How do you end a movie series that has been six films in the making? How do you tidy up the messy corners, and wrap up all the dangling threads? How do you even begin to wrap your mind around that monumental task? Well, you get creative. You expand the adaptation of the seventh, and last, book into TWO movies. This was a decision that would set a new (read: profitable) precedent for years to come in regards to film adaptations. And other franchises have reached varying degrees of success utilizing this set up. The Harry Potter franchise, however, knocked it out of the park. I will be reviewing both parts of Deathly Hallows together, because they technically are two halves of a greater whole. Anyway, here we go.
For real this time.
Summary:
Harry knows what he has to do, now. He knows that Voldemort has partitioned his soul into various items, and he know that, in order to defeat him fully, he needs to destroy these items. Harry, Hermione, and Ron forego their last year at Hogwarts and set out on an epic journey to hunt down the shards of Lord Voldemort's soul, and put an end to him once and for all.Pros:
Wand Combat: The wand combat in these films is incredible. The filmmakers finally decided that a proper wand fight might look something like a mafia hit, and the staging and effects were all bent towards that end. The wand fights in these movies are quick, dirty, hectic and dangerous. We are not in a children's series any more: these people can, and do, die.Gorgeous: Yates crafts two films that rival the beauty and vision of Alfonso Cuaron's installment, The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). The colors pop, the camera moves gracefully, the shots are beautifully composed, the vistas and sets are incredibly crafted. After nearly a decade, Deathly Hallows is not just a wonderful adaptation of a beloved children's book. Yates has made an incredible pair of films to cap this series, and that feat must not go unnoticed.
Shades of Evil: Not everyone on Voldemort's team really wants to be there. Some are sadists, some are bigots, others are petty opportunists. These movies really show us that gamut, and allow great actors to flex their muscles, even in smaller roles. In the opening sequence, Voldemort tortures a former Hogwarts professor to death, and we see the faces of his followers: some must be there, others absolutely love it, and some cower in fear. Evil, really, is just accomplished when men and women have the audacity to grab what they want, and other men and women stand by and let them. Voldemort's power rests on his ability to dominate others and bend them to his will. He uses many tactics to do this: he appeals to racial purity, he offers psychopaths the ability to follow their hearts' desires, and he uses loved ones as leverage. Voldemort himself is a traditional big Hollywood Baddie: but the people who follow him are drawn in more varying shades, and the films are stronger for that.
"Such a Beautiful Place to Be With Friends": Dobbie's death is absolutely devastating. Even at thirty, it wrecks me. Even having seen it multiple times, in film and book form, I shed a tear for him. The drunk angles the camera assumes on that grey beach; the way he staggers forward, hunched over Bellatrix' knife; his final, parting words of friendship. Every bit of his passing is handled with pathos and skill. It acts as the perfect gut punch to end the first half on, and I remember leaving the theater in somber silence. That Dobbie is an entirely CG creation, and that his passing is so damn affecting, is nothing short of a cinematic marvel.
Children Growing, But Still Children: There are many times in these movies where the characters are forced to act and make decisions beyond their meagre years. And there are times where Yates, wisely, reminds us that they are still very much children. Ron's abandonment of the team, the touching dance in the tent, Narcissa Malfoy's deception in the name of her son: all of these moments remind us that these characters are still very much children trying to do their best. You never just BECOME an adult. Once you do a heroic act, you aren't simply a hero forever and always. You will always, no matter how hard you try, be a human being. One of the strengths of the Potter series has been rooting its action in Harry, Ron and Hermione's humanity.
The Battle of Hogwarts: The movie ends on a big fight at the school that many readers and viewers came to call a home away from home for years. Watching friends and loved ones fight back, and fall in battle, while the stately Hogwarts castle burns around them, is truly something to behold. Yates, and cinematographer Eduardo Serra make the battle hectic, glorious, and heartbreaking. So much is happening all at once, that I can scarcely imagine how they managed to film the damn thing. The CG is pitch perfect; the performances are powerful; the staging exciting. The Battle of Hogwarts stands as a towering example of a Final Battle in all of cinema.
The Death of a Man: Snape's final moment will always make me cry. He shows Harry his memories, and clears his name. He shows Harry that he has looked out for him because of his love for Harry's mother, Lily. He was a double agent the entire time. He sacrificed his name and his honor in order to bring Dumbledore's grand plan to fruition, and the entire world thinks him a villain. Alan Rickman was an actor of immense talent, and his performance as Severus Snape is iconic for a reason: there was always more to his cattiness and petty villainy than was immediately perceptible. Harry hated him and repaid him, at every turn, with scorn. But he was looking out for Harry. He protected that boy and made the most difficult decisions. Unimaginable decisions. He fooled the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever seen. That Yates follows this scene with absolute silence, no music, or diegetic sound at all, really sells the enormity of the moment.
Catharsis: The movies handle emotional moments from the books quite well. Neville ascends, and shows that you don't have to be a chosen one to be a hero; Bellatrix Lestrange gets her comeuppance at the hands of a powerful mother; characters arcs are explored and reach new places; Voldemort's evil is undone, not through evil on Harry's part, but by the backfire of Voldemort's own murderous intent. I asked, at the top of this piece, how you end such a monumental piece of fiction? How can you wrap all of this up? I think Deathly Hallows does a damn fine job.
The Three Brothers: The tale of the three brothers, and their Deathly Hallows, is intrinsic to the plot of this movie, and I really enjoyed how Yates handled it. Hermione narrates a gorgeously animated short film-within-the-film that lets the entire story play out. It was a nicely done piece of storytelling.
The Trinity: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are at the top of their games. They have played these roles for nearly a decade, and their skill and nuance have grown with them. The story is rooted in their heart and friendship, and it is in good hands.
Cons:
Dark: This is the darkest of the Potter films. But, it kind of has to be. There are real stakes; life and death stakes. And not everyone makes it out alive. The movie never glorifies its violence, but it doesn't balk from it, either. Yates proves that PG-13 movies can be just as powerful and affecting as their R-rated brethren, if you handle the material correctly. Kids who grew up watching these films will have aged into the darker turn in the latter half of the series, but I can understand a parent's hesitation to show a ten year old this movie. It's pretty freaking intense.In Conclusion:
There were a million ways this franchise could have flopped on its face. There are a million more ways that Yates & Co. could have flubbed the landing. But they stuck it. The production team and the actors brought this series home in emotional and epic fashion.Should You Watch It?
Well, yeah.Miscellany:
- These were the first films to feature J.K. Rowling as a producer.
- The working print of this movie, before they split up, was five and half hours long.
- More than five hundred wands were made for this movie.
- This is the only film in the series not to feature actors Dame Maggie Smith (as McGonnagal), David Bradley (as Argus Filch) or Alfred Enoch (as Dean Thomas).
- Warwick Davis, who really gets an opportunity to shine as an actor in this film, also runs a company, Willow Personnel Management. This company helps little people find roles in the film industry. The company helped find stand-ins and extras for both films.
- John Williams expressed an interest in returning to score these films, but could not, due to scheduling conflicts. Nicholas Hooper, who had scored the last two films in the series, opted not to return due to undue stress that the process placed on his personal life. Alexandre Desplat was brought in to score both films.
- Both M. Night Shyamalan and Guillermo Del Toro expressed interest in directing this movie.
- The movie was filmed all at once, and edited into two films later.
- Dobby's last words are, "Harry Potter." These are also his first two words spoken in the franchise.
- The Room of Requirement was a real set that featured over seventy-two containers worth of props from all of the other films.
- Watching all of the films, back to back, without watching the lengthy credits sequences, would take you 18 hours and 20 minutes.
- Deathly Hallows pt II would break the record for highest grossing opening weekend, with 169.2 million dollars. It would later be beaten by The Avengers (2012). It is still the eighth highest grossing film of all time.
- More than five hundred wands were made for this movie.
- This is the only film in the series not to feature actors Dame Maggie Smith (as McGonnagal), David Bradley (as Argus Filch) or Alfred Enoch (as Dean Thomas).
- Warwick Davis, who really gets an opportunity to shine as an actor in this film, also runs a company, Willow Personnel Management. This company helps little people find roles in the film industry. The company helped find stand-ins and extras for both films.
- John Williams expressed an interest in returning to score these films, but could not, due to scheduling conflicts. Nicholas Hooper, who had scored the last two films in the series, opted not to return due to undue stress that the process placed on his personal life. Alexandre Desplat was brought in to score both films.
- Both M. Night Shyamalan and Guillermo Del Toro expressed interest in directing this movie.
- The movie was filmed all at once, and edited into two films later.
- Dobby's last words are, "Harry Potter." These are also his first two words spoken in the franchise.
- The Room of Requirement was a real set that featured over seventy-two containers worth of props from all of the other films.
- Watching all of the films, back to back, without watching the lengthy credits sequences, would take you 18 hours and 20 minutes.
- Deathly Hallows pt II would break the record for highest grossing opening weekend, with 169.2 million dollars. It would later be beaten by The Avengers (2012). It is still the eighth highest grossing film of all time.
Comments
Post a Comment