And so, after 8 months since the last Harry Potter film left audiences worldwide wondering the fate of Harry, Hermione and Ron vs Voldemort and his horcruxes, the journey that has encompassed 10 years and now 8 blockbusting films reaches it's final conclusion.
Indeed as the tagline says, it all ends here.
The question would, and quite rightly be, is it worth it, is it a fitting end? To all fans of the boy wizard who have watched him grow over the past decade, and indeed for those who have grown up alongside him, the answer is a plain and simple "yes."
Yates, who has directed the most Potter movies - 4 in total - has helped steer the franchise through some of the weaker novels and turned them into some of the more favoured and well-received adaptations. Here, he never lets the baton drop nor forget that this is a milestone for a great many fan out there. Admittedly, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a movie for people who have seen, and read, the previous adventures, as opposed to the casual viewer. This however should be overlooked as it was never intended and indeed never feels like a stand-alone event; if you haven't seen at least the last 3 films, don't watch this until you have done so.
Here you have literally action crammed into every other frame - if it's not the impossible bank heist of Gringotts, then it's the multi-layered battle of Hogwarts that jumps from sub characters valiantly defending the schools premises to the 3 main leads desperate search for the final horcruxes amidst the chaos. But Yates and his cast get to show emotion as well during the Lord Of The Rings-type spectacle, although some of the big-hitting moments feel a tad rushed and therefore lose some of their expected impact - Mrs Weasley's "Ellen Ripley" impression against Bellatrix should have brought the house down but appears then disaperates just as quickly from the screen. Whereas Snape's BIG reveal does pull at the heart strings in a sequence that puts the brakes on all the action and fighting but there's a rushing feel to it as each memory pushes it's way to the foreground to be seen.
The hardest decision to make is why the slight empty feeling you find when the end credits begin to roll: is it that you just don't want to say goodbye to these characters that you've invested 10 years in loving and following, or is it that after that length of time the finale could have had just a few more moments in it and run a bit longer? Being one of the shortest running times in the series, couldn't we have had a more lingering look on the sub characters and their heroic deeds as well as Harry's final fight?
Either way, it's a fitting ending to a saga that now totally deserves the phrase "epic." Mischief managed.
UK release date: 15.07.11
Certificate: 12A
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