Plot: What’s it about?
This is it. This is what every Harry Potter fan in the world has been waiting for. Back in 1997 if you’d have told anyone that a single mother on welfare would go onto write a series of books that would produce a series of movies that would become the highest-grossing film franchise in the history of cinema, well it’s a bit far-fetched to say the least. However it did happen. First off I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this review then you know the story (or back story) of Harry Potter. I mean this is the second part of the final movie and if you don’t know what’s going on then you really shouldn’t be here reading this. Go read the reviews for the other movies first! As we all know the final book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was divided into two parts. This was done so that the movies could fully show what happened in the books and to really give the characters the depth they really needed in some of the earlier books. But let’s be real here. It was really done because the “Harry Potter” franchise is done after this. No more books. No more movies. If Warner wants to capitalize financially on these wizards, this is their last opportunity to do so. As the posters last summer said “It all ends.”
The final installment takes place literally right after Part I ends. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has reclaimed the Elder Wand from Dumbledore’s tomb. Voldemort believes that this wand will make him the most powerful wizard in the world and also undefeatable. Meanwhile Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) are hot on the trail of Voldemort and his horcruxes (pieces of Voldemort’s soul that are hidden in magical devices). You see, in order to destroy Voldemort they must also destroy the horcruxes that are keeping him alive. These aren’t easy to come by and even when they’re found, it’s not a snatch and grab. No, rather they must procure a dragon to break into a wizard’s bank to get one and battle some dark wizards to get another. This is no small feat. But the real appeal of the final installment of the final movie is the ultimate showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The entire series has been leading up to this and as we’ve followed Harry since “Sorcerer’s Stone” it’s all led up to this. The Battle of Hogwarts is perhaps one of the best battle scenes I’ve encountered and suffice it to say we lose some characters that have been around for quite some time. Those who have read the book will know what happens in the end and probably those who haven’t will as well (or can at least surmise a guess). But I really couldn’t think of any ending more suitable than the one we have here.
I’ve read the entire “Harry Potter” series. Twice. I’m sure there are those out there that have read it a dozen times. I’ve seen all the movies and have even been to the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” in Orlando, FL. Still, I’m probably a lesser fan than those out there. While it’s nice to finally have the entire series on Blu-ray, it’s also a double-edged sword in that there will be no more. We’ve watched Harry and his friends literally grow up on screen and I’ll come right out and say that I was moved to tears twice in the final movie (the same two places in the books that affected me in a similar way). The “Harry Potter” films and books stand as a landmark in terms of pop culture and cinema much in the same way that the “Star Wars” films were a generation ago. If, for some reason, you’ve never experienced a “Harry Potter” movie or book – do NOT start here. Start at the beginning and work your way through them. It’ll make it that much more enjoyable.
Video: How does it look?
As every fan of the “Harry Potter” series knows, the books/movies get much darker as the series progresses. With this being the final installment of the final movie, it really can’t get much darker than this. However this is also one of Warner’s marquee titles of the year and anything less than a perfect transfer simply won’t be acceptable. The 2.40:1 AVC HD transfer is about as good as it gets. Detail is amazing, just look at the streams emitting out of the wands, the cuts and scrapes on Harry’s face and the dilapidated ruins of Hogwarts. Amazing. Contrast and black levels are right on the mark as well. The entire film gives off a very film-like look and feel which is both consistent with the other films in the series. There’s nary an error to be found and what better way to end the series than with a transfer that looks as good as this.
Audio: How does it sound?
Warner’s DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is also superb. This isn’t anything new as the other films in the series have all had some great-sounding tracks complete with the highs and lows that any uncompressed mix will have. There are some moments of dead silence and some towards the end that will shake your room (and everything in between, of course). Suffice it to say that the Battle of Hogwarts will give every one of your speakers as well as your LFE a very good workout. Surrounds are almost always doing something and there seems to be an atmosphere of suspense that leads up to the final battle. This movie would have worked with a lesser soundtrack, but it’s so much more with what’s been included on this disc. Again, it’s a testament to the filmmakers who made sure that every “i” was dotted and “t” crossed.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner knows that it could release “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” as a bare bones release with a trailer and it’d still be one of the best-selling releases of the year. Warner has also stated that it will cease to release any “Harry Potter” on disc format after the end of 2011. So snatch these discs up now as they’ll soon be in short supply. Thankfully, this isn’t the case and Warner has loaded these discs down with a number of supplements that are sure to please the most rabid Potter fan. The first disc contains nearly a half hour of “Focus Points” and if you watched the film in “Maximum Movie Mode” then these will look very familiar. We get some behind the scenes looks at some of the special effects that were used in the film as well as some of the costume design and make up that took place in the final film. There’s also a promo for “Pottermore”, something which I signed up for and I’ve yet to really be impressed by it. Lastly we get “Final Farewells from the Cast” in which we see the main players in the series as they all say their goodbyes. Awww…The main draw on the first disc is the “Maximum Movie Mode” in which we get to watch the movie and then have it stop only to be greeted by various faces from the film. Actor Matthew Lewis (who plays Neville Longbottom in the film) starts us off and occasionally we see some other faces. As I mentioned earlier, they basically give us some explanation and set up the Focus Points and so forth. If you’ve ever watched a movie in this method before, this is more of the same.
Moving onto the second disc we get some deleted scenes as well as a near hour long conversation with author J.K. Rowling and actor Daniel Radcliffe. This is probably the best feature to me as these two probably have the most invested in the franchise. These two have a mutual respect for one another and we learn of all the things that have transpired over the past decade. If anything, this segment is a must watch. “The Goblins of Gringotts” takes a look at how they made the goblins for the bank robbery scene and how they’ve changed since the first film. “The Women of ‘Harry Potter'” is just that – Rowling talks of the strong female leads and what the actresses had to do to fill those roles. There’s a demo for the “Lego Harry Potter” game which I’ve never played, but these Lego games seem pretty entertaining. The disc is also BD-Live enabled but there’s not a lot of content there as of this writing. Perhaps when the movie is officially released we’ll get some more substance. The third disc in the set is a digital copy of the movie as well as Warner’s UltraViolet copy that’s supposed to be the next big thing.
