Movie Review Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (2011) 

Directed by David Yates 

Written by Steve Kloves 

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis 

Release Date July 15th, 2011 

Published July 14th, 2011 

Streaming at BravoTV.com 

An epic end to an epic franchise; "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" brought to close one of the most remarkable film series ever crafted. Over seven films we have watched three young actors give glorious life to three extraordinary characters; characters who will go down in cinema history for their impact on the box office and our popular culture.

Where Were We?

When last we left Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), in "Deathly Hallows Pt. 1," our heroic boy wizard had buried his late friend Dobby. Meanwhile, the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) had discovered Dumbledore's crypt and taken possession of the deadly Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows.

The action of "Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" picks up with Harry confronting a goblin and coaxing him into leading him and Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) into Gringotts Bank. There, they hope to enter a vault belonging to the villainous Bellatrix LeStrange (Helena Bonham Carter) where one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes is being held.

What's a Horcrux Again?

A horcrux, for those unaware, is a piece of Voldemort's soul hidden in mundane form. Harry, Ron and Hermione have spent much of the past two films seeking several of these Horcrux and gone about destroying them. In the process they have weakened Voldemort but also made him angrier and ever more dangerous.

Our heroes believe that the final Horcrux resides at their old home, Hogwarts. This belief leads to a risky return to the school and a rendezvous with a few old friends who will play key roles in helping Harry in his final confrontation with He Who Shall Not Be Named. You really have to love the portentous language of the Potter Universe. In "Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" keep an ear open for the first time a character actually uses Voldemort's name, the reaction is priceless.

Movie vs. Book

I will go no further in talking about the plot as spoilers come far too easily. I will tell you that fans I watched the film with told me that book fans will be surprised and saddened by several of director David Yates's choices. Yates cut "Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" to the bone making it the shortest film of the series. In the process a few beloved scenes from the book have been excised and others have been shortened for time.

Fans I saw the film with were not angry about the changes from the book so don't expect to be too disappointed Potter-ites. Indeed, I don't believe anyone will walk away from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" disappointed. Director David Yates has done a masterful job of delivering adventure, excitement and pathos in heavy portions.

Powerful Emotional Punch

Thanks to the remarkable performances of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint fans of the Harry Potter series will be left breathless one moment, elated the next and likely will have shed a few tears along the way. "Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" delivers more than a few really powerful emotional punches. I was particularly moved by one character's long time unrequited love.

For me, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" is a perfect close to this epic series which thankfully has not overstayed its welcome. Yes, the series threatened to hang on too long but credit David Yates, screenwriter Steve Kloves, and this wonderful cast for helping to keep us patient and invested in this now decade long film series. Their remarkable hard work has made this final Potter adventure the best of the series.

Movie Review: The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux (2009) 

Directed by Sam Fell, Rob Stevenhagen

Written by Gary Ross

Starring Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, Robbie Coltrane

Release Date December 19th, 2008

Published December 22nd, 2008

The Tale of Despereuax is a Newberry award winning children's book now transported to the big screen. You know how they say the book is always better than the movie? I've never read The Tale of Despereaux but I am willing to bet it's better than the snoozefest movie version.

Matthew Broderick gives voice to Despereaux a mouse who is very different than the rest. Mice are supposed to cower in fear and run from... everything. Not Despereaux. His days are spent reading books about knights and bravery and being a gentleman and saving princesses and this has given him the courage to be more than just another mouse.

Searching the castle where his family and friends live under the stairs, Despereaux meets Princess Pea (Emma Watson). The sad young princess takes a shine to the brave little mouse who makes it his quest to turn things around in the sad kingdom.

A dark cloud has hung over the country since the Queen died. She died during the annual soup festival when a rat dropped into her soup and scared her to death. That rat was Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) who now lives in the sub basement with a group of disgusting scavenging rats lead by  Botticelli (Ciaran Hinds). Roscuro lives everyday hoping he could someday apologize to the princess.

If that sounds like a pretty big downer well, it plays like one. Despereaux the character is fun but the sadness around him and the gloom topped off with some serious weirdness; that includes a character made entirely of vegetables, makes The Tale of Despereaux depressing and off putting.

This is one exceptional voice cast from Broderick to Hoffman to Sigourney Weaver as the soft toned narrator. But the best voicework in the world cannot rescue a story that is as unpleasant as the vermin who make up the cartoon cast.

Movie Review Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 

Directed by Mike Newell 

Written by Steve Kloves 

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon

Release Date November 18th, 2005

Published November 17th, 2005 

Four movies, three different directors and not one slip in quality.  This is the extraordinary track record of the Harry Potter film series. I am of the belief that a visionary director is the necessary component in making a great film series. George Lucas may not have directed all of the Star Wars films but his vision was constant and his aims achieved. Peter Jackson's imprint is the lasting legacy of the Lord of The Rings series.

What the producers of Harry Potter have achieved is astonishing for not having one director guiding the series with one singular vision. What Harry Potter does have is the brilliant work of author J.K Rowling whose hand in shaping the films made from her books cannot be underestimated. Even as she allowed each of three directors to bring something of their own aesthetic to each film, it is Rowling's imagination that finally ends up on the screen and it's the reason why Potter will go down as one of the greatest film series ever.

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire thrusts you right back into the world of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) as our hero reunites with friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) for year four at Hogwarts school of magic. Upon their arrival, after a brief and surprisingly dangerous visit to the Quidditch World Cup, they are informed that things are going to be different this year.

This year Hogwarts is playing host to the legendary Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous and deadly trial that introduces two other schools of magic heretofore unknown to us. From France the Beauxbaton Academy with female students as lithe and lovely as their school's name. On the other hand Belgium's Durmastrang students are as menacing as their school name and notably features the stern charismatic presence of Quidditch champion Viktor Krump.

For the Triwizard Tournament each of the schools will place names in the ominous Goblet of Fire, which will magically choose which students will represent their school in the tournament. Because of an age limit Harry, Ron and Hermione are not eligible for the tournament, or so we are told. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur De La Course (Clemence Poesy) from Beauxbaton and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts are supposed to be the only competitors however the Goblet has other ideas. Somehow, the name Harry Potter escapes the Goblet and, rules or not, Harry is forced into the tournament.

Harry did not submit his name for the tournament and one of the mysteries of the plot is who did put him in the tournament and what nefarious reasoning was behind it? Was it the new Dark Arts professor MadEye Moody (Brenden Gleeson), or was it the shady headmaster of Durmstrang Igor Karkaroff (Predrag Bjelac) who has a secret tie to the dark lord Voldemort? It certainly was not Ron or Hermione who were afraid for Harry's safety and in Ron's case a little jealous.

The Triwizard Tournament is yet another of the many visual wonders of the Potter series. Though the dragons of the first challenge are only okay in terms of CGI creativity, the chase scene they are part of is the film's first exciting moment. The underwater challenge, featuring some very unappealing mermaids, is, without a doubt, the best of the film's action. Using magic provided in a way by MadEye Moody, Harry grows gills, allowing him to remain underwater as long or longer than his fellow competitors. The challenge involves saving his closest friends from drowning. Not only does Harry save Ron's life but when Fleur is unable to continue with the challenge Harry risks his life to save one of Beaubaton's students as well.

The final challenge, an ever shifting maze leading to the tournament cup is only a mere precursor for the film's finale which features our first ever look at a living, breathing Lord Voldemort in the person of Ralph Fiennes. If this showdown is a bit of letdown-- it features a dreadful talking killer bit by Fiennes-- it's likely because we have three more chapters left in this film series, plenty of time before we have the true final throwdown.

The main subplot of Goblet of Fire is the ever quickening maturity of our heroic trio. As big a challenge as the Triwizard Tournament is, it may pale in adolescent comparison to the kids' first ever school dance, the Yule Ball. For Harry and Ron, finding a date may be more fearful and daunting than any evil magic they have faced. For Hermione it's only slightly better since she landed the most sought after date in the school, Viktor Krum.

Director Mike Newell, the third director to tackle a Potter movie, is the first British director to try his hand at this very English series and his Englishness comes through in the film's aesthetic. Britain is stereotypically gray and wet and such is the look of The Goblet of Fire often gray and wet. There is very little color and very little light which is also a function of this story's tone which is darker than the films that preceded it. Even in comic moments like Harry's uncomfortable bathing encounter with the ghostly Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson) the look of the scene is so dark and gray you can barely see Myrtle's non-corporeal form.

The contributions of writer Steven Cloves cannot be understated. When producers first received the book from J.K Rowling and found it was an eye-popping 734 pages there was talk of splitting it into two films. However, with director Mike Newell only signed on for one picture it was put to Cloves to pare the book's many plots and subplots into one script and keep it to the series average two and a half hour runtime. 

Kloves' work is extraordinary if you are like me and have only watched the movies. I was impressed with the speed with which we were drawn back into this story. However, some fans of the book are finding some of their favorite subplots, including encounters with Harry's non-wizard family, the Dursleys, and a plot involving Ron's little sister Ginny, missing from the film. There is apparently a whole beginning of the book that was cut, likely in favor of getting back to Hogwarts quicker, that many fans are rather upset about.

Regardless of the few criticisms from hardcore Potter book fans, I doubt director Mike Newell could have made a better version of The Goblet of Fire even in two movies. The characters have deepened, the story has progressed well and while I prefer Alfonso Cuaron's warm inviting visuals, Goblet is better than its immediate predecessor in terms of preparing audiences for what is coming next.

The best compliment you can give a film that is intent on supplying sequels is to say you cannot wait to see what happens next. Well, I cannot wait to see what happens next. Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix comes out in 2007, which feels like an eternity away. I would consider reading the book but I don't want to be disappointed by the cut corners that will be necessary in adapting that book for the screen. I don't want to be disappointed the way some Potter acolytes are disappointed with Goblet of Fire.

It's not a disappointment in terms of outright dislike. Rather, most Potter book fans are going to enjoy this adaptation. It's more of a longing to see played out before them all that they had imagined from the book. Not seeing some of their favorite characters or subplots has dampened some of the enthusiasm for the film but overall fans should be satisfied with Goblet of Fire.

What comes next in the Potter series is likely to be a bigger challenge behind the scenes than in anything in the story. Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix is scheduled for theaters in 2007. It will be the first of the series to not feature a script by Steven Kloves who is taking time to direct his own feature called The Curious Incident of The Dog In the Night. The script for Phoenix will be penned by Michael Goldenberg best known for 2003's Peter Pan and the Jodie Foster movie Contact.

Even more daunting is that the new director will be David Yates, a television veteran who will make his big screen debut in one of the most highly anticipated franchise offerings in history. Even a seasoned veteran might be a little frightened by such a task.

Movie Review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 

Directed by David Yates

Written by Michael Goldenberg 

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane

Release Date July 11th, 2007

Published July 10th, 2007 

With any series of movies fatigue is inevitable. That is one of the things that has made the four previous Harry Potter films so impressive, each was seemingly better than the last. Well, the law of averages has finally caught up to J.K Rowling's creation. The fifth Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is a step down in quality from the first four.

Don't get me wrong, by the standard of your average Hollywood production, Order of the Phoenix is very good. However, by the high standards of its franchise predecessors, it's a slight disappointment. Confusing plot holes, skips in the timeline, and lapses in logic give Order of the Phoenix the messy feel of an aging franchise.

Another summer has come to an end and young wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is ready for his return to Hogwarts School of Magic. However, his arrival is not without trouble, terrifying dreams of his encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) are plaguing him. Worse yet, few if anyone in the magical realm believe him when he says he faced off with the dark lord

The Ministry of Magic, led by Lord Fudge (Robert Hardy), for one is highly skeptical and even suspicious that Harry's story is a scare tactic being used by Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to take over the ministry. Fudge's staunchest ally, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) is even more paranoid and suspicious of Dumbledore and Harry. When she becomes Hogwarts new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher, at the behest of the Ministry, she begins making life difficult for Harry and getting under Dumbledore's skin.

All of these strands of plot coalesce naturally toward a head to head fight with the dark lord that is one of the film's more impressive visual moments, but something of a let down in terms of grandiosity and emotional impact. First time director David Yates renders the action of Harry Potter exceptionally well. The encounter with Voldemort and the battle that precedes are terrifically compelling set pieces, visually dazzling and edge of your seat exciting.

Sadly, where director Yates and first time Potter scribe Michael Goldenberg is in giving the action an emotional impact. Plot holes doom these major action scenes to simply looking impressive while logically faltering. In the case of a dramatic death at the height of the action, the moment is so chaotically rushed that the impact is blunted.

As for the logic problems, a description would require heavy spoilers. Let's just say that there are mindless moments in Order of the Phoenix that are quite surprising for this series which has rarely been simplistic or predictable. The hand of god seems to reach in more than ever before in the Potter series offering rescues and trapdoors when the plot requires them.

The Harry Potter franchise features a who's who of the best British actors in the business and this time around Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton is the scene stealer as the prim and proper villainess Dolores Umbridge. Hers is a performance of marvelous malevolence. From the moment her lacquered hair-do and horrifying pink ensemble appear on the screen, with her shrill drill sergeant's tone of voice, Staunton steals the show as the villain you love to hate.

Staunton isn't the only new scene stealer in the Potter universe, Irish youngster Ivanna Lynch is a real treat as the odd duck Luna Lovegood. Revelling in J.K Rowling's wondrously detailed character, Lynch brings loony life to this oddball while also managing to make her sympathetic and a favored ally of Harry and company. Lynch performs this role with her whole being, a lilting yet determined voice, a relaxed funky manner and a style all her own, her Luna Lovegood is a welcome addition to the sprawling Potter ensemble.

As for our returning stars; Daniel Radcliffe continues to be the perfect embodiment of Harry Potter's angst ridden youth. Though never the picture of an action hero, it is Radcliffe's average qualities that make him so perfectly suited to the role and able to consistently surprise us with his strength and vulnerability. In Order of the Phoenix we begin to get inklings of what a Harry Potter might be should he survive his ever imminent encounter with Lord Voldemort and Radcliffe imbues these scenes with hope and optimism even as Harry evinces fear and uncertainty.

His young co-stars are having a harder time finding the right balance in their performances. Rupert Grint's Ron Weasley continues to be Harry's loyal sidekick but sadly he recedes deep into the background of Order of the Phoenix rarely offering even his usual comic relief. As for Emma Watson her struggles are the most obvious in Order of the Phoenix. Her Hermione Granger is becoming somewhat shrill with her emotions running to extremes at all times. Watson needs to find some balance between constant fright and tight lipped ascension before she burns out from bounding from one extreme to the other.

For J.K Rowling loyalists, the scene many will be waiting for with bated breath is Harry's first kiss with the comely Cho Chang played by Katie Leung. Indeed the scene is in the movie but sadly it falls flat compared to Harry and Cho's chaste tower encounter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Unfortunately, Director David Yates blunts the emotional impact of the scene by rushing it along.

Book fans however can take heart in Yates' wonderful foreshadowing of another character who is set to become Harry's love interest in future sequels.

Yes, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a lesser effort compared to the previous Potter films but considering that this is a truly transitory entry in the series; that is to be expected. Keep in mind that David Yates is a first time director taking the helm of one of the greatest franchises in film history and working with a screenwriter who delivered his first Potter script after Steve Kloves adapted each of the first four films and you have to marvel at the fact that the film wasn't a complete disaster.

If Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix demonstrates anything it is that the main creative force here remains Potter creator J.K Rowling. Directors come and go and even screenwriters come and go but the vision for these characters and this story remains with Rowling's stunning creativity. Whether you come to love Order of the Phoenix as much as the previous films, or not you will still walk out with the same anticipation for the next chapter that you had waiting for this one.

Movie Review Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 

Directed by Christopher Columbus 

Written by Steve Kloves 

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane 

Release Date November 15th, 2002 

Published November 14th, 2002 

There is an unspoken competition between the Harry Potter film series and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. While there are numerous other movie franchises, few match the scope and scale of these two series. The competition has nothing to do with box office—though that should be a close race. It has to do with quality filmmaking; which series will be more artistically satisfying? The first of the Potter series was strong, if not memorable, while the first of the Rings achieved everything it set out to achieve until its awful abrupt ending. 

That film established its characters, its universe and its rules, creating a good deal of anticipation for the next two films in the trilogy. If the original Potter film wasn't as successful in those respects, it was through no lack of trying. In its second outing, the Potter series flies out of the box with all the magic and wonder of classic Hollywood filmmaking and modern technology. Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets throws down the artistic gauntlet to the The Two Towers and sets the bar high on quality filmmaking.

As we rejoin the story of the world's most famous boy wizard, young Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, aging rapidly) is back home with his Muggle (i.e. non-wizard) guardians. Locked in his bedroom and badly mistreated, Harry cannot wait to return to his real home at Hogwarts Academy. Harry is a little down, however, as he has not heard anything from his close friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). 

As it turns out, Harry's correspondence with his friends has been interrupted by an elf named Dobby who comes to Harry with a warning: Do not return to Hogwarts because your life and those of your friends are in great danger if you do. Undeterred, Harry has no other wish but to return to Hogwarts, and when his friends show up at his home to bust him out and bring him to Hogwarts he literally jumps at the chance.

Once back in the wizard realm he is quickly reunited with his old friend, the giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and comes to meet his newest Professor, the pompous and overbearing Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh). Harry is also quickly reunited with his Hogwarts rival Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and Draco's equally slimy father Lucius (Jason Isaacs). It isn't long after Harry returns to Hogwarts that strange things begin to happen. First Harry is nearly killed in a quidditch match and then he finds himself accused of paralyzing a cat and scrolling in blood that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened.

Thankfully for Harry, the school headmaster, Professor Dumbledore (Richard Harris), believes Harry did not commit the crime. Dumbledore knows more than he lets on but plays it close to the vest. As if illustrating Harry's growth into puberty and beyond, he begins to discover new powers, including a rather frightening ability to speak to snakes, a power usually restricted to those who are members of the Slytherin House. Harry is also hearing voices that no one else can hear— a trait that is a little strange, even for a wizard. After a friend is struck paralyzed by the entity that also froze the cat, Harry and his friends can't help but investigate, and find out what the Chamber of Secrets is and whether it has anything to do with the Malfoys, Slytherin, or worse.

There is a deeper story with the Malfoy family who make clear in early scenes their dislike of Muggles and especially wizards descended from Muggle parents like Hermione. The allusion to Nazism is obvious but not overdone. Draco is obviously the model of Aryan nazi youth, and this sets up a metaphor that I'm sure will play itself out in the sequels to come.

One advantage to never having read the books is that I'm excited to not know what's going to happen next, and director Chris Columbus does an excellent job of foreshadowing the future of Harry and his friends— especially the future relationship between Harry and Hermione who seem destined to be more than friends.

It would be easy to underestimate the performance of Daniel Radcliffe, since the kid really is so comfortable in the role he makes it look very easy. However, it can't be easy spending most of the film talking to things that actually aren't there, as Radcliffe does. Be they elves, giant spiders or ghosts, Radcliffe's performance, combined with state-of-the-art effects and editing, bring the film to life in a vibrant and exciting way.

In a wonderful coda to an amazing career Richard Harris leaves us with a wonderful performance. Putting aside the sympathy votes, Harris' performance is honestly Oscar worthy, as is the performance of the newest addition to the series, Kenneth Branagh. With energy and bravado to spare, Branagh's egotistical, cowardly Professor Gilderoy Lockhart is a comic whirlwind who earns laughs with simply a smile. Branagh's performance is truly delightful.

Director Chris Columbus will turn over the reins of the Potter series to Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien), and it is sad to see him go. The director, who was a controversial choice the first time around, really proved himself on this film. Though, for me, the original wasn't the winning concoction so many others enjoyed, it did show that Columbus had a touch for staging and effects. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Columbus fills out the Potter universe in spectacular fashion. Hogwarts becomes a fully realized place, almost a character in itself. Columbus's expertise in staging and effects here combines itself with a compelling story and performances, to make for a truly magical film. The Two Towers has a lot to live up to if it hopes to match the quality of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.