchise that reached its premature peak in the third part, Cuaron’s The Prisoner Of Azkaban, which isn’t at all surprising. The first four books can be considered standalone stories, each with its own specific plot arc (the search for the philosophers’ stone, the legend of the chamber of secrets, the danger of a fugitive prisoner, the tournament of schools of wizardry), while the remaining three are a overly long storytelling mess about the “final confrontation of good versus evil”. Add to this the fact that the third part was the only one in charge of a director whose ambitions could be said were higher than only bringing to the screen an unoriginal adaptation of a book, and the shortcomings of the entire saga are clear. Evidently, this will be enough for some of the hardcore fans, nothing against that, but it’s funny to observe how some of them give priority to (and also reject) a different episode. This could be taken as proof of the diversity of the episodes, but to me it’s actually proof of the inconsistency of the saga as a whole – basically, it only depends on which film each fan prefers. But now briefly about Deathly Hallows: Part 2 itself (because it doesn’t warrant a long comment). I can take bland performances in summer blockbusters, I can take a concise and episodic script, but that the mood among the people of Hoghwarts after the longed for defeat of the Lord of Evil (which everyone had been waiting for X years) would be as if their team had ended third out of four in a big tournament, and that major characters would die out of frame as if by the way, without a hint of emotion... THAT’S QUITE SOMETHING! Yeah, and the epilogue is just as stupid as Rowling wrote it, so the film doesn’t deserve any bitching for that :-D (20.07.2011)

Better than the previous film, but if the result of a long wait for something is just this pace-weary and conversationally ridiculous ending, I'm not accepting it. The last Harry Potter is dark mainly because in 3D there is sometimes nothing to see. I am not a reader of the saga, so cheap nostalgia does not apply to me, and I calmly enjoy non-originality, non-ingenuity and a nice-looking, but routine design. The Harry Potter saga remains for me, even after the "grand finale", an overpriced audiovisual illustration of a book series that, after Cuarón's departure, has lost any lasting overlap in my heart space. (11.07.2011)

About until half way through (somewhere after conjuring up the barrier) I have no objections. However, thereafter, instead of gradually climaxing the eighteen hours spanning ten years, it chops it up into a series of a few dozen moments. Each of them is great, often atmospheric too, and frequently gripping and ingenious, but put all together they don’t give the impression of a unified story heading toward one goal. It chops it up more and more until it turns into something that, despite being impressive and entertaining, is an epically cold popcorn picture. The only emotions are provoked only by (again the genius of) Desplat. And that is a bit too little. (17.07.2011)

Oh My Granger! What turns the book Relics into a magical finale amplifies the film adaptation to its highest bearable level, turns Neville into a well-deserved stud, gives the best scene of the saga to the Prince's story, and makes David Yates one of the best directors I know. At the moment when this wizarding world closes to all viewers, there remains a hardly controllable desire to see and read it all again. Simply put, it is a heavily euphoric experience after the end of the film, a clear one hundred percent spectacle and probably the best movie installment of the entire Hogwarts series. Some experiences are immortal even at the time they take place. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. (21.07.2011)

It started beautifully and magically, it ended dramatically and spectacularly... I am satisfied beyond measure with the ending. Compared to the first part, I have nothing to ponder here and I'm giving it full stars right out of the box. I really had the feeling that something important was ending and I must admit that I even shed a tear. In my mind the creators left no stone unturned... the perfect reveal of the truth about Snape, the final fight between Harry and Voldemort, and the final memory of how it all started... once again, 100%. (10.08.2011)

It's definitely almost a star better than the first part (but I'm still giving it the same rating since it just doesn't deserve 4 stars). Yes, we've got the conclusion of the grand Harry Potter saga, we get to see a lot of old friends flash by, except that... everyone's barking, nothing is done properly or realistically, and the music isn't that great either – kind of a mousy wallflower (here of all places, when it's supposed to be so epic!). For being 130 minutes long, the film went by very quickly for me – a plus. Unfortunately, a lot of scenes came across as kind of weird, hollow, there was bad continuity (for example the sequence of Hermione – snake – Ron, then in the next shot the snake – Hermione and Ron; I’m wondering how Hermione got past the snake...), even the scene that made me shed a tear, all of the action was so tastelessly interrupted that I couldn't even properly enjoy the feeling of grief, sorrow... what a pity. And then the fight with Voldy. I mean, it was ridiculous; even his death – are we back to the first one again? Despite my dissatisfaction with all the individual flaws, it was a decent film overall, but I wouldn't have had to go see it in theaters (which I did), the DVD would have been enough. For how I expected the film to be a climax, it didn’t quite land. A better 3 stars, just so I’m not being mean. Btw. I am a fan of the saga; I just don't want to watch something all blinded with sentiment. (09.09.2011)

After watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I could without hesitation read the book version. After watching the Harry Potter film series, I wouldn't even think about trying to read the book. It's not really important whether the eighth and final film of the series is better than the previous or sixth one; in my case, I have long been tired of this film series and I only endured it for the sake of my children. The final installment is actually the only one I saw in the movie theater, all the others on a television screen. The previous films usually received three stars from me for their production and special effects, but in the final installment, the whole series concentrates on the misery that suffers from being drawn out, genre stereotypes, immaturity, and routine. Many problems come from Rowling's work itself, such as the poor handling of characters and emotions, which should bring conflict and the end of some (anti)heroes. As a viewer, I want to be there when the villain gets what he deserves and I want to enjoy his end, but here the characters disappear somehow casually and many crucial things for the story are just thrown in. If there are any catchphrases, they don't work, the dialogues are pathetic and sometimes turn into stiff phrases, the whole thing is emphasized by the sometimes arrogantly pathetic music, and this film couldn't captivate me in any way. I had to take a break during it to go to the toilet and I didn't care at all what was happening in the movie theater. Even the action, which is not lacking in the final installment, is filmed impersonally. If I compare it, for example, with the Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers, where there was a bloody merciless fight that resembled the great battles of ancient and medieval times, and, in essence, it was nothing less than whether genocide would take place or not. Here, everything is artificial and very digital in every respect. Either you see a crowd of anonymous characters, or a black blur of struggling wizards flashes by. Those who are not familiar with the books will sometimes have quite a problem understanding the logic of what they see (in fact, the book has a number of logical inconsistencies). The film's current 167th place in the rankings of the best films and a very decent rating are simply the result of Pottermania and what this series means in contemporary pop culture, rather than the result of film artistry. Two stars may be harsh, because a huge budget, of course, provides a tempting spectacle in the form of grand production and a barrage of special effects, but if I compare it, for example, to Stardust, that film emotionally propelled me to the stars, while this one kept me sunken in my seat and I barely managed to stay awake. If this is supposed to be one of the most significant blockbusters of this summer, then this year has certainly not been very good. Overall impression: 45%. (16.07.2011)

The last Potter suffers from being split up. While part 1 of 2 (the intro) works even without a finale, part 2 of 2 (the finale) without an intro doesn’t taste so good anymore (when I watch both parts in a row, this problem will probably vanish). And there’s a lot to fit in, so most things are just said rather than shown, and so for instance Dumbledore’s villainy is cut down to just a couple of sentences. But this is just a problem with the screenplay and Kloves’ pruning that we are already used to from before. Otherwise, Yates handles Harry’s last adventure pretty decently, it’s just a little obvious that he doesn’t have time to focus on those deaths as much as he would like to and important characters fall like flies in battles that we never see. But it’s all about Harry, anyway. Primarily about Harry. That boy has trodden a damn long journey, and we have with him and fundamentally the finale isn’t a disappointment. Excellent actors, Alan Rickman was given some room at last, stealing the best scenes of the movie and even Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort duly enjoys himself (the same way I enjoyed Neville being teased - magic, this was always a missing in the Potter movies). I have to admit that the saga got me in the end. I used to think those books about a boy with glasses were ridiculous before someone persuaded me give the movie a try at the movie theater in Nový Jičín ten years ago. Today in the same theater, but ten years later, I told myself that I had done right to go watch the movie in the end. You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter! (18.07.2011)

A generic fantasy colouring book that benefits from the dark undertones of The Dark Knight and The Return of the King. The inspiration of those masterpieces is blatant in places and at times it seems that the viewer will finally find their own way in all that copy-pasted and uninventive darkness (where is the childlike playfulness and originality of the first and second films?), but the finale is a flabby, artless affair. I can understand that just as the Harry Potter books and films age and evolve, so do their audiences, but keeping they’ve been far from successful at quality bar at all frequencies. (14.08.2023)

I was able to watch both of the final two Harry Potter films in close succession, and that made it clear to me - the finale of this series couldn't have been better. From the beginning to the end something happens, the viewer feels that something is going on, no scene is extra, no character is superfluous. I knew that I would be moved by certain moments, because I was already moved by them when I read the books. But I didn't really expect that it's going to be moving to the point (you know whose death I mean) that it's going to have the power of the best moments from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. My hat goes off to David Yates, in whom the series has found an excellent director, and I was happy to see every actor who even was glimpsed in any of the eight magical films. (11.09.2015)

If the first part was aimed exclusively at book lovers and Harry's most die-hard "followers", the final part was made for the masses. Nothing that takes place in it is wrong in the context of the literary legend and the atmosphere set by its predecessors, and the Battle of Hogwarts looks simply amazing – is exactly how I imagined on my repeated readings of the book. But the film lacks any added value, any deeper depiction of fate or the distribution of motives among the many characters, which would add even more emotion to the action. The last episode has the shortest runtime of all, which is a testament to popcorn fans and relentless action build-up, but is somewhat lacking in the tried and tested Potter essences, the interactions between the heroes and the mental anguish of young people in the face of pure evil (like the third LOTR). On the other hand, the direction is great, there are some enjoyable and non-distracting jokes, a brilliant Pensieve sequence, an over-the-top Alan Rickman, stunning effects, and of course Hogwarts, the most magical place in book and film history, where I partly grew up and thoroughly enjoy every shot of it. It’s a pity that this time it was only 120 minutes :)) (15.07.2011)

Un muy buen final para la serie que me hizo sentir mejor tras la inconclusa primera parte de las Reliquias. Aplaudo a Yates, que ha mejorado mucho desde La Orden del Fénix, lamentablemente aún no ha aprendido a rodar la muerte de alguien de manera que funcione, por lo que todos los personajes que mueren lo hacen fuera de la pantalla y no hay arrepentimiento. Su flashback a los recuerdos de Snape, sin embargo, es maravilloso. Menos mal que el guionista Kloves no tuvo muchas oportunidades de crear diálogos largos. Todo gira en torno a la acción, que es divertidísima. Algunos puntos sordos no estropean la impresión general. Sólo haría falta un final más épico y más emoción sin discursos baratos. Por lo demás, ¡genial! (11.07.2011)

If someone didn't like the sixth part of "Harry Potter" (in film form) and thought that they could have gotten much more out of it because there was definitely more in the book, they had to wait until the eighth film, where it was finally proper action-packed, epic, and digitally on par. Everything is heading towards its peak, so it simply had to have a proper ending that would have an impact and leave the viewers speechless. Fans had to like it because everything important that the series had was there. Death had to come in a big way. There's little to criticize about the film. The director and the entire film crew tried, and it actually turned out very well, but the film doesn't bring anything as interesting and it's mainly for fans who will appreciate even the terrible ending that was already poorly done in the book. I admit that I was hoping they would skip this ending, but there's nothing we can do. I also hoped that Harry Potter would eventually die. He did die, but not entirely. Well, there's nothing we can do. We can't have everything. However, if someone has a marathon of all eight films, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" can be the one they look forward to as the grand finale. But it simply doesn't compare to films like "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/07/kacatko-woodcock-nakaza-laska-dalsi.html (22.02.2013)

Not only the bombastic action and the "truly epic treatment" demanded by everyone at the end of the series, but also the numerous emotional scenes, which manage to move in a wonderful way with their intensity and sincerity, thus bringing the second part of the "seventh installment" to a more intimate plane, at least for a while, in a constantly tense atmosphere. I'm a reader of all the books (many times), I grew up with Harry Potter and it's an affair of the heart for me, so I can pretty much give up on any objectivity.)) The almost apocalyptic atmosphere that Yates manages to maintain almost throughout is fantastic, and fits perfectly with the state of mind of the main characters in the last instalment. Things like the editing, soundtrack, visual effects or cinematography are getting better and more professional with each instalment, so the last part of the saga is a complete ecstasy for me in this respect. 18 Jul 2011, IMAX – Flora, 7:40 p.m. (24.07.2011)