"Do not Pity the Dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, all those who live without love."

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2011)

Love. The main theme of all the Harry Potter films, and novels. It is also why this series works. The cast and crew... and Rowling, love these characters, and this world. So we are meant to love it too.
I had my hopes up, growing up, expecting the catharsis of what feels like graduation from childhood, dreams, and magic. And being a fan of the adaptations of J.K.'s novels to film, I had high hopes. Were they met? Mostly, yes.
I do think in many ways this picture was stolen by Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman. It is so obvious how fine an actor Ralph is... he's done some pretty stellar work. Here, he is menacing and truly 'evil'. He does this well. However it is the two sides of him we had yet to see in his interpretation of Voldemort that impressed me most. His dark wit, and his utter vulnerability and fear of his own demise. This is so evident in his performance. One of the greatest antagonists of all time. Bravo Ralph!!!
Alan's character, Snape has obviously been a fan favourite and his big reveal has been much awaited. What a great character by Rowling, and what a great performance from Rickman, he plays him with such inner conflict. He shows that no mater what genre a film is, good acting... is good acting.
In this apocalyptic reunion film, we get to see the group of talent faces that have joined this series over the last 10 years. The cast is a true accomplishment. They are, without a doubt, the finest actors out there. Even in smaller roles, Maggie Smith shines with love, the down Jason Isaacs, the lovable Julie Walters, the intelligent Michael Gambon, and Robbie Coltrane who is viciously underused but still the lovable Hagrid we grew up with. But my all time favourite goes to the wickedly evil, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. She is underused... that is a downfall of this picture. She is talked about more then she is present. Oh well, she makes the most of what she is given. Bonham Carter not only gets to play the sadistic woman madly in love with Voldemort (we get to see a little more of this), but she gets to play Emma Watson's Hermione as well. Helena you are my all time favourite actor, and you do Potter proud!
A big hand out to other underused, but much appreciated faces of the Potter family, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman, Miriam Margolyes, the remarkable Jim Broadbent, Warwick Davis (not so under used... but still), John Hurt, Mark Williams, Kelly Macdonald, George Harris, Emma Thompson, Gemma Jones, David Bradley, Ciaran Hinds, and the finally used Helen McCroy... she does a good job here.
The youngest cast members have not only grown up with us, but also turned into talented young actors. Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe... who I liked but often found wooden, does great work here! As an actor he deals with some of the more difficult emotions... again he does this so well here! Bravo Daniel. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (who is so beautiful) feel like the audience's best friends as well as Harry's. I can't think of a better compliment. And their much awaited kiss... is absolute perfection. Bonnie Wright's Ginny feels present and talented. Evanna Lynch has a great career ahead of her, her Luna is eccentrically groovy. Tom Felton is typical... he's given stuff to do... I guess, and he does a good job of what he has. Matthew Lewis has screen time. Kloves wrote well for him, and his delivery is sweet and courageous. His exchange with Voldemort in the courtyard, as Bellatrix laughs in the background, is one of the best scenes in the series!
As for the other familiar faces of the Hogwarts students, good and bad, a shout out to you guys!
Technically "Deathly Hallows part 2" is completely Oscar worthy. I do not pass this sentiment off easily. But it is. Cinematorgraphy is stunning, striking strong imagery. The production design is absolutely flawless, with such incredible detail that not everyone sees, you my friends need an Oscar! The editing is sharp, and the sound design is terrific. But what steals it all is Alexandre Desplat's touching score. It evokes true emotion, throwing in enough of John William's score, but also adding his own mark on Harry Potter history.
The writing is the best it's been and never rushed. The direction by Yates is wonderful. You can tell he truly cares about the characters and what they're going through. Would I have liked him to show more of the supporting cast, especially during the battle... yes, but we all can't get what we want.
There are times where it feels a little rushed, the whole film could have been 10 minutes longer, and most of my issues could have been fixed by that. A couple plot holes, nothing major, but a couple.
A huge thank you to all the cast and crew, every single person who put their heart and soul into this film, and the series it concludes. You have brought forth J.K.'s world, creating one that was easily attainable to children, but also philosophically for all ages. We deal with some huge themes here, love and death being the biggest.
This is a fantastic, gripping, incredibly poignant and tender film, with all the magic and wonder of the first, and the excitement and climax of what the last film should be!
See this film in 2D, as it should properly be seen.