The best of the series to begin our farewell

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2012)

We're nearing the end of the long-running Harry Potter epic. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been split into two films. Is it going to be a great success or just a ploy for the film makers to squeeze an extra billion out of us?
Dumbledore is dead, Voldemort is quickly working to take control of the Ministry, and Harry will become a legal adult on July 31st. Time is running out, and it's very clear that the three kids we have grown to love over a decade are not kids anymore. Harry, Ron and Hermione have chosen not to finish their last year in Hogwarts, and are preparing to go on a mission to find and destroy Voldemort before he takes over the world. Shortly before he turns 17, the remaining members of the Order help assist Harry back to the Weasley home in an intense battle with Death Eaters (and Voldemort) in the sky. Harry is feeling guilty over some deaths and injuries during the battle, but everyone else at the Burrow is preparing for the wedding of Bill, the eldest Weasley son to Fleur Delacour. But Bill and Fleur's wedding is interrupted by a frightening message that the Ministry has been taken over by Voldemort and the Death Eaters, so Harry, Ron and Hermione flee as quickly as possible. We follow them as they go around the Wizarding and Muggle world in search of horcruxes and attempting to destroy them. Through the clues that Dumbledore left and the help of Luna's father Xenophilius (Rhys Ifans), they discover that Voldemort is in search of the "Deathly Hallows", three objects that will make him invincible. Emotions run high as both personal frustrations and ill will of Voldemort's seeps into the three best friends and tries to destroy them. Will they manage to destroy the horcruxes and find the Deathly Hallows before Voldemort becomes more powerful than ever?
This is probably the best Harry Potter film they ever made, I absolutely love it. The acting is great, the emotions depicted are intense, special effects are good, the fight scenes are exciting and any fan will be completely glued to the screen. One thing that I feel sets this film apart from the others is the pacing. Even the better paced Harry Potter films feel a bit rushed, as I imagine it's hard to fit a 4-700 page book into less than three hours of film. But this book was given an entire 4.5 hours to allow as much as possible, and thank goodness for that! There isn't as much happening in this film and some people find that boring, but I find it proof that they put a lot of effort into the film instead of just using it as a money maker. The characters in Harry Potter are deep, meaningful, and realistic in their own way. The film makers know their fans have grown to love and care for these people, and allowing us to watch their inner turmoil in some silence allows us to truly process and feel everything they have experienced—and that we have shared with them. It would have been better for them to include some other information the sixth film left out, but on the other hand that might have muddled up the plot and quieter tone of this film. The only criticisms I have of this is that they left out Tonks' announcement that she and Remus were having a child. This just irks me because it could have been done with just a few more seconds in the scene where the Order comes to the Dursley house. Other than that nitpick this film follows the first half of the book wonderfully, and flows very well on screen. Its only downfalls are the information the sixth film left out (particularly where the mirror shard came from and why Harry has it). This truly is the best Harry Potter film of the series, and a good way to start us off in saying goodbye to our favorite witches and wizards.