Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

It all ends. It's the tagline for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (HP7.2), but also the blunt truth about this emotional journey. For me, it would be impossible to separate this review from what I feel deep in my heart. I'm biased! I grew up with these characters. They've been in my life for over a decade. As this series ends, so does my childhood. Melodramatic and schmaltzy, but that's how I felt sitting in the theater. Harry finally faces Voldermort, the climactic world-shattering finale.

While director David Yates, who's been in charge since Order of the Phoenix, isn't my favorite talent in shaping Harry's quest (that distinction goes to Alfonso Cuarón), he has crafted the delicate balance the series needed, matching blockbuster bombast with artistic ambition. Picking up directly where Part 1 finished, Yates breathlessly guides the action forward, swiftly placing the action back at Hogwarts. The cinematography is in equal parts lush and gritty, and the film is washed in sweeping visuals; the entire production team, as it has been since Chris Columbus' candy-sweet sheen was thrown out, is topnotch. There are certainly moments where Yates could pull back and let a scene breathe, or not undermine a somber moment with an overly quippy tag ending the scene; also, Deathly Hallows is capped by that sticky epilogue, but Yates does his best translating the moment (which admittedly works better on paper, and Yates had to recall the cast for a last-minute reshoot). Still, Yates confidently places every single emotion directly where it needs to be.

Yates has let the series mature elegantly, helping push the ensemble to give uniformly strong performances. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have certainly never been phenomenal actors, but it's impossible not to be moved by their performances, having watched them grow so much. Alan Rickman, once again, shows why he's the one and only Snape, his performance filled with harsh edge and delicate nuance; it's no wonder Snape was recently voted fan favorite character of the series, aided by Rickman's performance. When Snape's biggest moment comes towards the end of the film, where his true intentions are revealed, Rickman is absolute perfection. Here's hoping there's at least an Oscar nomination in his future.

Here's also hoping that Maggie Smith's Professor McGonagall can sneak away with a nomination for her beautiful, pitch-perfect work, despite her very limited screen time (she brought out my first big tears of the night). Helena Bonham Carter is gleefully hilarious when Hermione must infiltrate Gringotts Bank disguised as Bellatrix. Ralph Fiennes almost makes you wish Voldermort had more screen-time in previous installments, he's that wickedly good. It goes on and on. Some of the greatest working British actors have passed through this series, providing skill and grace, just one of the details that makes Harry Potter such a truly unprecedented franchise.

Seven books. Eight movies. Countless memories. The glowing reminder that love truly does conquer all, no matter the sacrifices made along the way. The awe-inspiring lesson that through endless obstacles and overwhelming danger, this world is still a place where magic exists, where children are thrust out to find themselves and fight for truth. I sobbed multiple times throughout HP7.2. Every fan of this generation certainly will. J.K. Rowling has crafted an unbelievable world, and the entire cast and crew of this franchise has done a stunning job translating her vision to the screen. These characters will live on forever. Their goodbye couldn't have been more satisfying, or bittersweet.