The eighth and final instalment of the Harry Potter series came with a bittersweet feeling – I spent the evening enthralled with the outstanding action scenes and the dark humour lightening the mood for fleeting moments, only to realise that this would be the final time that I would be spellbound by Daniel Radcliffe and the cast of Harry Potter on opening night. Having said that, director David Yates did everything to ensure that this film would be the best and most memorable of them all and the round of applause that echoed throughout Belfast’s Odeon as the film drew to a close certainly suggests that it exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was centred around the Battle of Hogwarts, leading to the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Part 2 opened with the tertiary characters Harry, Ron and Hermione breaking into Hogwarts in pursuit of a Horcrux – part of Voldemort’s soul stored in a vessel – inside Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault. This gripping opening sets the scene for the film, where no time is spared to refresh our memories or explain the plot. Although this may have left first-time-viewers behind from the opening scenes, it advanced the story for die-hard fans from the very first moment!
The action scenes at the Battle of Hogwarts are fast moving and exciting, but it is very much Harry’s battle. The fight between good and evil would always have come down to a one-on-one duel. Daniel Radcliffe gave a flawless performance, having matured into the role of Harry Potter spectacularly over the ten years, but the fact that he dominated the screen for the majority of the 130 minutes left little for the surrounding characters, even duo Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, to do. This made it even more surprising that in the midst of the fighting, Neville Longbottom and Professor McGonagall took their moment to shine. Maggie Smith’s performance and light-hearted humour was outstanding and one of the most memorable parts of the entire film. The secrets of Severus Snape were also some of the most heart-rending of the film, and are likely to be responsible for his top spot on the Empire magazine poll for the Best Loved Harry Potter Character.
Massive fans of the book would have noticed the obvious omissions in this interpretation of the novel. There was a distinct lack of attention paid to the romance between Ron and Hermione and Harry and Ginny, but this was understandable since it would have slowed down the lightning-fast plot. This film was probably one of the closest to the novels, and the omissions made little difference to the overall experience, perhaps excluding the lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding Bellatrix Lestrange’s death. Over the years Helena Bonham Carter has created an iconic character for herself, so it was natural that we all expected her to go out with a bang and not in a puff of smoke!
The use of 3D was a first for the Potter films, and its potential was endless. I expected sparks to be flying and wayward spells to dart across the theatre, but this sadly was not how the producers chose to make use of their new technology. You almost felt like a ghost – you could see everything in greater depth, but you were never part of the action. It was obvious that a lot had been invested in the 3D capabilities, and a lot of work was done to ensure that it did not affect the dark night time scenes, but sadly they missed a fantastic opportunity.
Although the 3D was not as good as I expected, the film was nothing short of amazing. The finale between Harry and Voldemort was a lot longer than the novel, which put us all on the edge of our seats until the very end. It was the combination of this drama, the tear-jerking deaths of old friends from previous films and the final epilogue, without which the film would have been incomplete, that made me buzz for hours after the final crescendo of the stunning score.
By Lauren Penman
This year, the Strictly secret was kept even more under-wraps than before, with each of the celebrities receiving original code names to put us Strictly addicts off the scent until the very last moment. Speculation has been rife since the celebrities started training two days ago, but tonight the line-up was released just in time for Saturday’s show. But who will be the stars of 2011? 
