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What kind of Harry Potter fan would be over 20 minutes late in his first screening of the last Harry Potter movie? Only a fan of the loser kind such as me would pull off such a stupid stunt. Anyway, at least I got to see the movie 3 times now. And with another IMAX 3D screening coming up tomorrow, you can already tell I love this movie.

“It really should go without saying that this review would be full of major spoilers so read at your discretion. I am a fan so it’s really impossible for me to review otherwise.”

It took all my effort not to cry during the last few minutes of Harry Potter 7 Part 2. What a great finale and it’s even the shortest of all the Harry Potter movies! You can really tell how much the team behind the movies really cared to give a decent ending to the series. They know they owe the fans for having lasted this long (10 years!). An 8-part movie series in that short span of time is nothing short of a miracle. So many wrong things could have happened along the way. Losing any one of the trio would have been disastrous. One wrong directorial choice could have easily sealed the fate of future movies. A bad screenplay would have made a majority of the fans boycott the adaptations. But no, none of these happened and the movie industry is still scrambling to imitate Harry Potter’s success.

Some would say that Potter had the advantage of being the first. That’s arguable though because it certainly isn’t the first book-to-movie adaptation of this generation. It simply trumped all the others because it was the first one that had the real chance of a lasting success. And what is it that sets Potter above every other fantasy adaptation out there? The not-really-secret secret magical formula: a good story.

Studios can spend millions of dollars every year on young adult book adaptations which nowadays are dime a dozen, but Potter had the edge of actually having a great story at its core which attracted huge fans already before the movies. I think it’s safe to say that the magic Potter has done in the movie industry will be unmatched for many years to come.

Now for the actual movie review, I’m not gonna pick out each and every noteworthy scene because that would make this article as long and winding as the underground tracks at Gringotts.

I did not review Part 1 because really it’s just one movie so I had to wait for the second.

Deathly Hallows Part 1 got a reputation of being a slow and subdued movie. But it could not have been any other way. For these last 2 parts, it’s obvious they were making them to appease the fans. Splitting it into two parts is actually justifiable. They couldn’t do an Azkaban here and radically change the story in the last book just to make one film. This is the time more than ever that they needed to be most faithful (as possible) to the original story. And they marvelously succeeded in achieving that.

I can totally understand non-fans thinking Part 1 was a bit long. It did felt long for me too in the repeat viewings. But at this point, any one who has invested time in this series can’t be complaining now. Part 1 gave us the most vivid descriptions of the unique personalities of the major characters, most especially the trio.

Allow me to point one favorite scene in part one: the story of Death and the Three Brothers. I was like “Man! This is really good.” That’s some great animation and storytelling there guys. And I loved Ron’s line just before this sequence. Something about midnight and “twilight”.

Dobby’s death surprisingly only made me sad. I was distraught when I read that in the book. I think they should have used Dobby a bit more in the previous films.

The only thing I didn’t like about Part 1 is the dancing in the tent scene. It was very uncomfortable to watch. Sorry, not a big shipper of Radcliffe and Watson.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 is where the long-awaited Battle of Hogwarts finally happens. Easily one of my favorite chapters in the book and though I vaguely remember the details, I know they did change many things in the movie. However, this didn’t distract me enough. The movie is not the book. I can only pick out one scene which didn’t really sit well with me: Harry pulling Voldemort into a deep hole and then they go whooshing around Hogwarts while grabbing each other’s faces. It got a bit comedic with their distorted faces.

Movies tend to follow certain patterns and have token scenes. This scene was obviously the needed physical combat between Harry and Voldemort before their actual wand battle. There aren’t a lot of ways you could depict wand combat so there has to be some other kinds of fighting too. I’m not very happy with that scene but I’m not creative enough to suggest another way they could have done it so who am I to grumble.

Probably my favorite scene in the book is Snape dying with Harry beside him and I’m not being intentionally morbid here. The movie’s version satisfied me. I had a knot in my chest the whole time. There were some changes but these are understandable since we don’t have a narrator telling us stuff.

And then the long-awaited kiss of Ron and Hermione. It was okaaaay. I was surprised. But I should have been whistling and yelling “Yeahhh!” like in the book but I didn’t. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m a book fan? But I’m glad I didn’t expect much from this scene.

Deathly Hallows is my favorite book of the series but I disliked the epilogue. And this was the one thing I was most worried about in Part 2. But I’m happy to report that they did the epilogue most excellently. Like I said, I tried very hard not to cry because I had friends with me. I still cringe upon hearing the name Albus Severus Potter though.

The whole cast was truly at their best in the finale. It’s sad though that the love angle of Harry’s life wasn’t as developed as in the books. Ginny here isn’t just the same Ginny we know in the books, sadly. But I’m glad the film makers had their priorities straight: focus on the most important aspect of Harry Potter’s life rather than on the fanservice. And no, the epilogue is not mere fanservice. I don’t think ending the film in their Hogwarts age would have worked as well. If there’s anything missing, it’s the obligatory words “The End” after the final shot of the trio fades to black. But then, maybe Jo told them not to do that. *wink*

There is no extra scene after the credits. What are we expecting anyway? Another prophecy from Professor Trelawney a la Percy Jackson? Ooooohhh!! But I waited for all the credits to roll anyway, just to pay my last respects to everyone behind the movies. And it was cool that the audience in my first viewing gave a hearty applause at the end. I hope HP fans wouldn’t be sticks in the mud this time. It’s the last movie and it’s very well done. So let’s show non-fans how much we appreciate this series.

Later, I will be writing a review about the 3D aspect of this film. I’ve seen it so far at SM North IMAX, Gateway and Trinoma, all in 3D. Seeing it at Mall of Asia IMAX today Monday. I’ll have the article up most likely tomorrow or on Wednesday.

I’ve said a lot here but truly, words fail to express how good this finale is. Just go out and see it.

Movies like Harry Potter are once in a lifetime. Who knows how long we’ll have to wait for the next great movie series? Harry Potter movies will be greatly remembered even after many years, much like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and… yes, Toy Story too. Mark my words!

Now, about that Oscar… Amazingly affective soundtrack. Fantastic cinematography. Jaw-dropping special effects. A stellar cast and a brilliant story of love and friendship. This is surely one of the best movies this year! I think it’s about time Harry receive (at least) a Best Picture nomination, don’t you think?