Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was certainly the best Harry Potter movie up to this point. The only Harry Potter movie that could be called a good movie actually, and it wasn’t even an entire movie, just the first half. Now, after a six-month wait, we get to see Part 2; and, thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint. This is, perhaps, the best two-and-a-half hour third act of any movie I have seen. Generally third acts of movies like Harry Potter and other summer blockbusters, tend to be simplistic, action-packed, low on development, and rushed. That this movie happens to be just a third act, and a full movie at the same time, says a lot about the talent, from J.K. Rowling, author of the books, to screenwriter, Steve Kloves and director David Yates, to the plucky trio of lead actors: Radcliff, Watson, and Grint (sounds like the name of an accounting firm doesn’t it).

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1

In full honestly it would be difficult to admit that all the Harry Potter movies one through six were not particularly good movies. But they weren’t; that is the truth. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is by far the best Harry Potter movie; it is also the first in the franchise that you could legitimately call a good movie; it is also just half of a movie.

Deathly Hallows First Look Surfaces

Woot!

Here's an exclusive first look at David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Sorry I can't embed.

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

I realize this may get me avada kedavrad, but I almost wish I had gone to see I Love You Beth Cooper instead, so unsatisfying is this movie. The last time I felt this...bland...after a film was after seeing The Golden Compass in 2007, a film that Half-Blood Prince's problems bear a striking resemblance to.

Review: THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX

I have not seen an animated film like this in a long time.

Watching Despereaux is like watching an old fairy tale animated movie classic. There is a hero that is not yet a hero who goes on a quest becoming the hero he was always meant to be along the way. While this story has been told in almost every animated movie, Despereaux is different. They don't go for the jokes, pop culture gags, and fart humor. They tell a story and if a joke happens to come out of it then all the better. Finally, this gives an animated movie a full story, one we haven't heard or seen in a while.

Despereaux is the tale of a mouse with large ears who isn't afraid of anything. He lives in the Kingdom of Dor, which has always loved Soup and Rats (?). One day though, a rat ruined the soup, causing the death of the queen - and leading to both being banned from the kingdom. Years later (apparently - cause nobody ever seems to age) tiny Despereaux is set with the task of bringing all of these things back with the intent of being accepted into his community in the process.

This is not done with out flaws.

You never catch the name of any character besides Despereaux, there are a few too many plots happening at the same time, and the ending just seems to happen coincidentally - not for any real reason or chain of events. It just wraps up to nicely. Also there is a terribly overbearing Narrator - voiced by Sigourney Weaver, who chimes in literally every five minutes with a new moral to say - but then taking it back later so the next moral will make sense. It gets annoying fast.

However, the art is astounding. The backgrounds are some of the highest quality I have ever seen, and while the character animation and models are nothing special, they do have a certain charming aesthetic to them. Especially the rats, the leader of which looks so much like Anton Ego from Ratatouille, it is absurd.

Overall I enjoyed the movie a lot, but it could have been better. It certainly is a film that the whole family can enjoy though, and hopefully other studios take a tip from the key points of what made Despereaux good, and don't just gawk about what is missing.

BREAKING NEWS: Harry Potter 6 pushed to July 2009

In a recent press release Warner Bros. announced that they will push Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince from a Thanksgiving weekend release over to July 17, 2009.

in their press release they wrote:

"Our reasons for shifting 'Half-Blood Prince' to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films--changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move 'Half-Blood Prince' to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer."

consequently, Disney moved Bolt's release date up a week to November 21, 2008 in response to this announcement.

Upcoming Film: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (With Trailer)

The trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is now online. It looks rather epic, and Michael Gambon looks to be playing a better role of Dumbledore than he did in the previous films. I think this looks to be the best Harry Potter film in the franchise so far, with a whole new style and manner about it.


Check out the Trailer Below




Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince hits theaters November 21st.