Spectacular finale to our beloved HP series

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2011)

All good things must come to an end, a wise man once said. After a full decade of the magical HP franchise we all know and love, it all ends here with this final film. I have to say just walking into the theater I was a bit teary-eyed, I had grown up right along with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint and watched as they matured both physically and emotionally, so this has been a whole full circle moment. I'm sad to see it end but I'm proud to say it ended on spectacular high note.
Part II picks up right where Part I left off, with our beloved trio hunting down and destroying every last one of Voldemort's horcruxes, so that he could be rendered mortal and finally be killed off once and for all. This leads to a surprisingly comedic scene where Hermione disguises herself as Bellatrix Lestrange so that they can gain access to her bank vault, where one of Voldemort's horcruxes is kept. Watching Hermione wobble and nearly trip over herself in Bellatrix's heels while trying to act like her was very laughable. The other memorable moments (of which there are so many) include the final battle at Hogwarts where the students and professors defend their school and each other against Voldemort's Death Eaters, Neville stepping up to the plate as a hero with an unbreakable spirit, and Hermione and Ron's long awaited kiss.
The actors all did a superb job here. Alan Rickman gave the character of Severus Snape redemption in this last film. In his dying moment he gave Harry his memories, where we finally see Snape's true motivations. It was Dumbledore who orchestrated his own death, he asked Snape to kill him (A) as a mercy killing so he wouldn't die a slower, much more painful death due to the curse inflicted on him and (B) to set up a chain of events which would make Harry the rightful owner of the Elder Wand so that he would gain the winning hand in defeating Voldemort.
And Daniel was outstanding in his final performance as Harry. He captured Harry's character perfectly, he conveyed both vulnerability and strength all at the same time. Harry willingly sacrificed his own life to Voldemort, as a bargain to save the lives of everyone else at Hogwarts(and also to destroy the horcrux that Voldemort had unwittingly made Harry into when he first tried to kill him as a baby). He went willingly knowing he would die. By showing both how scared he was and yet still finding the courage in him to face Voldemort, Daniel made Harry a real flesh and blood hero. After that, Harry's resurrection and his final duel with Voldy was just the icing on the cake. Altho it was cool to see Harry come out victorious and Voldy getting his just desserts.
The only slight complaint I have is that a few of the scenes were rushed. The battle scenes were longer and harder fought in the book than was shown in this film, but I can definitely forgive that. It would probably be over 4 hours long if they set out to make it exactly like the book. Nevertheless, this film did its job and captured the true essence of its characters and its story, and my emotions ran wild with every high and low. I urge you all to see it, its an experience that you just have to have.