Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review (SPOILERS).

My friend, Matt and I at the cinema.

I was beginning to feel sorry for my poor abandoned blog today so I decided to try and write a review of the epic, emotional finale of the Harry Potter films. I went to see the film on Friday morning with my friends after a pretty much sleepless night wishing I was at the midnight release and worrying about the end of Harry Potter. I actually recorded a video-log of my day which you can find here if you are interested. Overall, I really enjoyed the film; it was exciting, funny, emotional and epic and I have very few complaints. I think, in order to cover everything I want to in this review I'm going to have to split it in to sections. Read no further if you haven't seen the film yet because the following contains spoilers, however you may wish to skip to the last paragraph which is spoiler free.

Good Points

The sense of belonging and sentimentality was beautiful when the trio returned to Hogwarts, I especially enjoyed the use of the theme tune in this scene as it really built up a feeling of hope and the idea that Harry, Ron and Hermione were no longer alone. The build up to the battle was perfectly paced, I loved all of McGonagagall's lines from when she said "it's good to see you" to Harry to "I've always wanted to do that", after bringing the suites of armour to life. I thought Matthew Lewis was awesome as Neville too...infact, despite some of his perfect lines being changed (I'll join you when hell freezes over), he was absolutely super! Also Ron and Hermione's kiss was adorable, I didn't even mind that they changed the location of it. Overall main thing this film did succeed in was portraying the emotion; from when the trio arrived at Hogwarts I was crying on and off until the end of the film. I thought the tragedy of war was represented well and it  felt nearly as sad as it did in the book, which is certainly an achievement. Lastly, I was much more impressed by the "19 years later" scene then I thought I would be, the actors didn't look silly and John William's "Leaving Hogwarts" playing in the background added a whole new level of sentimentality to the whole thing which was perfect for the end.

Bad Points

After the disappointment of  "The Half Blood Prince" film I have grown to expect many changes from book to screen so most of the changed made in "Part 2" didn't bother me too much. However a section of the film that did frustrate me was from when Harry "came back to life" to when he killed Voldemort. The prolonged killing of the snake dragged and I couldn't see the point in it and I didn't enjoy Harry and Voldemort's final battle for several reasons;

1. The only characters who showed a flicker of emotion when Harry was thought to be dead were Hagrid and Ginny and the whole scene just felt a little awkward to watch.

2. I didn't understand the part when Harry grabbed on to Voldemort and they fell out of the castle together; the clawing at each others faces was particularly bizarre and I really didn't see the point in that whole section.

3.There was nobody watching when Voldemort died. I loved the fact that it was a public affair in the book. I felt it was really important for it to be a very open moment in the midst of hundreds of hushed people because it made it tense and meant that those fighting were finally able to actually witness the victorious end of the war and see for themselves what they had been fighting for come true. Also, it meant Voldemort's humiliation, when Harry called him Tom, was multiplied by the dozen by the fact everyone was there to witness it.

I won't go in to any more detail about parts I  didn't like because I do like this film...a lot and too much negativity would be unfair. 

Overall Thoughts


To tell you the truth my overall thoughts are too jumbled to put in to words. I can't quite believe the last Harry Potter film has come out but, at the same time, I don't feel like Harry Potter had ended entirely. I'm currently re reading (for the hundredth time) the Harry Potter book series and am so excited for Pottermore. I just feel like there's still so much to be explored, so much more to be done and so much more to look forward to before I can feel like Harry Potter has truly ended. As a dedicated fan, deeply in love with the Harry Potter world I know that Harry Potter will always live on in the hearts and minds of its most dedicated fans. Even though I feel this way I think it's safe to say the movies went out with a bang! Obviously, I recommend this film, it's unmissable really seeing as it's the LAST one!

I found a time capsule

Hello, I know I haven't updated my blog in a very long time but this was due to examinations. But now I have finished school and I'm eager to start blogging regularly again! So...anecdote time!

Unlike many people nowadays, I still own all my old videos as well as my video player. I do like "staying with the times" and do of course own a DVD Player and a whole drawer full of DVD's but I honestly don't see the point in throwing out videos if they still work... plus most of my favourite Disney films are in video format and it's not always easy finding them again. Anyway, I was looking at the row of videos on my shelf the other day when I noticed one that I'd completely forgotten about; the "two in one" video of films, Anastasia and Bartok the Magnificent. Just looking at the cover art of this video seemed to awaken something in my mind, something I'd previously forgotten about that hadn't ever disappeared but was just dormant in the very back of my mind.

When I was about five years old I became fascinated, almost enchanted with a particular scene in "Anastasia" in which the female protagonist sings a song in an deserted, grand house and, as she sings, hundreds on glistening figures appear and start dancing along with her. And at the very end of the song the dream-like figures dissolve in to thin air again and the girl was left alone. I distinctly remember a wide shot of the now completely deserted hall she was sitting in. I don't quite know why I was so mesmerized by this scene but I remember being completely taken by the atmosphere and the contrast of the room filled with people to the deserted empty hall. If my vague description didn't do this justice then here is a link to the very scene from YouTube.

The point of this post was not to merely describe this scene in "Anastasia" but to share my delight of finding this thing that had made such an impression on me when I was younger. I can't believe I forgot about it but the sense of discovery at recalling it again and being able to listen to the song and recognise the lyrics was almost as magical as the feeling I had originally felt watching it as a young girl. I know know how it feels to find a time capsule and the coolest thing is that it was not a regular time capsule that was organised and put together purposely... This one was completely accidental.

A Revising Girl's Diary

The main problem I, personally, have with revision is, aside from the fact that it's work and no one likes work, it makes me slightly lonely. Of course revision and studying can be a social activity if you make it one but, unfortunately, I have an appallingly short attention span and work a lot better individually for this reason. I've done a few revision sessions with friends before but they've never been particularly productive so I doubt I'll "attend" many in the near future. So, yes, revision makes me lonely. It also makes me lazy- in terms of anything else that isn't school related, for example getting dressed and looking nice. Lastly, working on subjects such as maths, science and history fairly intensely make me feel creatively frustrated and by this I mean I crave more than anything to express myself in some way, I also get really strong urges to read books but, inconveniently not the books that I will be writing about in my English Lit paper in three weeks.

This "creative frustration" is the reason that I am writing this blog post. The fact that I'm about to post it on the internet is besides the point as I confess I'm writing it for myself as opposed to for anyone's enjoyment. I never intended for this blog to become so personal but I'm writing these thoughts here because the computer is the closest thing to me, at the moment. I actually keep a diary and would normally write such thoughts in there but, as I said before, the revision related laziness means I can't walk next door and pick up a notepad.

It's a slightly scary thought that I only have two months left of mandatory education. It's particularly strange for me, as someone who hasn't made up her mind where she will be studying her A levels next year, to not know to what extent my life is going to change in September. I may stay at my Secondary school for them and I might go somewhere a little further afield. But, regardless of that, things are going to change anyway. Friends will be moving away; going to different colleges; doing different courses. I'm not trying to be sentimental here, I promise...

There's no denying it's scary to think the end of my official school days is approaching but it's also very exciting. I'm excited for the long holiday coming up, I'm excited for the creative projects that I'll be able to start in this time and I'm very excited for the courses I will be taking next year. Anyway, It's time for me to get back to some revision so I'm going to wrap this up. I hope everyone reading this is well.

~Freya~