I have been a huge fan of Harry Potter since I was in 8th grade, which is when I started reading the first three books and saw the first movie soon afterwards. I have been hooked into the magical fantasy world dreamed up by J.K. Rowling since then. You can tell it's a fantasy world for two reasons: They have wands, and good triumphs over evil. Because of this, I was of course very excited for the movie. I am proud to say that I was not disappointed. I had wished that the last few books had each been split into two movies, which had been discussed as a possibility for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so I am glad that this book was split into two so that all the action could be retained and the film was not rushed. This was the first movie that I thought really did justice to its source material instead of being a rapidly moving, "greatest scenes" version of the book. I was impressed that 75% of the movie actually took place at Hogwarts with an elongated battle sequence, as if the filmmakers were making up for the omission of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
It has been great to see Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson grow up because they have embodied the characters well and have such a great chemistry with each other. Hermione and Harry especially have developed a great brother-sister relationship. I look forward to seeing them in other flims, and it would be great to see them in a non-Harry Potter film together.
I have always felt that the teachers and adults in the film series have always been given short shrift, and this film was no exception, but the balance was evened out a little bit. Alan Rickman gave a great performance as Severus Snape, showing a different and much more human side to the character that gave him another dimension. Seeing Maggie Smith on screen is always wonderful as well, especially in a leadership role. Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid doesn't show up until the end of the film, but he's always a welcome presence. Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, and Jim Broadbent make brief appearances as well, all of whom should have had more scenes in the last few films given their character's roles in the books. Only Ralph Fiennes gets significant screen time. Helena Bonham Carter also has a few scenes as his main lackey. The problem is that there are so many wonderful characters that it's hard to showcase them all correctly in the 2 1/2 hour spans of each film, so characters often make brief or background appearances.
The actual battle is quite physical and all-consuming, at times a bit tough to follow. There are a few changes from the book as well. The final image of the aftermath is the main three characters standing on a bridge looking back at the building that has been the centerpiece of their lives for the last seven years. The movie then concludes with an Epilogue taking place 19 years later that is a complete shift in tone, showing the next generation of Hogwarts students, the progeny of our main characters, who have been aged to be in their late thirties, although still played by the same actors. Rupert Grint's transformation makes him look a bit like Mark Williams, who plays Arthur Weasley. The final image of this scene, and the whole saga, is a closeup of our three heroes as adults. I hope that the film and book series doesn't go out of style and will remain popular with future generations of readers and moviegoers, because this universe is too vibrant to fade away.
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