Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2

I'm keeping this brief.

Lots of people rave about how great this was, fitting end to the series, etc. etc.

I'm not raving. In fact, I thought it was all a bit anti-climatic honestly. You know Voldemort is gonna lose, that's a given (Harry and friends always triumph in the end). Based on previews alone, you can see that the school is gonna get messed up, big fight and all that. I was looking forward to all that and thought it would happen based on how solemn and uneventful Part 1 was.

Well, they did have a big fight, and it was utterly predictable. There were a couple minor but interesting twists here and there, and if you weren't paying attention you'd miss them. Also a few chuckles, the (brief) return of a couple familiar faces and the like.

But really, the climax of the film was predictable at every step of the way and was far too short (and in my opinion too simple) to be a fitting end to the film series. I mean, seriously, your supposed to be beating up and defeating THE wizard of the century! Shouldn't the fight reflect that?

Still it was entertaining, and if your a die-hard HP fan then see it on the big screen while you still have time. For those interested in seeing how everything turns out but not interested enough to shell out about $20 per person to see it (ticket, food, etc.) then I'd wait for a Redbox rental or something.

I wasn't impressed with the film but I was entertained enough to not be unhappy that I spent all that money to see it in the expensive theater in our area (at least I was comfortable while watching it).

I know that Maryanne, Dean, Juliet, Mike and a few others will probably disagree with me on most of these points, but hey I'm the one writing the review, right? :) Really though, it was a pretty decent movie, I just wish they'd have done more with it since it is the final chapter and all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1

Unless your a huge Harry Potter fan and simply must see it now, wait for a rental.


Slow, plodding, lots of miscellaneous plot and storyline stuff... it all makes for a really dull movie. I understand that the last book of the series is simply too large to fit into one movie (which is why Part 1) but I'd think the screen writers or somebody could've at least made the movie more interesting.

The important bits: the threesome (Harry and friends) set off on their own yet again to find and destroy all the remaining horcruxes (sp?). They go alone because everyone else is in danger, Harry is being actively hunted buy the big V and his cronies, and Harry is afraid other people will get hurt (no surprise there). Ron and Harry of course get to fighting and Ron storms off only to return later to save Harry (go figure).

The biggest problem is that, in my mind, we've seen this movie already. They're not doing anything new yet (that's all in Part 2 I guess), and that makes it really boring especially when there are such long waits between the important bits. I guess you need to see it to understand what's coming, and that's a really weak reason to make a movie in my opinion, and understanding that I'd suggest you wait for a $1 rental in a few months. The second part is coming spring of next year if I recall correctly, and I'm sure they'll have this movie out on disc before then.

If you must see it in a theater, go for the matinee at least.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Synopsis: Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts only to discover that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that the story of the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry's integrity in question. Worse, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the duplicitous Professor Delores Umbridge. But Professor Umbridge's "Ministry-approved" course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the Dark forces threatening them, so at the prompting of his friends, Hermione and Ron, Harry is convinced to take matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

Her perspective: Must See
His perspective: Must See or Wait depending on how much you like this movie series.

If you are a true Harry Potter fan, you need to see this in the theater. It's worth it to see the special effects on the big screen. If not, you can wait until dollar theaters or video.

I thought the movie was quite well done, although this is the first HP movie I've seen without reading the book first. I guess I had expected a little more, though. The final battle seemed a little short and lacked variety in the use of spells and the demonstration of power. The previous films in this series kept their momentum and, I thought, were very good. While this one didn't measure up to those, I still thought it was very good. The photography was very effective in creating a very "dark" movie. I think they could have used other methods to show the struggle going on inside Harry, though. It's one of those movies that seems more to forward the story line than stand alone. The actors, as always, were phenomenal.

I saw quite a bit of character development in this film. Some of the "bit" characters from the previous films stepped up and played a bigger role in the story line. It was also easy to see that Harry, Hermione and Ron have gotten a lot closer and are more comfortable standing up for each other. Another thing I thought was interesting, was how much power little Ginny Weasley found within herself. There were a couple of spots where she showed how much farther ahead she was than even some of the 5th year students. I'll be interested to see how that develops in the next two films.

Overall, well done. I will be sure to own this one.