Review: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Like most adults, I came across Harry Potter when book 3 was released, about two years before the first movie. Kids had been aware of the books since day one. They were an immediate hit, selling millions of copies. However, most adults hadn't heard about them. It was only when a TV station in the US was doing a little research for a small article on kid's reading habits that they realised that these books were outselling videogames and movies without any huge publicity or advertising campaigns. It all boiled down to word of mouth. That, of course, changed almost overnight. Suddenly there was a two month waiting period for the books in the US. An American friend of mine was so stunned that he was able to buy all books (four at the time) in a bookshop in Dublin without any problems that he bought four copies of each and sent them home. He was the best uncle in the world that Christmas.
Anyway, as I said, I came across the books at book 3 and have read them all as they came out. The books, cleverly, grew up at the same rate as the characters and readers; Starting off as a book for kids with magic sweets and happy, fluffy magic. But there was still real danger and excitement in the book and the author never talked down or patronised the readers. As the books went on the books got larger, the characters grew up, the danger and excitement more extreme, favourite characters changed and even died. And the books grew more and more popular. The hysteria surrounding the release of a book would only be matched by the hysteria surrounding the next book.
And then the films came out. Everyone was concerned: How close to the book will they stay? Who will play the teachers? With a big American studio behind them and an American director and market will Harry suddenly become Troy? And who will play the kids? We need not have worried. The movies stuck VERY closely to the books (At times cutting out unnecessary plotlines that actually improves the story). The adult cast was fantastic. The late, great Richard Harris played headmaster Dumbledore (replaced with the equally great Michael Gambon after the death of Harris), Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Ian Hart all played their parts brilliantly. However Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman were BORN to play Hagrid and Snape. The kid actors were all pretty good also. Daniel Radcliffe a bit nervous and stilted as Harry (He's to be honest, not the best actor in the world) Rupert Grint as his best friend, Ron was funny and appealing and Emma Watson was perfect as their know-it-all friend Hermione. As the books went on and new characters were introduced the casting was uniformly excellent: Kenneth Brenagh, Ralph Feinnes, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman etc.
So, at last, we get to the last movie. Was it worth the wait? Oh yes! As readers will know, Deathly Hallows Part One covered about more than three quarters of the last book. So Part two was going to be mainly the action packed finale. And it lives up to the challenge. Think the battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers but with more wands. The action is thick and fast when it needs to be but knows when to calm down when it needs to also. After a five minute build up we are thrown into a daring bank heist with a dramatic and destructive escape. Another few minutes of tense calm and we start the battle of hogwarts. Once bumbling characters are suddenly turn into action heroes and we see other characters in a whole new light. Cool characters get even cooler. Well loved characters rise to the challenge or die without any OTT melodrama, they just die. Most of the actors return even if they don't have a single line of dialogue which is a testament to their respect for the films, books and fans.

The end may leave you wanting more but, sorry, that's it... Until Harry Potter And The Midlife Crises I suppose. It yet to be seen if these actors will be able top break out of their roles in Harry Potter and make a career for themselves in the Film and TV industry. Only times will tell on this really but one thing's for sure, they won't have to queue at the dole office for a while anyway!

View the original article here

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Movie Review

With the imminent end looming large the clueless trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are running through the woods mostly trying to figure things out and maybe the second part would be better and extravagant but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I isn't all that great unless you are a Potter maniac. So if someone told you that the first installment of the Harry Potter finale is strictly for fans do believe them and even steer clear of the film if possible for you might not get most of it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Story

Harry Potter's looking for all the Horcruxes and wants to destroy them before Lord Voldermort's secret to immortality is out. For someone who hasn't read a single Harry Potter book or seen a single Harry Potter film this isn't the film to fall in love with the bespectacled boy wizard. After all it's only fair for the filmmakers not to pander to someone who waltzes in the seventh installment of a franchise and expects to be blown away. In that context Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I surely lacks the punch that a second last film of a seven part series should possess. This isn't Rambo or Rocky or even Police Academy that loses its sheen somewhere between part III and IV; on the contrary JK Rowling's successful series has it all figured out.

Apparently even those Potter maniacs who might not dress up as wizards while watching the film agree that this version stands very true to the book. But if looked from a different point of view the entire tension of Harry and Hermione walking around in the woods trying to decipher how to stop the Dark Lord largely consists of scenes that look cyclic. Harry, Hermione and Ron don't look really sad even when they get to learn of the deaths of people close to them. Rather they seem to mature up in a jiffy and move on to some more rambling in the dark.

Final Words on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I

Does it really make sense to have a full film that acts like a half-hearted and almost soulless prelude to the climax? Maybe it does to be loyal to the spirit book. Could the two Deathly Hallows installments actually be one tight power-packed film? Perhaps yes. But the meditative tension of the book that has been translated on to the screen might just work very well with Potter freaks and set things up for penultimate finale. So what's the pay off for the first time viewers or the greatest of non-believers of Potter? The fantastic animation sequence about the secret of the Deathly Hallows stands out and is brilliant to say the least. Also the sequence of Rupert Grint's Ron finally confronting his worst fears of losing Hermione to his best friend and Dobby's death are good.

With all the talking and the seeking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I ends on a great note of promise and after spending a better half of their lives playing the leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson look set for the final episode.

For someone who remains largely unaffected by Potter mania, this reviewer finds it rather difficult to rate this film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Screenplay by: Steve Kloves based on the book by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part I Directed by: David Yates

I am a Delhi-based author who writes for Buzzintown.com as part of Buzz Bureau team, while I also wear the hat of a documentary film maker. To know about latest English movies Bangalore or English movies Mumbai please visit movies.Buzzintown.com

View the original article here

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

As might be expected of splitting the final Harry Potter novel into two films, "Deathly Hallows Part 2" feels like one giant, climactic conclusion. Yet the abundance of breathtaking action and epic drama creates a fitting end to the legacy that doesn't disappoint in building a sense of escalating excitement. Inevitably, the film falls short when it comes to elements that the book offers far more time to embellish, such as the impact of supporting characters' final confrontations and their poignant tragedies. The pacing does benefit from this necessary truncation, but those not exceedingly familiar with the Potter lore might find themselves pondering where they last saw several of the characters. These minor distractions aside, the boundless imagination and effective theatrics successfully play upon the emotions to result in a cathartic and triumphant finale for the epic journey.

Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has now acquired the powerful Elder Wand of the Deathly Hallows legend as Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) frantically search for the final few Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy the evil wizard. Their quest takes them from the treacherous vault of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) to Hogsmeade Village and back to Hogwarts School where they must make a desperate final stand against Voldemort and his massive army of Death Eaters.

It needs no introduction, and anyone unaware of what has happened in the first seven films has no excuses. To even watch a movie with the words "Part 2" in the title insists that prior knowledge and familiarity be obtained. It's no mystery that this is the close of a decade-spanning series and that it represents just the final chapters. This is partially why it succeeds over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which felt terribly fragmented - although it doesn't have a precise beginning, it definitely has an ending. And thankfully, for those who haven't read the novels, it's largely satisfactory. The showdowns, duels and monumental confrontations are expectedly prodigious, but it's the abundance of long-awaited answers revealed that really hits the spot.

The new locations are vast and mind-boggling, the sets beautifully decorated and detailed, and the creatures more impressively monstrous. Hulking trolls, an enormous scaly dragon and a fiery winged serpent are just a few of the mythical additions. Even the spells have become more creative and saturated with special effects, while the number of notions derived out of nowhere has decreased (there are undeniable comparisons to be made with The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars series, but it's difficult not to borrow from those franchises when dealing with fantasy - especially when it comes to silly names). But perhaps most welcome is the change in tone concerning Harry's ultimate rivalry - for the first time in several movies, he has competent allies beyond Ron and Hermione. Characters such as Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, Professor McGonagall and Horace Slughorn have been absent for a while and finally show up to aid in their complex quest and defense of Hogwarts. "I'm afraid you really don't stand a chance," comments Ollivander early on, which follows the mood of the previous two films - but his statement is thrillingly proven erroneous by Harry Potter's later, pulse-pounding coup of the castle.

- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)

The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at GoneWithTheTwins.com

View the original article here

The World Of Harry Potter Comes Alive During A Guided Tour

J. K. Rowling's hero Harry Potter has had a huge impact on readers and movie-goers. Her stories focus on a school for wizards, Hogwarts, where magic happens every day. In spite of the wands and wizardry, though, scenes for the movies had to be shot in real places. The magic comes from talented men and women using computers.

Movie settings located around England are still accessible for viewing. Tourists will find them in London and Oxford especially. Tours will take fans to some of those locations with a guide pointing-out what to look for.

While special effects made lightening bolts shoot out of wands and changed men into animals, many backdrops are regular places passed by regular individuals on a daily basis. They might not realize that the red telephone box on their route to work happens is the one where Mr. Weasley and Harry entered the Ministry of Magic. Brick walls lining London streets may not be immediately obvious as settings from The Philosophers Stone, in which Diagon Alley was first introduced.

Even though computer effects made ghosts appear and sent candles flying, Hogwarts Dining Hall is a real place. Tour participants will get to tread on the same floors as those where Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson said their lines. Perhaps participants can sit in some of the spots where Harry, Ron, and Hermione drank pumpkin juice.

There are no train platforms assigned fractions in reality. In the movies, however, platform nine and three quarters is famous as the troublesome portal into the wizarding world. Potter makes it through during the first movie, but in the second he and Ron resort to traveling by flying car.

While you will not be flying in a Muggle vehicle, it is possible to see the platform and place it among its greater context as a part of movie history and real life at the same time. If you worry about how you will travel, have no fear. There will be no Knights Bus squishing you flat as it glides between cars on busy London roads. Do not expect to ride a Nimbus 2000 either.

Tour the cinematic world of Harry Potter in several ways. Walk around London and Oxford, taking your time and paying close attention to the architecture, which might look familiar. Another method of touring is to board a boat and drift along the Thames. Underground stations also play their part in the journey, so expect to ride this famous subterranean system at some point during your tour.

For more information on going on a Harry Potter London Tour why not check out Brit Movie tours who offer are a London based tour company offering many other London Film Locations.

View the original article here

Why Is Harry Potter So Popular?

If you're reading this then you will have heard of Harry Potter. There are not many people or societies around the world who haven't heard of this character. So why is he and the books, films so popular?

I believe it is a combination of things, for a start the books are very well written and the stories themselves are interesting to kids and adults. The stories aren't placed in this world, which will allows kids imagination to run wild and they can relate to it more.

I believe a big factor is that Harry is such a likable kid and the fact that the stories in the book can be related to by children. Every child at some point has been denied something by their parents and become angry with them. When you're a child your parents are like God and they have full power over their children, with Harry being able to escape, I think this is something every child can relate too, I certainly can and I'm no longer a child. Also the fact that the Dursleys represent what we sometimes see in regular families and the fact the adults are secondary to the action with the kids being the main stars.

The magic issue is another important fact. Every kid would love to believe in a secret world of magic where the underdog is the hero. The stories have very clever hidden aspects such as normal everyday things having magical qualities. Platform 9 3/4, Diagon Ally, how the portraits move and talk, all these little details make it the success it is today. JK Rowling is a genius really, she has a vivid imagination which she managed to get a across in the stories and get us all hooked.

The gadgets and games in the stories are everybody's fantasy. Flying on brooms, playing Qudditch, going back in time are all things kids would love to do and adults alike.

Children and adults can relate to many things within the film. Dealing with a bully, not getting your own way and having family troubles. This is what all children and often adults deal with.

Like every good story, it should play with your emotions, you feel sympathy for Harry when his parents die and you feel genuine happiness when he is having fun with his friends. Every base is covered in the books; there is a good badie Voldemort and plenty of mystery and suspense.

If you have never read a Harry Potter book and are planning on doing so you will be seriously surprised. The stories will take you far away from home and this world and give you the ride of your life! Enjoy.

For more information on going on a Harry Potter Studio Tour why not check out Brit Movie tours who offer are a London based tour company offering many other London tours.

View the original article here