Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 130 minutes

In Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, this last movie of the Harry Potter series continues where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 left off - where everything comes to a head with evil Lord Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes, retrieving Professor Dumbledore's, Michael Gambon, wand and the battle for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry begins. The question now is - will Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, live or die?

The beginning of the movie will be confusing for people who are not familiar with the book, or at least the movies, as Emma Watson is disguised as the evil Helena Bonham Carter when they try to sneak into the wizard bank Gringotts. Harry eventually realizes his ultimate destination is his second home, Hogwarts. In events that take place basically in one night, Voldemort and his Death Eaters and his bestial army attack Hogwarts demanding Harry Potter's surrender. Meanwhile, Harry and his friends Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are searching to destroy the last of the horcruxes in Hogwarts that are in actuality the last parts of Voldermort's soul in order for Voldermort to cheat death. The teachers and students of Hogwarts defend their school as Voldmort and his minions attack. As in the book, several major characters die, although you usually do not see their actual deaths. Their deaths were very sad to see as their bodies are laid out at the end, but that is the consequences of war. Harry's decision to confront Voldemort, whose life has been intertwined with his ever since Harry's birth, was emotionally draining as Harry realizes his destiny.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 130 minutes

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 146 minutes






























Click below to watch the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 trailer.



Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter on a quest to destroy Lord Voldemort's, Ralph Fiennes, horcruxes - items which contain pieces of Lord Voldemort's evil soul. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic has declared Harry as Undesirable No. 1 - so Harry and his friends Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are pursued by both the Ministry and Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters.

The movie is based on the first half of the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The movie changes the format of the other Harry Potter movies in that the movie does not take place at Hogwarts, the magical school for wizards as it normally does, but takes place on the road as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave home and run from the Death Eaters - as well as Harry, Ron, and Hermione searching for a way to destroy the horcruxes. The movie follows very closely to the book, which is not surprising as author J.K. Rowling is one of the producers. Although, there are parts of the movie that may be confusing to people unless you have read the books or have seen the other movies. For example, house elves like Creature and Dobby are suddenly thrown into the story. Creature and Dobby this time look less like computer animation figures but more like real characters, which shows how far computer animation technology has improved. The film also has an animated sequence, telling the tale of the Deathly Hallows. The animation is an animated version of shadow puppetry which is very interesting as you rarely see this kind of animation style, which is a form of stenciling, in a movie.

This is a dark movie, both in theme and is also visually dark. The movie reminds me of a vampire movie. You know the movie is going to be dark when the Warner Bros. logo disintegrates as the picture begins. The movie has some intense action scenes, but when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in the camping scenes in the middle of the movie - the movie slows down. After the camping scenes - the movie picks up again and you feel the intensity and the danger for the characters. For those who have not read the book, several characters and icons in Harry Potter's world die - or are destroyed. There are several scenes which are very sad and I started to tear up - and I already knew what would happen from reading the books, and I still teared up. The film's climax is more of an anti-climax as it leads into the next film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which will premiere next summer - where the real climax will be portrayed. I personally can not wait to see the war at Hogwarts in the next movie.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 146 minutes.

Click below to watch another trailer with the cast and crew of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.



Click below for a trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2.



Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated PG

Running time: 153 minutes



Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is one of the best Harry Potter movies. From the first shot of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, you can see how the actors, like Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, as well as the movies have grown up. Instead of a children's magical film with dramatic elements, as the first few films were, the Half-Blood Prince is an adult dramatic film with magical elements. As a result of which, I was more focused on the film than comparing it with the book by J.K. Rowling as I did with the other movies. This is also one of the few films where you do not have to know the books to understand what is happening. This is an acting and story driven film instead of a digitally enhanced driven film like Transformers 2.

While a student at Hogwart's, a school for wizardry, Harry Potter is entrusted by the school's headmaster Dumbledore to learn about a secret memory from the potions teacher Jim Broadbent who taught former student Tom Riddle, now the dark wizard Lord Voldermart. While there are some light-hearted moments with the students all falling in love with each other, the focus of the movie is on discovering the dark secret behind Tom Riddle/Voldermart. The film is rated PG, but there are a couple of intense scenes which I think is much closer to a PG-13 rating. The ending is a shocker - except for those who have read the book. I read the book, and the ending still made me teary-eyed. These child stars have grown up in their roles as actors and as a result their maturity has made the film very dramatic.

At the end of the movie, as I watched the end credits and listened to the music, there were groups of the audience still in their seats discussing the film. That is the result of how much the film has had an affect on the audience. The general consensus was that they enjoyed the film as much as I did.

Rated PG for violence. Running time: 153 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews