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DVD Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Metro US

DVD Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Genre: Adventure

Director: David Yates

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

***1⁄2

Ten years and eight films after Harry Potter’s cinematic adventures began, the saga resolves in ways suspenseful, romantic and thrilling.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, returning director David Yates, screenwriter Steve Kloves and many other creative hands pull out all the stops for the grand finale of the boy wizard’s long battle with evil Lord Voldemort, a snake-faced creep played with masterful menace by Ralph Fiennes.

The action rarely flags in the film, which at 131 minutes is the shortest of the Harry Potter sagas, but also the most exciting.

The long-anticipated siege of Hogwarts gets what can only be called the Lord of the Rings treatment, with visual mayhem and character dynamics writ large. Even viewers fully versed in the plot will find themselves catching their breath as long-simmering developments reach fruition and apparent red herrings are addressed. The only disappointing aspect of this otherwise stellar send-off to Harry Potter is the post-production conversion to 3D (available with the Blu-ray), which adds absolutely nothing to the experience.

This outing can be summed up by the final three words of the final Potter book, which I present as a teasing acronym to avoid spoilers: “AWW.” That may also be the sound you make at the conclusion of the film’s romantic epilogue, which will prompt many smiles of satisfaction.

Extras, mostly on the Blu-ray, include deleted scenes, Maximum Movie Mode, a conversation with Daniel Radcliffe and J.K. Rowling and numerous featurettes.