Satisfying conclusion, worth it in the end.

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2011)

Well its been a long road to have travelled watching these films, and although it has had its misses as well as its hits, the franchise as a whole is worthy of its status as one of the all time greats.
I am not a fan of the books, it had never appealed to me to read the children's novels and so coming into these films the story was completely fresh. It almost worked against me because the one key thing about these films as I'm sure it must have been with the books is that they age with the audience. By this i mean the first film was very much rooted in a children's film theme and didn't dare stray into darker themes for more than the odd fleeting moment.
But This film certainly did. Everything you might be looking for from a fantasy tale was present here, the action was plentiful, the characters remained complex and we were given yet more insight into back stories and twist elements that were previously unknown. There was a touch of comedy at times but it was deliberately low key to ensure the overall mood of this finale was where it should be, that sense of despair you need to feel with the main characters before they make their final stand against the great evil.
The 3d doesn't add enough to make it an enhancement to the film experience, but in honesty the film doesn't need it. From the beginning you are on your way with an adventure that contains suspense, magic and then a dramatic action sequence or two, so you aren't having to wait on any build up.
To sum it up without any spoilers is tough, but needless to say this is Harry's final stand off against Voldemort and his followers, and its packed with a variety of creatures and magic and revelations that if you haven't already read the book will tie a lot of previous elements together in a clever way. Characters you might have preconceptions about will surprise you, those who you may not expect to be a key player in it all will suddenly step up to the plate... This is easily for me the best of the entire series, and not just because it has all the pay offs that the rest have been leading up to but because its the darkest and most adult in theme of the lot.
It helped that a lot of the more tedious elements were used up in the first half of this two part finish to the series. I am aware that a book can make more descriptive and explanatory parts to the story more entertaining, but the translation onto screen in deathly hallows part 1 was dire by comparison to this. Whre the drawn out tedium of part 1 affected both the pace and the interest this film turns it all on its head, as if this was the pay off to reward you for sticking with it after that initial slow start. In many ways these films will work better in tandem on a DVD, so you are introduced to all the plot details before being taken on the wild ride of the final stand between good and evil.
The fact that after 7 previous films you have invested yourself in the characters is a big assist here, because they are almost like old friends that you are seeing in one last adventure together, and that is the mark of a great story. To invest yourself in their journey and to care about the outcome has made this a hard act to follow as they look to fill the void this will leave.