Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

This is it. We have finally reached the grand finale of the Harry Potter series, and it definitely deserves that title. There is no better way they could have ended the story than the way they did with this one.

The story continues where Deathly Hallows Part 1 left off with Harry, Ron, and Hermione searching for the last of Voldemort's horcruxes in an effort to finally destroy him and save the wizarding world from his cruelty. The best part about all this is that once it gets started, it just keeps on going, the action never stops until Voldemort is defeated, and that is this film's greatest strength.

Where the first part of this story is very slow and kind of takes its time, this one goes from one plot point and action setpiece to another, and yet it doesn't feel excessive, especially because this is the shortest of the Harry Potter films. It's an adrenaline rush getting to see the break-in at the wizard bank Gringotts, the destruction of the final horcruxes, and the battle of Hogwarts, which are very big and epic befitting the finality of this story.

However, we get some really strong performances from Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, especially in the leadup to the final battle in which we actually get an amazing yet quiet moment of reflection for him. The other performance I say stands out is the legendary Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, who proves his character's worth to the entire Potter story, and seeing how that plays out is fantastic and yet heartbreaking.

Overall, this is a vast improvement over Deathly Hallows Part 1, with some strong performances, a better paced plot, and an explosive finale. You could not ask for a better ending to what, from 2001 to 2011, was a cultural phenomenon. By the end, the characters and the viewer go through so much that the ending feels earned, and that is why this film works so well.

Next time, we journey back to the world of Middle Earth, 50 years before the start of the epic journey that was The Lord of the Rings, and get to experience the journey of a mild mannered hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, as he goes on a dangerous adventure to battle and defeat a deadly dragon. Keep an eye open for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

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