Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2: Review Thread

[Morgoth]

This thread is for reviews of the movie ONLY. Please do not critique other critics. Let people have their say on the movie and move the discussion to this thread here

[thefirestorm]

I thought this film was incredible!

(I'd like to apologise for spelling mistakes. It is 4am!)

I don't have any faults, ANY at all. The pacing was right, the battle was jaw-dropping (and not over-done like transformers) and emotions were overwhelming.

Highlights:

The Prince's Tale: Done complete justice. Heart-breaking. Snape and Lily laying in the grass transforming leaves into a flock of birds was beautiful. Everything was explained well! Acting was phenomenal.

Setting up for battle: From McGonnogal to Fred and George to Neville - really, really good scenes. Very intense. Sets up for the battle really well.

Courtyard: Hagrid carrying a 'dead' Harry down the bridge was chilling. The music was subtle, yet suited the scene extremely well. Neville's speech, Ginny crying, Draco's reluctancy, Voldemort's joy all mixed for one of the best scenes of the series.

Voldy's speeches: I love how they would physically hurt people's heads and cause them to have internal pain.

McGonnogal and Snape duel: One of the best parts of the movie. Exciting, dangerous and I loved seeing teachers and students stand up for Harry!

All-in-all! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! (inbox me questions if you have any)

[Tenshi]

I will be hated for this, but I don't think the movie was as good as Part 1.

Some for me important plots from the books were left out (Dumbledore's story for example).

They also changed some scenes to an extend that it bothered me. For example scene when Neville was supposed to slay Nagini.

Harry finishes off Voldemort and nobody cares?. I expected more joy and more "well done Harry"s.

While I was awaiting Snape's dead with anticipation was I kinda dissappointed by the sappyness. Tears? That was too much emo.

I was also dissappointed of McGonagall vs. Snape. People told me it's going to be awesome. I didn't see what was so spectacular about it. Same goes for Molly vs. Bella. I expected a longer fight, but those where just a few curse exchanges without any action.

Good parts:
Hermione impersonating Bella. Helena is doing a superb job there.

Dragon.

McGonagall's Statue Army and McGonagall herself.

Voldemort after marching into Hogwarts with dead Harry.
"Harry is dead. Neeener!" LIke a school boy. That was so unexpected.

Snape being angry at Dumbledore for "raising Harry as a pig for slaughter". It felt so good to hear someone say it out loud.

[DA93]

Emotions running wild over here

I might change my opinion on stuff, when i see it again, but this is my reaction just 1 hour after the movie ended...

Opening with Snape on Hogwarts was good. Shell Cottage was good to. Very quiet though.

Gringotts was good, i don't think it was spectacular, just what i would expect.

Entering Hogsmade, talking to Aberforth and entering the ROR was way to fast. Almost nothing was explained.

Harry/Snape in the Great Hall was awsome. Loved that scene.

The battle was kind of ... meh. We've seen almost everything from it in the trailers, kind of disapointing. But of course, what we got was good.

Snape's death and Prince's Tale. Exelent! Just what i hoped for. Well done

The Forrest again and King's Cross was great, nothing else to say about that.

After this, thing's started to go downhill. Extended duel and everything, book version will allways be better !

Highlights:
- Harry confronting Snape in the Great Hall.

- Snape: "You have your mothers eyes"

- Evana Lynch/Luna: "You listen to me Harry Potter!" Amazing

- Draco. They really did justice to his character!

- The baby at King's Cross. How disturbing and still great !

- The whole Diadem of Rawenclaw and The Gray Lady!

- Lots more, but thats the first things that comes to my mind.

Dissapointing things:
- To much humor on inappropriate moments! I don't know how it was to you guys, but people where laughting A LOT on the screening i went to..

- Neville: 'Im in love with her!'. Really ?! It wasn't in the book, and it hasn't been buildt up in the movies so it was really no reason to have it there imo.

- Bellatrix and Voldemort crumbling like paper. That was the worst thing with the entire movie. Please, just show us that they collapse !

[free_elf]

Ahhhh it's good to be back. I've miss these forums! This is my review of the film. I originally posted this on tumblr hence the 'non-spoilery' stuff. But it encapsulates how I feel pretty well...


"First, I would like to note that when it comes to the Harry Potter movies, or any book-to-screen adaptions I am not a nit-picker. I hold that if the movie retains the essence of the source material (even sometimes at the sacrifice of particular scenes or secondary story-lines) then the film has done its job. In short, you will not find any complaints or otherwise about missing details or changes here. And there are changes. There always are. If anyone is still coming to the Harry Potter films expecting to see exactly what was on the page on screen, then I would have to wonder where they have been for the past 10 years. I would have to add that, especially in the case of one particular characters death, while the change may at first grate on some fans, the brevity of the scene is somewhat countered by a beautiful albeit largely silent moment not in the books given some 5-10 minutes before the death that will surely bring a tear to the eye. In fact, it was the moment that I lost it and from there, well it was hard to hinder the flow.

So, yes, the movie is a tear- jerker and I would argue that the water works are not to be limited to the hard-core fans bemoaning the loss of their childhood heroes. Alexandre Desplat’s score along with cinematographer Eduardo Serra’s beautifully crafted shots build an atmosphere at once epic, grande and desperate. The elements have all come together for this one. Everything and everyone shines. Everyone gets their moment under the sun, the trio, the cast of British thespians, the students and those who worked so hard behind the scenes to create a world at once accessible and magical. I’m going to step into cliche’ now and throw out the phrase “left the best til last.”

The film opens with a good solid 20 or so minutes in which we are treated to a brief re-cap and explanation of the Deathly Hallows and wand-lore, humour is allowed to flourish under the guise of Hermione-Bellatrix (Bonham Carter pulling out all stops here) and we are treated to a nice little roller-coaster ride of adventure, quite literally. But it is when we return to Hogwarts that the film goes from solid to epic, from meeting expectations to exceeding expectations, from entertaining to simultaneously rapturous and gut-wrenching. The pace hits another notch not yet experienced in the Harry Potter films and it truly does not let up. Even when we are treated to moments of exposition, they are so full of revelation and feeling that the emotional roller-coaster continues. Kudos to Alan Rickman. Kudos. That’s all I will say. (His name received the biggest cheer from the audience during the credits at my screening).

I would also like to give credit to Yates, Heyman and Kloves for not being afraid to lend the battle of Hogwarts the epic stature it deserved. I applaud them for being brutal, for being violent and for showing the true cost of the war. This is something, that although portrayed in the books, I had feared they would tone down in a need to play to a younger market. They haven’t. They have shown no mercy. There is blood, there are bodies and some of it quite sudden that it really throws you. These moments are well placed, reminding us, the audience, of just how dangerous Voldemort can be. This truly is life and death now. I will take this opportunity, also to note that the subtle change made to Voldemort’s character/story is actually a huge plus and works superbly on screen, allowing for some beautiful inter-cutting of scenes.

Without wanting to divulge too much and go into spoiler territory, I will finish with saying that this is the epic, gut-wrenching and pitch perfect ending that Harry deserved."

[Justafan1107]

Just got home from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part2.
Awesome movie, not as good as Part1 but awesome nonetheless.
Prince's tale was totally great, one of the best parts. Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets loved it, the KISS, WHOPPIEEEEEEEEEEEE. Gringotts was good, loved the dragon.
The main part I had issues with was it ws drawn out with the battle between Harry and Voldemort (voldyvolvo) and Harry talking to the Grey Lady. I love McGonagall, she kicks arse. I cried over Snape, my hero.

[HarryH1993]

My Official Review: 7/10. (Im being critical).

Positives:
- It opened superbly, and subtly but smartly recapped the 'Horcruxes' + 'Deathly Hallows' which was fantastic.
- The Gringotts scene was perfect. The special effects were outstanding, and the anxiety was there (unlike the Ministry Of Magic scene in DH1 which IMHO, was too sugar coated). The acting of Helena Bonham Carter was excellent; she is a natural. The Dragon sequence was once again, brilliant.
- Harry's entry into Hogwarts. It was everything I had hoped for. The teachers stood up for him, and he wasted no time in confronting Snape (who McGonagall then dealt with!).
- Battle Of Hogwarts - The visual effects were clean, the notion of 'Good V Evil' was evident, no complaints. It was satisfying, and didn't take away from the story at the heart of the movie.
- Room Of Requirement - Brilliant and thrilling. As I imagined it!
- The Prince's Tale. The best scene of the whole movie in my opinion. Alan Rickman blew me away. Snape's death was violent, but so powerful. There wasn't a dry eye in the cinema. The location was magnificent, and it felt just right. A big emotional climax of the film. The pensieve sequence was also done very well, and once again, Rickman gave his best performance of the series. Amazing. I cried for hours.
- The Resurrection Stone Scene & the Forbidden Forest. Need I say more? Amazing. Touching. Tears.
- Voldemort's mentality - I didn't think Voldemort's mentality would feature that much in this film, but it did and it was so intriguing and terrifying; Ralph Fiennes shone in almost every scene. Chilling performance.
- Ron/Hermione kiss! Wish Ron's head hadn't been blocking the kiss itself, but it was satisfying and forgive my informal language, completely cute!
- Kings Cross Again - Beautiful.
- 19 Years Later - Tears of Joy.
- Molly Weasley V Bellatrix - Althought short, it was satisfying. Julie Walters delivered the line perfectly.
- The Final Confrontation - Although it lacked in a reaction after Voldemort exploded, the actual duel itself was very climatic and suspensful. It was in a word, epic.
- The trio on the bridge at the end. Lovely ending. Just them 3 standing next to each other. I cannot even begin to explain my emotions at that. They were out of control.


Now for the Negatives:
- Molly V Bellatrix - This appears in both lists, because I was so thrilled that Molly got her moment, but no-one was watching, and it was just too short. It could've been a show stopper but it wasn't and I will forever despise the directors for it.
- Voldemort's death - Again, I was thrilled at the duel but NO-ONE was there. How disappointing. How perfect would it have been if everyone was there watching, and then utter triumph followed his death. I will forever despise the directors for it.
- Fred Weasley/Lupin/Tonks - Their deaths weren't even shown.. especially Fred's. I missed that, and once again will despise the directors for it.
- Neville & Luna - NOT CANON. NOT ACCEPTABLE. But Neville and Luna both owned it!
- Harry & Ginny development - There was none of it.
- Ron was ignored by Kloves. Again.
- Harry should have REPAIRED his wand.
- No Dumbledore Backstory - Was not crucial to the plot, but I felt it needed to be put in.

Acting Performances:
They all actually did brilliantly. Especially Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Daniel Radcliffe and Ralph Fiennes. Emma Watson stole the show in Part 1, but didn't have as big a role in Part 2. Alan Rickman and Dan Radcliffe were amazing. Just superb performances.

All in all, it was epic, operatic and thoroughly satisfying. I just wish the writers had given Bellatrix the death she deserved, and that everyone witnessed the death and then cheered. Biggest letdown were those 2 things. But I'm going to and see it again, this time in 3D! Im still excited - the series will NEVER die! All is well.

[205tim]

Just saw it a few hours ago, and was very impressed, overall a great movie, probably the best of the series, with HBP a close second.

For me, I found that the whole movie seemed alot more emotionally engaging than the previous movies. This may be though, due to it being the last movie in what has been a truly brilliant series, and knowing that is ending.

There were a couple of minor gripes I had with the movie, although I wasn't really trying to look at it with a critical eye. The first is where the back story of Ariana/Albus/Aberforth is brought up but then just left as a loose end. The second being where Harry tells Ron and Hermione that he is a Horcrux, this just seemed a bit too out of character.

I won't recap all of the brilliant parts, there were too many, but I will just say that the Prince's Tale was absolutely phenomenal.

[moony259]

I thought it was such a fitting end to the story! I was very pleased with it.

However, as always, I had a few issues with it:
- I was really disappointed that Harry didn't actually see Fred's death. I think that they could have stayed true to the book here and have him be involved.
- Why did Voldemort and Bellatrix explode/crumble into pieces when they died? They are still (mostly!) human, people!
- Why was there no one watching Harry kill Voldemort? He really deserved a bit of a cheer after all the effort he went through.
- If they were going to bring up Dumbledore's story then I think they needed to go into a bit more detail than they did.
- Why didn't they mention Teddy at all??? Except Remus very briefly! I was really looking forward to seeing him

Ok, now onto the awesome bits (even though there were so many I could go on forever):
- The Prince's Tale. 'Nuff said - Alan Rickman is actually incredible.
- I LOVED the role that Neville got in this film! He is one of my favourite characters and he finally appears as the hero he is!
- Same with McGonagall - especially the "It's good to see you, Potter" and "I've always wanted to use that spell." Classic.
- It wasn't in the book, but I actually really enjoyed the bit where Harry tells Hermione and Ron that he's going into the forest. I loved their goodbyes!
- Molly vs Bella. I was looking forward to this so much! It could have been longer but Julie Walters did the quote justice.
- Hermione and Ron in the chamber. Again, it wasn't in the book but I liked that they went a bit astray.
- When the trio arrive in the Room of Requirement was a great scene.
- The humor! I wasn't expecting it to be so funny but I think the movie would have been too dark without it.

All in all, I am so sad that it is over, but I think that the movies did the books justice, and that is really all that I wanted from them.

[acciowinter]

well so I have seen it as well last night. Was home at 3am and had to get up at 6am for work. Such dedication. I actually watched Part 1 before Part 2 it was this doublefeature thing they had at my theater. Which was great.

Anyway, I personally only gave it a 7/10 which might be due to the reason that I didn't really feel like it was as good as it was reviewed and hyped before. Secondly it might be because of course the first showing only gives you so much you can focus on. I probably missed a lot of parts and I want to see it again to maybe change my opinion.

LIKED:
- the beginning. The trio talking to Griphook and Ollivander was brilliant just like I wanted them to do it in the movie + it had a ffeeling of Part 1 and I loved part 1 to pieces.

- Gringotts. so well done in my opinion. Helena as Emma/Hermione was brilliant. I loved the way she acted like her and was all insecure witht eh Goblins and trying to get them to bring her to her vault. The dragon was intense and even though it looked slightly fake in my 3D showing I loved how the trio jumped it and then flew away. I also really loved how the multiplying of the treasures. That was well done.

- setting up protections for Hogwarts. FAVORITE scene by far. The music was epic. McGonagall and Flitwick and Slughorn and Molly and the entire Order doing all their spells to protect Hogwarts. McGonagall was so fierce I loved every bit of it. It looked so cool with the blue kind of wall that build up around it. and the statues. I got the goosebumps it was that well done.

- destruction of the Cup. I loved that we got to go the CoS with Ron and Hermione and see the cup react after the destruction. Really well done and nice effects as well even thogh it again looked fake in 3D.
+ this goes together with the part that the movie made it possible to follow everyone around. Nevill and Luna and the twins and the Order and Harry and Ron and Hermione. That was so nice. I loved to see what everyone was doing.

- The Forbidden Forest + Resurrection Stone. AMAZING. Loved that scene. Full of angst and sadness. I loved Sirius and Lily and Lupin. Even though all of a sudden Lupin had a baby and noone who only saw the movies knew that. haha. Oh well. It was a really emotional scene and it was really well done. and I am torn if I liked that Harry had the chance to say goodbye to RHr or not. I mean it's not in the book but it was really nice.

- Aberforth and the mirror thing was nice. I loved that scene. With the portray of Arianna and all and how bitter Aberforth was about Albus.

- Ron and Hermione being adorable and holding hands. Sorry but that was just beyond cute.

- The Prince's Tale. I was afraid they won't do this justice but they did. + Alan Rickman is a god and acted so well. I was so sad when he was holding Lily and crying. I hope everyone who didnt read the book really really got the amazingness and braveness of this character.

- SO CLOSE TO THE BOOK. I was in Harry Potter heaven. It was nice almost recognizing everything from the book. I missed that a lot especially in HBP.

DISLIKED:
- Nevilla and Luna. Unnecessary, not canon and really just weird. Even though I love Neville and Luna sfm.

- the deaths. I felt like the movie was so so so rushed. Even though it was long I didn't feel like they gave enough time to the emotional aspects. I thought that I might cry but I couldn't because none of it emotionally touched me enough. WHICH IS SO SAD IMO. Like Fred's death was so sad in the book but in the movie he was just lying there. And Tonks and Lupin.I had to swallow really hard but then it was over and everyone seemed okay again.

- Voldemort's and Harry's last duel. it didn't feel 'big' enough if that makes sense. I don't feel likt it got the attention it did in the book. Everyone was standing around them, cheering. + all the Snape stuff was so nicely put by Harry and Voldemort was just like *** in the book. I kinda missed that in the movie.

- Bellatrix and Molly. Loved the scene obviously for what it was but it was so quick and weird and then she was falling apart like paper and I was sitting there like HUH are you being serious? Same with Voldemort. Why do they all die differently? I don't get it. I thought they would float away like Sirius did in OotP but no. What makes them fall apart like paper? Because they are dark wizards. It made no sense.

- the kiss. I don't know. Maybe I was too excited for it because I have been waiting for it forever and I am the biggest RHr shipper but that kiss was weird and blocked by Ron's head and the only cute thing was how they laughed afterwards <3

- the epilogue. It's no secret that I am not a fan of it even in the book but it felt cheesy and unnecessary in the movie. Emma didn't look old at all while Ginny looked like a grandma. Harry just looked funny and the little kid Albus was a little too pretty imo.

- The Kings Cross scene didn't come across as well as in the books. I had a problem with the all white, looking like heaven thing. It looke weird and it didn't give me the right feeling. I loved that part in the book but not so much in the movie

Edit: I feel like I am complaining so much. I feel like everyone liked it so much better than I did. I will have to see it again VERY soon. Maybe I will feel different afterwards.

QUESTION:
- did Lavender really get bit my this werewolf? that scene left me speechless. Also why did she hug Harry in the RoR like they were BFFs? That was a little random
- Who esle thought this movie was a little Hollywood-ish?! It had such a different feeling than the other movies so far. I can't put my finger on it though. D:

[Limplict]

Wow... Just WOW. Saw the film in IMAX 3D after a 30 minute delay and it was absolutely AMAZING. Awesome visual effects (as usual), and a great mix of humour, love and action makes one of the best Harry Potter films to date. Not sure if I need to do this but SPOILER ALERT.
Overall rating: 9/10
What I loved:
- Gringotts break-in: Helena Bonham Carter was hilarious acting as Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix, and this scene was probably one of the best action scenes in the movie. It was also close to 100% loyal to the book, which all of us die hard Potter fans love.

- Opening shots of Hogwarts: It wasn’t a very long scene and it showed the students marching in a military fashion while Snape watched them from atop the castle, but for me it really set the dark tone of the film and showed how much Hogwarts had changed. Lily’s Theme was also playing, which made the scene even more gloomy and sad.

- Alan Rickman: Seriously, where’s the damn Oscar this man deserves? I couldn’t stop crying when he started sobbing with Lily in his arms.
“Look..At..Me..... You have your mother’s eyes.”

- Hogwarts staff setting up the protective spells on Hogwarts: McGonagall was a BAMF through the whole film Anyways, as corny as this sounds, this scene really had this feel of impending doom but a great sense of war pride, but I think you’ll know what i mean once you’ve watched the film. The statues scene was awesome.
"Piertotum Locomotor!"
-statues come to life and march out-
"-fangirl look- I've always wanted to use that spell!"

- Snape’s death scene: I was worried that they ruined the scene after I heard the news that they changed the location of his death, but when you watch the movie, it really fits with the atmosphere and the sequence got me very teary. The short conversation Harry and Snape have after Nagini attacks him however, got me bawling hysterically at the sheer sadness of it. I repeat, WHERE IS ALAN RICKMAN’S OSCAR? ):

- Great Hall with all the dead, injured etc: If the dead bodies of Fred, Remus and Tonks don't make you cry, I don't know what will.

Could’ve improved:
- The Prince’s Tale: Everyone’s review on that scene so far has been very positive but I was actually slightly disappointed at the way it turned out. The Snape-Dumbledore interaction was fine and very well done (coughgivehimanoscaralreadycough) but Snape & Lily’s friendship could’ve been shown a bit better. As scary as this sounds, there are actually people who haven’t read the books and if I were one of them, I would probably be thinking “Wait a minute. So this dude loved this lady he met when he was a kid and wasn’t very close with, for nearly all his life? And he spends another half of his life protecting the kid of said lady who didn’t spare him a glance after his first year? O_o”

I also dislike the fact that they showed Lily being friends with James without the initial hostility and everything, because I think that showing the fact that Lily initially hated James but eventually dating and loving him would’ve made a larger impact on the audience on how loyal the love Snape had for Lily was. For the same reason, I also wished they showed how their friendship broke up since they didn’t have the decency of showing it properly in OoTP.

What I disliked:
- NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU - : The most anticipated line of the film got everyone cheering but the fight sequence was quite short and since when do people crumble away when hit by the Killing curse? :S

- The final duel: I would’ve preferred the simple Expelliarmus-Avada Kedavra duel with everyone surrounding them like in the books instead of a lengthy chase with only Voldemort and Harry in the “arena”. The scene after that was pretty anti-climatic as well; Harry just killed the most evil wizard in history and everyone’s sitting around talking like they were having tea amongst all the rubble and dead people instead of celebrating and cheering.

- The non-canon Neville/Luna dialogue: Seriously, what was with Neville’s “I think I’m in love with her. I need to go tell her!”? Not a needed plot in the film and definitely wasn’t in the book.

Overall, an AWESOME way to end the series and my childhood. Make sure you bring a lot of tissues!

[corna07]

I saw the double feature thing with parts 1 and 2 together which was good because it almost was one long movie and it just continued on from the end of part 1. I saw part 2 in 3D which didn't really add anything and sort of distracted me from focussing on what was happening.

I personally LOVED it. Of course, i was annoyed at the little things they missed out such as Harry fixing his wand and the Dumbledore story and I was also disappointed when the image didn't live up to what I had imagined whilst reading. However it was so loyal to the book and the special effects were AMAZING. It was so good and exciting the visuals and soundtrack gave me goosebumps and shivers. It probabaly could have been more emotional with the deaths of everyone and Hagrid should've been more emotional when Harry 'died' but I still cried for half the movie.
I need to see it again though because my excitement meant i couldn't take everything in.

The trio talking with the goblin and Ollivander was good because they actually explained things that happen in the book. It didn't feel that rushed but then it did after Gringotts.
Gringotts appeared different to how I imagined and how it appeared in the first movie however the set was amazing. Helena Bonham Carter's acting was so good! The special effects were really good, but i think that this scene was more hyped up than i believed it deserved.
The bit with Aberforth and Ariana was loyal to the book and good but it didn't go into Dumbledore's story - it was just hinted.
Hogwarts under Snape was scary... the castle was dark and students marched and were ordered around. I LOVED LOVED the bit when Harry walks out of a group of students and the rest of the Order enter the Great Hall and Harry tells Snape "I think you have a bit of a security problem". I loved the McGonagall vs. Snape duel and I LOVE McGonagall in this movie.

Preparing the castle for the battle was so so exciting. Because you knew what was coming up and everyone prepared by themselves. Seeing the twins together, Remus and Tonks, McGonagall (loved her in this part), Mrs Weasley, Slughorn and Flitwick protecting the castle. Loved how they included Ron and Hermione going into the Chamber of Secrets and the kiss. I was so sudden and cute.
Harry's conversation with the Grey Lady was drawn out quite a bit and the Room of Requirement was great!
One of the Highlights was the Prince's Tale. Snape died in a boathouse which has never been shown or mentioned before which was weird. It didnt change much though. I loved how Snape's flashbacks coincided with Harry's past which you get glimpses of throughout the series and they are FINALLY fleshed out. It is so sad when Snape hugs dead Lily and cries. Alan Rickman was amazing. But the weird part was when Snape was dying and Harry must have been still mad at him for taking over Hogwarts and killing Dumbledore, but he approaches him and holds his face. It didnt make much sense.

I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing that Harry saw Ron and Hermione and said goodbye before he went to the forest. The resurrection stone bit was so emotional and perfect, all of that scene was perfect. King's Cross Again was weird... the blinding white felt out of place in a Harry Potter movie, but it was done pretty well including the creature.

It's a much much darker movie than previous ones because it has images of dead children and werewolves in their human form drinking blood from children, nagini slithering over dead bodies. it's more of a horror as it's not just fantasy disturbing but real life disturbing too.

Neville is perfect. There is some humour but it's probably good because it would be too dark.
Fight between Bellatrix and Molly was great, short but Julie Walters delivered the line perfectly. But Bellatrix exploded and turned into bits of paper? She's a person, even though she is a dark witch. Everyone in the audience cheered though.

Neville killing the snake had the order changed around and was weird. But still good

The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was just... weird. Voldemort and Nagini chased Harry through the castle and then Harry pulled himself and Voldemort off the castle and then they flew around and pulled at each other's faces...

And yeah then they battled again and Harry's spell over powered Voldemort's, which doesn't happen in the book, and Voldemort crumbled like Bellatrix did. And no one was around to see it they were all inside. There was no celebrating.

Harry breaks the Elder wand and throws it into the lake. Harry, Ron and HErmione end the movie by standing together.

The 19 years later part was really well done, it was cheesy in the book too, but it wasnt overly so in the movie. THey were aged really well and it was done tactfully. It had a sense of the first movie with the kids going off to Hogwarts again.. I loved that they included scores from the first movies.

I feel like im criticising it too much but the book is always going to be better. Overall, it was great, the visuals, music, acting and characters were just amazing together.
I'm just really sad that it's over. We'll never get to experience the excitement of the release of a new Harry Potter movie or book.

[lvngbooks]

I saw it during the midnight showing (in 3d) last night in a double bill with Deathly Hallows Part 1. After a rocky start where the cinema people actually blew up 5 - 10 of the speakers when the sound of the movie came on and we had to wait 55 minutes (!) before we could go in again, the movie started. (We got free popcorn because of the delay..)

ANYWAY. I thought it was a great ending for the series. For people who haven't read the books, I don't think it matter that the whole Dumbledore family history wasn't discussed because it would just have made things more complicated. They lost a lot of subplots during the making of the other movies and I thought they rounded every thing off very nicely.

Some of my favorite parts:
- Snape addressing the students to come forward to tell about Harry Potter and the duel that follows between Snape and McGonagall. It wasn't all that spectacular, but I think it was a great scene purely because it shows teachers standing up to Snape (or indirectly to Voldemort)
- Snape's death scene in the boat house. "Always." Oh dear, there are the tears! Beautifully done even though I didn't expect much of it because they changed the location of his death.
- To The Forest - I love when Lily said "Always" and the fact that Sirius points out that they're always there in his heart (loved the reference to PoA, too)
- The references to earlier movies. Either in images or in previous quotes, I thought it was very well done and a very nice wrap up.
- Hermione as Bellatrix was amazingly done by Helena. I loved how she acted like Hermione - it was fabulous!
- Draco's character really was displayed perfectly in this movie. Also in Part 1. The hesitation in saying it's Harry, and then in part 2 the hesitation in hurting him in RoR. I would have liked it when Draco would have at least looked at Harry when he saved his behind from the fiend fire, but oh well - he's still Malfoy and it fits his character. I thought it was very well played by Tom Felton.
- The preparation for Hogwarts to keep Voldemort out. Piertotum Locomotor and the suits of armor coming down. I already saw the scene before on YT, but it was very well done.
- Neville's role in the movie. I can only bow to that *bows*



Some things that were a little disappointing:
- The Carrows were supposed to be very threatening and I really missed the fact that they weren't badass in the movie - they were just standing behind Snape while he talked to the students. Missed points imo if you want to make it appear like they've been the worst thing that ever happened to Hogwarts.
- Even though the scene of King's Cross was very well done imo, I was annoyed by the fact that it was so white and clean looking. It resembled heaven to me, and that wasn't what was meant in the book - at least not how I interpreted it. It looked out of place in the rest of the movie with all the brightness and the white.
- No audience for Harry killing the darkest wizard of all time? No cheering? No nothing? No emotional reunion with Ginny? Or whoever? Harry walks into the Great Hall (or what's left of it) and everyone is just talking and doesn't even look at him, even though he just got rid of Voldemort. Missed opportunity and I really think it would have been better if there was some kind of 'celebration' going on - even though there were a lot of deaths in the movie.


I think it was a great movie and I'm looking forward to watching it again Overall I would say that Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Matthew Lewis and Tom Felton outdid themselves in this movie. I would have loved it when McGonagall's scream of terror was in the movie instead of Ginny's when Voldemort says Harry is dead, but it fitted perfectly in the movie. A worthy ending of the movie series!

[Daniel_Potter]

It is really nice to read all of you guys reviews! - It was a really great movie, and I have to see it again..(again) Many actors really outdid themselves in this move especially Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Matthew Lewis and Tom Felton. Matthew Lewis really did a great job, I love the scene where he killed Nagini. Overall great film, great effects!
10/10

[AndyOohh]

To me, they nailed it. Because in the end it's not about getting all the details right; it's about the movie having the same feeling as the book, and they did it.

There was humour in the seriousness, which I think is important to remember that J.K. always included.

As for the lack of cheering when Voldemort died, I am all for it. After all, they just witnessed many of their friends die. When something like that, a war like that, ends you don't feel exstatic, just relieved. That sense of relief is what they captured beautifully.

"Harry Potter you listen to me right now" - perfect

The way did small throwbacks to the old films made me incredibly happy, like the was McGonagall mentioned Seamus' old habbit of blowin things up in the beginning. "Boom?" "Boom!" You gotta' love her!

And Maggie Smith made McGonagall shine. As did Alan Rickman with Snape (I sense the HP-series first Oscar). He made me cry incredibly hard.

And lastly, the epilouge. I've always been pro-epilouge and they did it justice. The score that reminded us all of PS/SS was perfect, and made me (in the same way that the last chapter always makes me want to reread PS/SS) want to watch the first movie again.

Thank You Yates, you sent the series of with a bang!

[personification]

Hi guys!

Just got back from midnight screening in New Zealand! There was a 30 minute delay at the start which I wasn't happy about.... But we got there!

I feel really conflicted about the movie - some parts I loved, some I hated.

Dislike:

-Comedy at the wrong time or unintentional comedy which made the audience laugh - eg: Voldemort facial expressions and noises 'NYAAAAA!' Man.
- Lack of Dumbledore sub-plot
- Elder wand cracking
- Crumbling Bella/Voldemort - seriously, for Voldemort it looked like his skin was floating up in the air at the end.
- The Harry/Voldemort fall off the tower thing - again, some strange faces elicting laughs from audience.
- Somethings felt a bit cheesy, some dialogue 'dumbed down'. I loved the sincerity of the books and JKR's writing - found it was lacking in the film.
- The final showdown. Seriously, no-one there? No cheers or hugs when Harry appeared in the great hall? I know people died but Harry deserves some respect - this was the moment the series was leading up to and add to that the cuts between the Nagini scene it seemed a bit lackluster to me, as was the response.

Like:

- Hermione as Bella - incredible stuff from Helena.
- Acting from Maggie Smith and Matt Lewis.
- Gringotts was INCREDIBLE. Exactly how I imagined - inside the vault, the dragon, everything. Griphook was perfectly nasty too!
- I really liked how they showed that Voldemort knew they were hunting the horcruxes - very chilling.
- The Malfoy family.
- Ron/Hermione - satisfied my shipper heart <3
-While not a fan of Harry/Ginny, her screaming for him broke my heart and was well acted.
-King Cross was nearly perfect - baby v. scary. Dumbledore looked a little too like Gandalf for my liking but the script and set more than made up for it.
- Epilogue.
-The music in the epilogue!!! MEMORIES!
- The Forest Again. Need I say more? The references to both Snape's moment and Sirus in POA was great. Dan Rad was really good in this scene and facing his death.

Loved:

ALAN RICKMAN. Every single part of him in this movie was incredible. The control of the school, the death, the memory. "Always." Wow, just wow. He owned this movie, just how he should.




So, good and bad; happy and sad. I'm going to see the film again in the weekend so hopefully I will have a more clarified opinion by then. But nonetheless, it is still an amazing piece of cinema and for Potter fans through and through, will hit the spot.

[Sirius_Bluish]

Cannot believe its over

I thought the movie was brilliant, It wasn't as solid as DH1.

I was really surprised about how quick the film got going, the Trio got to Hogwarts so much sooner (in terms of time) than I thought they would.

What I loved:
- Prince's tale, The Forest Again, Resurrection Stone, Gringrotts, King's Cross and the Opening sequences...I was just in awe with all of the scenes, absolutely superb.
- McGonagall and the Statue army
- Hagrid carrying Harry into Hogwarts
- Harry confronting Snape (brilliantly delivered by Radcliffe) + The Order's arrival.
- Use of the theme music from the PS during the epilogue..Couldn't have worked better


Didn't Like
- As many have said, The final battle between Harry and Voldemort...It was disappointing and anti-climatic, I was ABSOLUTELY hanging out for that Great Hall scene.
- Voldemort and Bellatrix getting vanquished into particles...not a fan...
- Harry seeing Ron and Hermione before the forest, It just wasn't right.

That final duel is mainly what I'm having trouble with, it was the pinnacle of the entire series right there and it just didn't deliver.

I thought everything else was amazing and I am devastated to say goodbye to the series, even though I will continue to read and watch for years to come it is going to be strange not to have these movies to look forward to year after year as I have absolutely loved seeing the books I have cherished come to life.

[fluffyfan]

My only real objection is the simple fact that they could have made it 20-30 minutes longer and put in so much more info to tie the whole series together and finished off the plotlines a bit better. I loved bella's death, at least in the movie Mrs Weasly didn't use the killing curse, this was so much more brutal imo. I shall have to wait until the dvd comes out to sit and watch it again, there is just so much going on that it will be almost impossible to catch everything in the cinema. I also thought the acting and dialog seemed to flow so much better than in most of the earlier movies.

Some people have complained about the humour being apparently in the wrong places. to those people I can only say, as an ex front line soldier who has seen combat, you tend in life threatening situations to make jokes a lot more than you would realise, otherwise the stress of the situation actualy causes you to make deadly mistakes. Also, most if not all the jokes did take place in the leadup to the first part of the battle and rarely through, besides Neville's deciding he could breath fire and was going to go and tell Luna he thought she was a hottie.

8/10 from me, it could have been longer and added lots more of the story. but overall it was holey_snapping_buckbeak awesome.

[KlausBaudelaire]

Just got back from the theatre, and I'm speechless, this is finally an epic (yes epic) Harry Potter film.
Goblet of Fire is nothing compared to this.
Now I'm convinced the split was almost necessary, we couldn't have had the stupendous part 2 without part 1.

It's 9/10 for me, because I didn't like The Prince's Tale as I expected, they tried to push too mush information in so little time, too many flashbacks, voices, and oniric sequences all too soon.
Snape is a character that deserved much more in my opinion.
Some girls in the theatre loudly complained that there was no Ariana story but who cares? There's nothing on Ariana's side who helps Harry defeat the Dark Lord, so it was best cut in the series ever made.

[ohitsanina]

So I have seen the movie the second time today afternoon and I have to say that in my opinion it is the BEST FILM OF THE SERIES (and probably one of the best films of all time).
I really, really, really loved and love it and think it's an epic and worthy end to this amazing series.
Also, I was crying the all the time. Honestly, my heart raced, I shivered and cried and nearly broke my best friends' wrists... Just as a warning: You shouldn't watch this movie if you suffer from heart diseases or don't want your friends be mad at you because of crushed hands.

The parts I enjoyed most were:

Hermione being Bellatrix aka Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione being Bellatrix (and the rest of the Gringotts-Scene):
I loved this scene. It was so obvious she wasn’t Bellatrix but Hermione. Starting by more obvious things as Hermione’s difficulties to walk with Bellatrix’ shoes to the total lack of madness in her eyes. The ride down to the vault was (at least in 3D) absolutely stunning. It seemed as if we were sitting in the cart too. The effects in the vault were great and the dragon looked good too.

The scene in the Great Hall, Hogwarts preparing for the Battle:
Firstly, I think that the fact that the students were marching showed how Hogwarts had changed.
Although I would have enjoyed seeing the original scene where Harry curses Alecto Carrow for spitting at McGonagall I liked the scene in the Great Hall. I cheered when Minerva defended Harry, called Snape a coward (although he’s everything but a coward, as we all know) and sent the Slytherins in the dungeons. The teachers putting up the protection around the castle and McGonagall bringing all those statues to life were really impressive.
And I loved how McGonagall said how much she had always wanted to do this spell.

The Chamber of the Secrets
I loved the kiss. There isn’t really anything more to say.

Room of Requirement
The fire looked awesome; the best part of the entire scene was definitely Ron going after Goyle because of ‘his girlfriend’.

The Prince’s Tale
…was amazing. Being my all time favorite chapter I had very high expectations in that part of the movie and I’m insanely happy with it. “You have your mother’s eyes, Harry,” is possibly (no for sure) the best line out of all the movies. I lost it at that point.
The memories were incredible, Snape and Lily basically killed me. And he said “Always.” (There aren't enough words to describe how much I love this chapter.)

King’s Cross
I was amazed how well this unreal and abstract part of the book fit into the movie. It’s great, also because there’s no background music, and, probably for the first time in all the movies, complete silence.

Neville’s Speech
Very touching moment. I love how Draco hesitated to join Voldemort.

The Epilogue
I’ve always liked the epilogue. Very nice scene. Especially because the same music was used as in the Philosopher’s Stone when they had first entered King’s Cross. The chocolate frog on the window in the end made this movie perfect.

I didn’t like too much:

The fact that Dumbledore’s story wasn’t told at all. I am still very disappointed about that, because it’s important to understand the entire story.

The end. One of the parts of the entire series I love most is Harry’s and Voldemort’s conversation about love and mistakes and that stuff in the Great Hall.
Also, the whole jumping-off-the-castle-while-holding-eachother-thing made no sense to me.

(That’s really minor, but: Is it so hard to wear contact lenses? Aberforth’s eyes are brown as well as Lily’s. WHY?!?)

Wow… That’s an entire novel. However I’m sure I forget about a million things but I’ll see the movie again and have the possibility to add them.
By the way: The soundtrack is unbelievable. Honestly, I’ve never heard such a good soundtrack.