Although I've read and enjoyed most of the Harry Potter books, I'm not a fan by any means and mainly watch the movies to scratch an ever present itch for fantasy flicks. My memories of the last book in the series are fuzzy at best, and so this review is largely from the perspective of someone who has just been watching the films.
Performances by the leading three child-turned-adult actors are fine, but not outstanding or particularly interesting. Still, considering the studio hired these folks as kids a decade ago with no idea how they'd develop as actors, things have turned out very well for this franchise. Although it was still no surprise when Helena Bonham Carter stole the show as Bellatrix near the end of this film. A shame she and other, more interesting performers were not given more screen-time or plot-relevant material to work with.
The special effects continue to be very cool, especially the smoky apparitions and wild bolts of magical energy. The teleportation effects are used multiple times and also look great in this movie.
The chief problem and influence on my final score is the story. There almost isn't one. To get what you're meant to from this story, I'd recommend watching "Half Blood Prince" right before you watch this one on DVD and THEN actually go to the theater for "Hollows Part 2". Part 1 starts and ends the protagonists in almost EXACTLY the same circumstances: Looking for enchanted artifacts and the means to destroy them. Our heroes spend the rest of the movie looking for a way to advance the plot but failing to do so. And if you don't remember the events of "Half Blood Prince" very well, you won't even understand what is motivating the good guys to do what they're doing.
This movie is the first time one of the books from the series has been split into two parts in order to cover the material, but this book probably shouldn't have been the one to get the "two picture" treatment. There is plenty of fat that should have been cut from this film. Once again we encounter a subplot in which Ron is jealous because Harry appears to be "cutting in" on his love life. And various events connected to this one could have been cut as well. There is close to 20 minutes in the middle(which I won't spill here) that probably could have been completely removed from the film. Add to this the fact that, like "Half Blood Prince", this movie cuts significantly back on the action. Compared to previous movies in the series, the pacing is slow and the passage of time is hard to track, creating a "stuck in limbo" feeling for the plot.
Virtually nothing of philosophical value to talk about after this flick. If you wanted to force the issue, you could talk about the effects of poor communication and jealousy on relationships, but that's REALLY searching.
I suspect this material will play much better as part of a marathon viewing that at least begins with "Half Blood Prince", but on it's own it is a skillfully assembled yet almost purposeless experience.
Quality: 7.5/10
Relevance: 5.0/10
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