Part one can only live, if part two survives; did the end meet expectations?

Everyone knows the story by now–about how Harry defeated the dark lord. It certainly is surprising to find that Harry Potter has only been around for a little more than a decade. The enticement of Harry Potter began at a time of the millennium and brought many generations to a magical world through the eyes of a young boy.

Fans around the country saw the end of an era occur Friday as they settled into theatre seats with fake Harry glasses and wizarding robes. The last installment of Harry Potter had been screened in the United States at last and left the audience in awe for the final film.

In previous films, the magic was alive and lifelike enough, though it disappointed viewers who’d read the books, considering how different the scenes were from the words written by the author. With the last movie reaching the big screens, fans were surprised to find such an astonishing difference in the angle the director took to make sure fans who’d read the book could be pleased.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two” could only ever be “Part Two” in the Deathly Hallows film sequence. Without watching part one, the scenes are too jumpy and fast for someone to keep up with. The sequel of the franchise is a perfect two-parter if a little nothing but climax, but who doesn’t love that sort of thing? The movie reached a satisfying conclusion to the franchise and kept the magic alive.

The movie picked up where part one had stopped, giving a sort of odd instant replay of Voldemort and Dumbledore’s former wand. In both part one and part two, the atmosphere is no longer child-like wonder, rather a warzone as the cast and crew divulge in the similar ways that “Lord of the Rings” used in their battles–an enchanting fantasy transformed into a survival of the finish until the end.

Under the direction of David Yates, the movie succeeded in pleasing the audience with visual effects and dramatic appearances. The words of Rowling’s books shifted into a lively image for thousands of viewers thanks to the director and crew. The blood on the students, actively battling for their lives, was new and thrilling. Yet the lack of emotions in certain deaths brought disappointment to the viewers. Severus Snape’s memorable death in the movie, however, pleased the fans as his character was given more in depth details about his life than ever before.

Actor Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape, charmed the audience with his display of emotions and determination. His portrayal of the character was given a grand one last adventure thanks to his acting and the script. His colleague, actress Helena Bonham Carter who played Bellatrix Lestrange, worked just as boisterous as him, showing a side of the character that some had hardly seen. The included scene of Lestrange battling Molly Weasley was out of this world and left viewers actually applauding.

Unfortunately, fans were left with mild disappointment at the lack of a few important scenes–such as when Harry is shown the full memory of how Voldemort was killed the night he was a baby. The newly added scenes in the movie thankfully more than made up for it.

The movie is a nice final touch to an era of a fantasy world created by J.K. Rowling. The movie reached out beyond the books and took a different route than Rowling’s touches. Quite literally, the movie was a cascade of brooms and screams of thrill.

Yates really took the movie above and beyond as he produced more special effects in this single two-hour film than any other. Costume and makeup gave a lifelike feel to the characters. The emotions of each actor and actress really came to life in front of the camera as their final goodbye to their childhood.

It was one of the most reliable film franchises beyond a trilogy and an entire generation can look back at its creation with fond memories.

That is until someone decides to remake the movies somewhere in the distant future.

Stay tuned for information come October about J.K. Rowling’s latest project, the esteemed Pottermore.com which is rumored to be a website of an online Harry Potter series and an explosion of information about the world of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Rating: A+
By Tiffany Ing