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Film reviews

Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 3D (Film)

by Cara Nash | July 12, 2011 11:17 | Edited July 12, 2011 11:19

Exciting, gripping and touching, the action-packed final instalment sees this tremendously successful franchise end on a high.

The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 marks a full decade since the first film about a bespectacled, corduroy-wearing wizard hit theatres. In that time, we've witnessed the world of Harry Potter evolve from Chris Columbus' whimsical kiddie-like dreamworld to something much more dark and complex, and this is where the climax that the entire series has built towards finally plays out. Suffice to say, there was a lot resting on this film, but director David Yates (who helmed the previous two films) delivers on every front, producing an exciting, gripping and beguiling final chapter. In short, it's an absolutely cracking finale.

 

While there were rumblings that J.K. Rowling's final novel didn't need to be split into two parts, this latest film more than justifies the studio's decision to do so, with the action unfolding at an almost breathless, but comprehensible, pace. With the final confrontation between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes) looming overhead, this film picks up with Harry and best buds Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) still on the search for the remaining Horcruxes (for the uninitiated, each of these contain pieces of Voldermort's soul that must be destroyed). This mission sees the trio return to Hogwarts with Voldermort declaring war on the school...

 

Easily, the most action-packed film of the series, the combat plays out spectacularly, the sets are breathtaking (the sight of a crumbling Hogwarts is devastatingly beautiful), the effects have never been better and Alexandre Desplat's score serves to boost the high stakes drama of it all. Despite its scope, it's still, however, the human moments that hit home the hardest. When the truth of Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) is finally revealed to Harry, it's one of the most harrowing and moving moments of the series. Being the final instalment, there's many a revelation made and considerable back story to explain but commendably, the film's never weighed down with expository dialogue. And while a newcomer may be a little hazy on certain mythological aspects of the narrative, for the most part, Yates serves up a strong clarity with the storytelling.

 

A delight for fans, there's a number of supporting characters brought back into the picture (with Matthew David Lewis' Neville Longbottom stealing each of his scenes and Maggie Smith's Professor McGonagall relishing her chance to break the rules) and a romance sparks between Ron and Hermoine, but this film really belongs to Harry, and Radcliffe puts forward some of the best and most nuanced work he's done, layering our hero with a vulnerability, courageousness and complexity. Indeed, watching Radcliffe, as well as Watson and Grint, mature into confident young actors is one of the most remarkable aspects of this series. Touchingly, we've watched them grow up in tandem with their characters, sharply reminding us how brief and special a time childhood is. In the film's bittersweet final scene, Yates brings things full circle and reconnects us with this beguiling innocence that began the series. As a closing moment, it's pitch-perfect. And as a film, this final instalment could hardly have been better.