The perfect way to end it

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2011)

Yes indeed, it's all over. The eighth and final Harry Potter movie is perhaps the best of the entire lot, as it seamlessly mixes fantastic action with intricate exposition. It satisfactorily completes the story, tying up all essential loose ends, and leaves you with a sense of acceptable finality. It's a textbook example of how to finish a film series.
HP 7a begins right where the HP 7a left off, a departure from the other films (which dove almost right into a major action scene). I liked that, because even though the final book was split into two movies, for the sake of continuity it's best to think of them as one long, long movie. This continuity allowed us to remain in sync with the characters and their plight, rather than removing us from the action.
Harry is still on the lookout for the remaining Horcruxes, objects into which Voldemort has placed portions of his soul. He, along with Ron and Hermione, have left Hogwarts, which is now under the ruthless rule of one Professor Snape, who may or may not have had something to do with the death of the last headmaster (Dumbledore). Snape may or may not be working for the Dark Lord; it's something that's been ambiguous for many movies now. Meanwhile, Voldemort is assembling his forces and, knowing the prophecy that says only he or Harry may live, seeks his enemy's demise.
There are two major, long scenes in the movie: one involves a break in (and break out) of the goblin bank Gringotts, and the other is the epic Battle of Hogwarts. Both seem terrifyingly real, especially when viewed in IMAX 3D. I don't often go for the IMAX experience, or for 3D, but this was a good choice. Director Peter Yates made great use of the technology.
I think the movie is fairly true to the book, with only some minor changes. For example, the character of Crabbe, one of Draco Malfoy's buddies, doesn't appear in the movie - because the actor who played him had had a drug conviction, thus necessitating a script change. But for the most part, things are as they were in the book.
The most touching moments are the quiet, sometimes unexpected ones. There are many times during the movie when characters feel that they could die at any moment, so they say and do things believing there may not be time later on. The terrific cast - especially the younger actors - is compelling as always, believable not only as witches and wizard but as loving, feeling human being just like us.
Of course, the biggest emotional moment takes place in the Forbidden Forest, an ethereal scene that brings back a lot of memories for Harry; it's somewhat reminiscent of the cave scene on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, except that in this case the scene propels the plot and serves as an emotional counter to all the battling going on around it.
There are no major flaws in this movie, and the minor ones are inconsequential. The film maintains its sense of urgency, seriousness, and dark attitude; you genuinely feel as if the fate of the world rests on this manchild with a lightning scar. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is a beautiful, elegant coda to a long-running series that began as a kids' movie and became more mature as it progressed, much like its youthful main cast.