Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010/2011)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've reached the end of the saga. The final chapter of Harry's journey. A story so massive it took two movies to tell the whole story. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows. With Part One released in November 2010 and Part Two released in July 2011 (and being the highest grossing film of 2011), the final chapter of the Harry Potter series was easily the most anticipated entry of the series. So, enough introductions, let's get started. 

          So, Part One opens with new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour assuring the wizarding community that the Ministry of Magic remains dedicated to defend the liberties of witches and wizards everywhere, the Dursleys leaving the house on Number Four Privet Drive, and Hermione packing her things and using the spell Obliviate to erase her parents' memory of her, and she leaves. Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort has a meeting with his followers, where they discuss the plan to eliminate Harry Potter, but he'll need another's wand, as Voldemort's wand and Harry's are twins and the two cannot fatally harm each other. Using the wand of Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort takes the life of former Hogwarts teacher Charity Burbage. 

       Back at Privet Drive, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid arrive, along with Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, Tonks, Fred, George, Arthur, Fleur, and Arthur's oldest son Bill Weasley, as well as a shady man named Mundungus Fletcher. Moody reveals the escape plan: due to Harry still being subject to the Trace, they will have to use methods of transportation undetectable by the Trace like brooms, Thestrals, and Hagrid's flying motorcycle. In addition, as a means of tricking any Death Eaters that might be waiting, they'll use Polyjuice Potion to turn six volunteers into copies of Harry. Those volunteers: Fred, George, Fleur, Mundungus, Ron, and Hermione. Each Potter will have a protector, with Moody watching Mundungus, and the real Harry riding in the sidecar of Hagrid's motorcycle. The escape goes well, with confused Death Eaters trying to figure out where the real Harry is. Unfortunately, when the previously released Hedwig attacks one of Harry's attackers and is killed, Harry is given away, and Voldemort himself goes after him. Unfortunately, Lucius' wand is still no match for Harry, and Voldemort is fended off for the time being. Harry and Hagrid arrive in the Burrow, where Ginny and Molly are waiting. Shortly after, Lupin and George arrive, but George got hurt and has a nasty wound by his left ear. After Lupin checks to see if Harry is the real one, Kingsley and Hermione arrive, followed by Bill and Fleur, and Ron and Tonks. Arthur and Fred are last, and Fred goes to check on George. Bill then reveals that Moody was killed and Mundungus escaped. 

         Later that night, Harry has a dream regarding going after Voldemort's Horcruxes, which were revealed in the last movie to be a major plot device. So far, two have been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring. The locket, which is Salazar Slytherin's locket, was discovered to be a fake left behind by the mysterious R.A.B. and the real one, as well as the other Horcruxes, is out there somewhere. Harry decides to leave, but Ron talks him out of it. The next day, everyone at the Burrow prepares the place for Bill and Fleur's wedding, when Scrimgeour arrives with three items left to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Dumbledore's will. Ron received the Deluminator, which is Dumbledore's own invention that case put out any lights nearby. Hermione received Dumbledore's copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of wizarding fairy tales for children. Finally, Harry is given the Golden Snitch he caught in his first ever Quidditch game at Hogwarts. Scrimgeour also reveals that Dumbledore left Harry one other item: the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Unfortunately, the sword is missing. 

        The wedding goes really well, with Luna introducing Harry to her father Xenophilius Lovegood, and Harry having a chat about Dumbledore with Daily Prophet writer Elphias Doge and another guest, who reveals that Dumbledore had met legendary magical historian Bathilda Bagshot many years ago in Godric's Hollow, and how the Dumbledore family had to move there after an incident involving Dumbledore's father. Kingsley then sends a warning: Minister Scrimgeour is dead, and the Death Eaters are coming. Many guests escape, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparate to Shaftesbury Avenue, where they change clothes and hide in a coffee shop. Unfortunately, Death Eaters Rowle and Dolohov attack and are defeated, with Hermione erasing their memories. The three then head to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where they stay for the night. The next morning, R.A.B. is discovered to be Sirius' brother Regulus Black, and the House Elf Kreacher reveals that the real locket, which both Regulus and Kreacher failed to destroy, was taken by Mundungus Fletcher. Harry sends Kreacher to find Mundungus. 

        The new Minister of Magic, Pius Thickenesse, has begun corrupting the once tolerant Ministry with anti Muggle-born propaganda, with Umbridge as his top official handling the cases of Muggle-born witches and wizards. Meanwhile, Kreacher has picked up Mundungus in Diagon Alley, and gets help from Dobby in subduing him and returning him to Grimmauld Place. Mundungus reveals that the locket was taken by a Ministry official: Umbridge. So, Harry, Ron, and Hermione use Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Ministry officials Albert Runcorn, Reginald Cattermole, and Mafalda Hopkirk, and head into the Ministry to find Umbridge and fetch the locket. They ultimately find it around Umbridge's neck, and follow her to the courtroom, where she is interrogation Mary Cattermole, wife of Reginald, who tries to defend that she is a witch, and the wand that was confiscated from her was one that chose her when she was eleven years old and went to Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. As the Polyjuice begins to wear off, Harry tells Umbridge that she's lying, not Mary, and stuns her, allowing Hermione to take the locket. Unfortunately, the Patronus Charm (which of course was a cat) is taken down and Dementors chase after Harry, Ron, Mary, and Hermione, and Harry dispatches them with his own Patronus. Ron then tells Mary to go back home and pack things to get to somewhere safe, but she kisses him still thinking he's Reginald. The real Reginald arrives, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione run to escape, with Death Eater Yaxley chasing them. Initially arriving at Grimmauld Place, Hermione further apparates to a forest, but Ron is injured from the effort. Harry and Hermione set up camp, including protective enchantments, and try to destroy the locket to no avail. 

          Harry, Ron, and Hermione take turns wearing the locket, and travel cross-country on foot, trying to avoid Death Eaters and Snatchers. During their travels, Hermione figures something out: Dumbledore left Harry the Sword of Gryffindor, which is goblin-made and only takes that which makes it stronger, Harry destroyed Tom Riddle's diary, which was itself a Horcrux, with the fang of a Basilisk, and the blade of the Sword of Gryffindor is impregnated with Basilisk venom. Hence, the Sword can destroy Horcruxes. Unfortunately, as Ron points out, the Sword is missing, and Ron and Harry have a massive verbal spat. Ron's behavior at this time is due mainly to the corrupting influence of the locket, and Hermione asks him to take it off. Harry ultimately sends Ron away, and he does so. Harry and Hermione proceed to continue the journey, and Harry realizes that the Snitch, as Hermione mentioned earlier, does have flesh memories, but Harry nearly swallowed it, and by touching it to his lips, it reveals a message: "I open at the close." Hermione also made a discovery: a symbol deliberately drawn onto a page of Beedle the Bard. The symbol in question Harry recognizes as having been worn by Xenophilius Lovegood as Bill and Fleur's wedding, and one he saw on the outdoor sign for Gregorovitch's wand shop in a dream, where Voldemort learns that the wand he's looking for was stolen years ago by a teenager. That teenager's name was Gellert Grindelwald, the very same one that Dumbledore defeated in 1945

         Harry and Hermione then decide to head to Godric's Hollow, where they think they might find either another Horcrux or possibly the Sword of Gryffindor. When they arrive, they realize that it's Christmas Eve. Hermione spots a grave with the symbol from Beedle the Bard on the grave of Ignotus Peverell, and Harry spots the grave of his parents Lily and James. Harry and Hermione then spot the elderly Bathilda Bagshot, who speaks Parseltongue to Harry, and Hermione discovers a rotting corpse, and Bathilda is revealed to be Voldemort's snake Nagini wearing the skin of Bathilda, who is dead. 

      Harry and Hermione escape to the Forest of Dean, where Herman reveals that Harry's wand is now broken. Harry then takes her wand and the locket, and Hermione heads into the tent. Harry then follows the Patronus of a doe, and finds the Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom of an icy lake. Harry goes after it, and the locket nearly kills him. Luckily, he is rescued by Ron, who also grabbed the Sword. Harry opens the locket, and the Horcrux tries to manipulate Ron with cruel rhetoric and uncomfortable images, only for Ron to destroy the thing. The next morning, Hermione exits the tent, and goes off on Ron for showing up after weeks of being away. Ron explains how, on Christmas morning, he heard Hermione's voice from the Deluminator, and he clicked it to see it emit a ball of light, which took Ron to where Harry and Hermione were. Later on that day, Ron gives Harry a replacement wand that he took from a few Snatchers, and Hermione suggests that the three go to see Xenophilius Lovegood, who might shed some light on the symbol they've been seeing.

      Upon arrival, Mr. Lovegood reveals that the symbol is the mark of the Deathly Hallows. He then refers to the "Tale of the Three Brothers" from Beedle the Bard, which Hermione proceeds to read aloud. The tale tells of three brothers, who magically conjured up a bridge to cross a treacherous river, but suddenly Death appeared, having felt cheated by the brothers as many would ultimately fall into the river and drown. However, the exceptionally cunning Death pretended to congratulate the brothers and give each a prize for their clever means of avoiding death. The first brother asks for a powerful wand, which Death fashions from a nearby Elder tree; the second brother asks for the power to recall loved ones from the grave, which Death gives him a stone plucked from the river that will allow him to do so; the third brother asks for something that will allow him to go forth without being followed by Death, and Death hands over his own Cloak of Invisibility. The eldest brother wins several duels, but is killed by someone who takes the Elder Wand for himself. The middle brother returns to his home, where he uses the Resurrection Stone to bring back the woman he once loved, but she soon fades from existence, and he hangs himself to be reunited with her. So, Death has claimed the first two brothers, but is unable to find the third, until he reaches a great age and passes the Cloak of Invisibility to his son, and departs from life, going with Death willingly. So, the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility are the Deathly Hallows, and believe it or not, James Potter's Invisibility Cloak is, in fact, one of the Hallows: the Cloak of Invisibility. So, Harry already has one of the Hallows. Lovegood also reveals the ties to the story with real life brothers Ignotus, Cadmus, and Antioch Peverell, who were thought to have been the original owners of the Hallows. Unfortunately, Lovegood betrays Harry, Ron, and Hermione to the Death Eaters, in a desperate hope of getting them to release Luna. Harry, Ron, and Hermione ultimately escape, but are nabbed by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor. Just before the Snatchers arrive, Harry has another vision, this time of Voldemort going to visit Grindelwald, who is locked up it the tower of Nurmengard, and Grindelwald reveals the location of the Elder Wand, which Voldemort is after. The wand is buried with its previous owner: Dumbledore.

       In Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange recognizes the Sword of Gryffindor, and has Harry and Ron sent to the cellar,.so she can interrogate Hermione about the Sword. Harry and Ron reunite with Luna, who was locked up along with Garrick Ollivander and Griphook the goblin, who is taken upstairs by Wormtail. Dobby arrives, and takes Luna and Ollivander to Shell Cottage. Wormtail returns and accidentally kills himself, and Harry and Ron head upstairs with Dobby, who's returned to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape. Bellatrix then demands to know what else was taken from her vault at Gringotts, where she believes the Sword of Gryffindor was supposed to be. Dobby, Harry, and Ron then arrive, saving Hermione and Griphook, but almost too late, as Bellatrix throws a knife just as Dobby apparates with the others. The knife sounds Dobby fatally, and he dies. Harry then makes a plan to bury Dobby without using magic, and Part One ends with Voldemort breaking open Dumbledore's grave and taking the Elder Wand. 

         Part Two kicks off with Voldemort getting his hands on the Elder Wand, and we then cut to Hogwarts, where Snape now acts as Headmaster, and siblings Alecto and Amycus Carrow, both Death Eaters, have made the school much more militarized. Back at Shell Cottage, Dobby has been buried, and Harry goes to question Griphook. Griphook reveals that the Sword in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault is a fake, and that Harry has the real Sword of Gryffindor in his possession. The duplicate was commissioned by Snape, and Harry considers the possibility that there may be a Horcrux in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts. Griphook agrees to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak into Gringotts and get the Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, in exchange for the Sword of Gryffindor. Harry then speaks with Ollivander, who reveals that the wands they took from Malfoy Manor were the wands of Bellatrix Lestrange and Draco Malfoy, the latter of which has changed its allegiance. 

        Hermione uses Polyjuice Potion to turn into Bellatrix Lestrange, and she, Harry, Griphook, and Ron head to Gringotts, where they head to the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, which is protected by a dragon: the Ukrainian Ironbelly. Inside the vault is, indeed, another Horcrux: the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff. Harry gets to the cup, and he trades the Cup to Griphook for the Sword. Unfortunately, Griphook turns on them, and they have to escape with help from the dragon. After escaping, Harry has another vision of Voldemort, who realizes what Harry, Ron, and Hermione are up to. In addition, another Horcrux is in Hogwarts, and has ties to Rowena Ravenclaw. 

        Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparate to Hogsmeade, where they set off an alarm, but are given shelter by Aberforth Dumbledore, brother of Albus Dumbledore. Aberforth then asks of Harry's task, and questions about Harry's trust in Dumbledore. Aberforth then sends the painting of his deceased sister Ariana to fetch someone. That someone is Neville, who mentions how much things have changed at Hogwarts. Harry's arrival comes as a surprise to many, and they are all happy to see him, especially Ginny. After Harry mentions how he's looking for an object that is key to defeating Voldemort and has ties to Ravenclaw, Luna believes it may be the lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. Ginny then informs that Snape knows that Harry was spotted in Hogsmeade. In the Great Hall, Snape demands for someone to step forward and reveal any information on Harry's whereabouts, and Harry steps forward and stares down at Snape, demanding he tell the truth of what happened that night in the Astronomy Tower. How Snape looked Dumbledore in the eye and killed him. It's at this moment that McGonagall steps up and duels Snape, who flees.due to being clearly outmatched. After a mass telepathic message from Voldemort to hand Harry over, McGonagall has Filch escort the students of Slytherin house to the Dungeons, and agrees to buy time for Harry to do what he has to. McGonagall gives Neville and Seamus the okay to blow up a wooden bridge leading from the castle to the forest, and awakens a set of stone knights, who take up post on the stone bridge. Meanwhile, McGonagall, Slughorn, Flitwick, and Molly set up a massive shield of protective enchantments as a means of slowing down Voldemort and the Death Eaters. A massive battle ensues, and many lose their lives in the fight, including Lupin, Tonks, and Fred.

       Harry heads to Ravenclaw Tower, but Luna stops him and takes him to the only one that could know where the Diadem is: the ghost of Rowena's daughter Helena Ravenclaw. Helena reveals that another boy sought to destroy Rowena's Diadem as well: Tom Riddle. But he lied, and defiled it with dark magic, turning it into a Horcrux. Helena reveals that it is hidden in the Room of Requirement, and Harry goes there. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione head into the Chamber of Secrets, where they retrieve a second fang from the skeleton of the Basilisk, and use it to destroy the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff. After destroying is, and getting drenched by a massive wave of water,.the two share a a passionate kiss, and go after Harry, whose gone to the Room of Requirement. 

       In the Room of Requirement, Draco, Blaise, and Goyle confront him, and Ron and Hermione arrive to back him up. Goyle casts Fiendfyre, and the entire Room of Requirement is engulfed in flames, and Goyle falls to his fiery death. Harry, Ron, and Hermione then save Draco and Blaise, and use the Basilisk fang to destroy the Diadem. A vision of Voldemort reveals that Nagini the snake is the last Horcrux. Voldemort then confronts Snape, and kills him in an attempt to gain mastery of the Elder Wand. Snape then gives Harry a set of memories, and asks him to take them to the Pensieve in the Headmaster's office. It it here that Snape says something unexpected to Harry: "You have your mother's eyes." 

       Using the Pensieve, Harry witnesses the memories Snape left him. Snape was apparently childhood friends with Harry's mother Lily, and the two started Hogwarts together. Snape was in love with Lily, and his love was unrequited. Snape went to Dumbledore to warn that Voldemort thinks the prophecy, which spoke of a boy born at the end of July that would be the one to bring an end to Voldemort, referred to Harry, and begs Dumbledore to protect Lily and James. Snape was also revealed to have been the first on the scene where Lily and James were killed, and cradled Lily's dead body in his arms. Snape also knew of a curse that would eventually lead to Dumbledore's death, how Voldemort ordered Draco to murder Dumbledore, and would likely turn to Snape to carry out the deed should Draco fail. Dumbledore tells Snape that HE must be the one to do so. It's also revealed that Snape's Patronus was a doe, identical to that of Harry's mother Lily, who Snape never stopped being in love with, even after all that time had passed since her death. On top of that, it's revealed that the reason why Harry and Voldemort are connecting is because a piece of Voldemort's soul latched onto Harry himself that night in Godric's Hollow. 

        Harry then goes to confront Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, opening the Golden Snitch he had to find the last of the Hallows: the Resurrection Stone, and he uses it to see the spirits of Lily, James, Sirius, and Lupin, who are all proud of him for enduring so much on his journey. Harry finally faces Voldemort, who uses the Killing Curse on him. However, Harry ends up in a vision of  King's Cross Station, where Dumbledore reveals that what Voldemort really killed was the part of his soul that lived inside of Harry. Harry was the one Horcrux that Voldemort never intended to create. Harry then bids one last farewell to Dumbledore, and reawakens. Narcissa falsely declares him dead, and his body is carried back to the castle by Hagrid. 

        At the castle, Neville gives a rousing speech about how none of those that died in battle the previous night did so in vain, but Voldemort is going to, because Harry fought for everyone. Harry then reveals that he's still alive, and all but a few loyal Death Eaters flee the battle. Molly puts an end to Bellatrix, Neville uses the Sword of Gryffindor to kill Nagini, finally destroying the last Horcrux, and Harry defeats Voldemort, who finally disintegrates to death. Finally, after all this time, the Dark Lord is dead.

           On the stone bridge, Harry reveals that the reason the Elder Wand failed Voldemort was because it never answered to Snape. Draco disarmed Dumbledore that night in the Astronomy Tower, and the Elder Wand answered to Draco. That is, until Harry disarmed Draco in Malfoy Manor, which made Harry the rightful master of the Elder Wand. Harry, not wanting such power, snaps the wand and throws it away. 

      Nineteen years later, Harry is now married to Ginny with three children, Ron and Hermione are married with two children, and Draco married a woman named Astoria, with whom he had a son. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco have gathered on Platform 9 3/4 to witness their children heading off to a new school year at Hogwarts, with Harry and Ginny's second son, Albus Severus Potter, getting ready for his first year. 

       Okay, so judging by just how much plot I had to sift through, it's definitely a smart decision that Warner Bros. and director David Yates made by splitting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two movies, as there was no way in hell this much story could fit into a single film. I definitely enjoyed seeing some of the new faces, like Rhys Ifans as Xenophilius Lovegood, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour, Domhnall Gleeson as Bill Weasley, Kelly Macdonald as the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw, and Ciaran Hinds as Aberforth Dumbledore. 

       The action is definitely ramped up in these two movies, and there's definitely a lot of fast paced moments, as well as some slow character building moments. There's quite a lot here. The big final showdown between Harry and Voldemort definitely did not disappoint, and I have to admit, I was on the edge of my seat when I saw it for the first time. Lastly, the epilogue focused on the Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco's kids all heading to Hogwarts was definitely a tear jerker, and you're definitely not a true fan if you didn't cry your eyes out watching this scene of the movie. 

         Overall, I have no criticisms against this final chapter of the Harry Potter series. I, therefore give Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows a rating of 5/5. This was the perfect ending to a generation-defining film franchise, and I loved every minute of both parts of this epic conclusion. 

        Well, that marks the end of the main Harry Potter movies. Stay tuned, however, because this Sunday, I'll be posting a quick series retrospective of all eight films of the Harry Potter series, and next Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll be diving into a very different era of the Wizarding World with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.