The best of all the films

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2011)

Right off the bat, I'll tell you that if you haven't at least seen Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Part 1, you will be lost without all hope for the whole film AND this review. Don't kid yourself.
The movie starts exactly where Part 1 left off. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have buried the late Dobby, and Voldemort has obtained the Elder Wand from the cold, dead hands of Dumbledore. The three heroes then devise a plan with the aid of Griphook the goblin to break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts to find one of Voldemort's horcruxes. They get in quite easily, but have a bit of a problem with leaving.
I won't reveal anything else. If you could only call one of the 8 Potter films an "action" film, this would be the one. After the first third of the movie or so, it's essentially hell at Hogwarts. The place is torn apart by spells, important characters are killed off, and the pace rarely lets up. This is what everyone (including me) should have expected of the final entry. It ties together all loose ends, everyone's true character is revealed, and the climax is spectacular.
Any acting problems that there may have been at any point in the film series are extinguished. Everyone that has a part is perfect. Daniel Radcliffe shows more emotion than before while playing the series' hero. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Ron and Hermione show the characters' affection for each other seamlessly, as their characters have gone from a bickering duo, to a convincing couple. Ralph Fiennes again proves that he was the perfect choice for Voldemort, a purely evil character with absolutely no redeeming qualities... then polar opposite to Harry Potter. But, in my opinion, Matthew Lewis' portrayal of Neville Longbottom might just stand out above all others. His character finally gets his true moment in the sun, becoming a great hero, and it is clear that Lewis has matured with the character.
The plot, while as a movie standing on it's own is perhaps unspectacular, answers all questions that any non-readers may have been asking, and, like I said earlier, it's what was expected. And the epilogue is very satisfying, don't you worry.
Combine this film with Part 1, and you may have a film that is the most loyal to the book of all the films, so die-hard fans shouldn't have any serious complaints. I know I didn't.
So, does the movie deserve Oscar recognition? In the case of acting, I think that Daniel Radcliffe has earned at least a nomination. He makes you truly feel for the character, especially near the end. Unfortunately, nominating anyone else would shadow someone else's performance, and that wouldn't be fair. Radcliffe stands out. And I haven't seen Captain America yet, but I think that this film should definitely win Best Special Effects; everything is blended together so well. The spells, the castle, the dragon from Gringotts, Voldemorts face (it is not makeup, as many people know)... you don't even notice that it's all computer generated. And should it win Best Picture...? If it's even nominated, I doubt that it will win, but I suppose that stranger things have happened... just be sure to keep your eye on the Oscars next year...
My one complaint? The 3-D. Totally unnecessary, and actually a bit distracting at times. And I usually like 3-D...
Still, 10/10