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Bespectacled Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) squares off against amphibian-faced Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, a magnificent finale for this beloved billion-dollar fantasy franchise.
Before that confrontation can take place, though, David Yates’s epic must first chart Harry’s attempts alongside best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) to locate a collection of remaining Horcruxes–enchanted objects that house pieces of Voldemort’s soul, and whose destruction will make the Dark Lord mortally vulnerable.
That quest pits treachery and self-interest against steadfastness and
sacrifice, a bedrock conflict embodied by Harry and Voldemort, the
Christ and Satan at the center of J.K. Rowling’s coming-of-age saga.
Yates’s latest boasts an almost classical attention to mood and
composition, but performance truly trumps spectacle, especially with
regards to Alan Rickman, capping off his iconic turn as Professor
Severus Snape by slowing his dialogue down to a sinister crawl, and
Radcliffe, completing his portrait of Harry’s transformation from
wide-eyed naïf to selfless adult with intense conviction and heart.
In its majestic conclusion, the film recognizes, with a maturity and
sincerity that have become the franchise’s hallmarks, that love and
loyalty are the most vital, powerful, and real in times of true
darkness.
Look for the full review is this week’s issue.
–Nick Schager
