Review: A film for fans

Highly anticipated by fans around the world and dubbed "The End of an Era" by the British press, the final film was certainly put on a pedestal — and rightly so. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 not only does the film franchise justice, but exceeds any expectation I had of it. Jam-packed with action and emotion, viewers will not be let down by the final episode of J.K. Rowling's exceptional Harry Potter series.

The eighth film sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) return with their trademark convincing performances and underlying character chemistry. The three former Gryffindor pupils must hunt down the magical Horcruxes that keep Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) blood pumping. The action begins where the characters end up, in none other than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The visual effects are on par with the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Enhanced in 3D, viewers are treated to epic battle scenes and wonderful landscapes, including bird's-eye views of London and Hogwarts. Voldemort's snake Nagini is more terrifying than ever in 3D, and there was more than one occasion when I raised a hand to the face (although admittedly once was to brush a tear away). Credit goes to Eduardo Serra for his cinematography which created a visual sensation.

All grown up

The film begins right where Part 1 left off. The start, though a little slow, builds anticipation and it isn't long before the audience is thrown into a world of wizarding action that they know and very much love.

The film is touching in a way that none of the others were, almost certainly because it is the last. The epilogue to the film, set 19 years in the future, will hit a nerve with viewers who grew up with the series. Harry, Ginnie, Ron and Hermione are all grown up, and it is their children's turn to experience a world of wizardry and magic. Accompanied by Alexandre Desplat's moving score, it was on this occasion that I felt a tear slip from my normally resilient tear ducts.

But it isn't all sentimental. In fact, this film is funnier than any of its predecessors. Helena Bonham Carter triumphs as Bellatrix Lestrange, and even so much as an utter of "Oh" had the audience in fits. Hermione and Ron's love affair is convincing as the tension between the two had been building throughout the past seven films, but their juvenile on-screen kiss was more cringe than passionate. Matthew David Lewis transforms his character Neville Longbottom into a surprisingly courageous hero, who reaps the benefits after fighting his way to Harry's freedom from the Dark Lord.

Background knowledge

For those who haven't read the books, this film is a little harder to follow than the others. The Weasley parents pop up out of nowhere, and the loyalties of the Malfoy family are unclear if you don't have sufficient background knowledge.

Although the film relies on the audience having read the books, it is more than possible to enjoy the film without completely understanding the logistics in their entirety.

The film will please a range of Harry Potter fans, but none more than those who have grown up alongside the novels and the films. While it is competing against epic Hollywood films, the Harry Potter series has the advantage of being part of someone's childhood, someone's adolescence and someone's approach to adulthood.

The characters have grown up and left Hogwarts behind, and now the audience must follow suit — until a Harry Potter book finds itself in their child's hands.