Sticking The Landing – Quibbles Quasher
In story telling much can be forgiven during the journey if you can make the arrival at the destination a memorable one. Harry Potter does that in spades with this final film installment. And caps it all off with a beautiful and heartfelt epilogue.
HP8 takes all the various threads from the previous 7 movies and, for the most part, intertwines them successfully into the tapestry for the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Any deficiencies are swept aside in the emotional catharsis that results from the payoffs that are finally realized in this installment. He learns all the necessary pieces of his family history, including the surprising revelations about Severus Snape and Harry’s mother. He also learns that in order to defeat Voldemort, Harry will have to face down his fears and step into adulthood to do so.
HP8 is the most cinematic of the HP movies and not just because it has all the cool battle scenes. The actors really submerge themselves into their roles and become their characters rather than actors playing at being their characters. Is it a matter of the story being boiled down to its component parts for the first time? Or that the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione really do not have that many scenes together? Most of Harry’s big scenes play off of Snapes, Dumbeldore, his parents, and of course, Voldemort. Daniel Radcliffe really steps it up here and I suspect the fact that he is playing off the older actors in his big scenes, gives him that added dramatic boost he needed.
What also elevates this movie is the extra screen time Ralph Fiennes is afforded as Voldemort. Every moment he is on screen is mesmerizing. He is literally a physical counterpoint to the snake that is at his side; coiled and ready to strike at any moment. Voldemort commands the screen and cows everyone around him. This makes those moments when Harry and Neville Longbottom stand up to him even more that thrilling.
What really gives HP8 its emotional power is Harry’s voyage through Snape’s memories and the discoveries of the burdens that Snape took upon himself in honour of his love for Harry’s Mother. Snape is like the Dark Knight of the Potter franchise allowing himself to be the reviled outcast, playing the part of Judas Iscariot to the world so that in the end Harry could have a chance to defeat Voldemort.
That realization is beautifully paid off in the Epilogue where an adult Harry tells his son, Albus Severus Potter, that being chosen by House Slytherin would be a honor and not a curse. It is the passing of the torch and a true sign that all is well again as the Hogwarts Express takes a new generation of young wizards to their future.
The Harry Potter franchise has done an amazing job in capturing the imagination of a generation of new readers. That is something to be appreciated and applauded. Hopefully Harry et al will continue to enthrall future generations while we all wait to see what new story will arise to thrill the next generation.
