17 July,2011 08:53 AM IST | | Suprateek Chatterjee
The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Director: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes
There is a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 where the venerable Professor McGonagall (Dame Maggie Smith) casts a number of enchantments upon the castle of Hogwarts in preparation for the ultimate showdown with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Alexandre Desplat's score rises beautifully to match the gravitas of the moment as the knights of Hogwarts solemnly march out in a single file to protect the perimeter. It's a sweeping cinematic moment, as good as any. Then, out of nowhere, the stiff and prim Minerva McGonagall suddenly breaks out into a school-girlish giggle and squeals, "I've always wanted to use that spell!"
This scene highlights the best as well as the worst quality of the final movie in this decade-long franchise: Steve Kloves' quirky-yet-economical screenplay that glides over the shortcomings of J K Rowling's writing, but also chooses to downplay or completely omit passages that lend some much-needed dramatic weight to this final chapter of the multi-billion dollar Harry Potter franchise.
So, while Kloves and director David Yates (who has directed the previous three installments) handle some parts exceedingly well, their decision to omit the details of Dumbledore's alliance with Grindelwald -- as well as the mystery surrounding his sister Ariana's death -- might just make Potter-purists aim Reductor curses at the screen in outrage.
However, these complaints turn out to be minor quibbles in a movie that has an infectious pace and energy, as it moves from one brilliantly executed set piece to another. Be it Potter's daring (and convenient) escape from Gringotts Wizarding Bank, or the well-staged battle of Hogwarts, the sequences are well fleshed-out and edited.
It's not all pyrotechnics, though; this movie also boasts of some of the best writing by Rowling -- from Dumbledore's metaphysical conversation with Potter that contains what is probably the best line of the entire series ("Of course it's all in your head, Harry, but why should that mean it's not real?") as well as the heart-rending life story of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).
The Potter films have often been guilty of failing to match the wit, detail and depth of the novels and it is this movie that comes closest to the spirit of Rowling's writing. The ensemble cast is at its best: Radcliffe turns in a career-best performance as Potter, while Grint and Watson lend admirable support as best pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort is as chilling as ever and the trio of Rickman, Smith and Robbie Coltrane (who plays Hagrid) surely deserve some sort of recognition for delivering some of the most consistent performances in the history of cinema across an entire decade.
Yates deserves to be lauded for shouldering the grand finale of biggest franchise of all time with style and subtlety (case in point: that embarrassingly bad epilogue, which has mercifully enough been shortened in the movie). Despite its flaws, this is a motion picture event that should not be missed -- especially if you have stuck with Harry all this while.u00a0u00a0But hey, you didn't need me to tell you that. You've probably got those tickets booked already.
