Good, not great

Rating: 9/10 (15 July 2011)

Part 2 of the final installment of the Harry Potter series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of tracking down and destroying Lord Voldemort's three remaining Horcruxes, the dark magical items posed as everyday things that are responsible for his immortality. But as the legendary Deathly Hallows are uncovered, Voldemort finds out about their mission, the fight of good against evil will come to an explosive end. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off, searching for Horcruxes. I was never really a fan of the Horcruxes plot line, but I had always tolerated it as I read the novels because even though it felt like a plot line that would be in a sub-par video game, it still felt planned, thanks to Tom Riddle's diary back in Chamber of Secrets. The Horcruxes plot line also worked well on the pages, because they were spread out in the book. However, on screen, it felt repetitive and tedious, with little to no break in between each one, especially in Part 2. Part 1 was an atmospheric and emotional movie, and even though it was basically a prelude to the conclusion of the series, it stood alone as a film rather well. Part 2 was supposed to be action-packed and also emotional, and while it was action-packed (although it felt like it took forever to get there), it wasn't as emotional as I had hoped it would be. The film felt a bit rushed and was single-noted. Part 2 is the shortest Potter installment, and it felt like it. Many scenes left me wanting more. The single-noted aspect made the film feel incomplete. It felt like it was strictly about Horcruxes and the Potter/Voldemort confrontation, with some other sub-plots barely sprinkled in. Maybe if they hadn't split the film in two, but made it one long film, it would have felt more complete. The acting was as solid as ever, with Daniel Radcliffe giving his best performance of the series. Ralph Fiennes was as evil as ever and Alan Rickman gave his best performance in the series too, as Snape. Everyone else was solid as well, but unfortunately we don't get to see them nearly as much, which was a shame. The visual effects were top-notch and can only be rivaled by Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The spell-casting, creatures, and explosions were dazzling and suitably, magical. Some of the CGI was a bit spotty, but I honestly can remember only one instance and it literally lasted two seconds. I loved that the film was all about how there is darkness in all of us, but we can learn how to overcome it. We learn quickly that no character in this series (including Dumbledore) is totally pure, and Harry must completely accept this or else he will fail. Overall, as a film, it's a good one. But when you deal with sequels and a series, as well as the most famous book series of all time, as well as expectation, Part 2 doesn't make the grade. I expected a lot more, and didn't get it. It felt rushed and wasn't at all cathartic, which is what a Potter fan who not only grew up reading the books but grew up watching the films as well was deserving of. There are a lot of variables as to why the film was not excellent, and one could argue Book 7 was one of the weaker books anyway. Still, it's a good movie and whenever you deal with an ending people are very critical if it is not exactly they way they envisioned it. Harry Potter was one of the greatest film series of all time, and even though Part 2 wasn't the best, I'm still satisfied with the series as a whole, which stuck to the books faithfully, upheld Rowling's wishes, stuck with the same actors, and above all, stayed consistently great with four different directors and the transition from kid-friendly to much, much darker themes. That is an achievement unto itself. In the 10 years since Harry's big-screen debut, the spell has never been broken.