Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2: It does all end here

"It all ends here." How apt is this statement to describe the second part of the final Harry Potter movie.

The film starts where part 1 of the Deathly Hallows left off: Voldemort opening the tomb of Albus Dumbledore and finally getting hold of the Elder Wand.

In the next scenes, we see Harry, Ron, and Hermione destroying the rest of the Horcruxes, and the big fight of good vs. evil with Hogwarts as the battleground. Within almost 2.5 hours, a mix of awe, excitement, sadness, and happiness is felt inside the cinema. And as the final shot of the movie's big 3 disappears as the credits roll, I found myself smiling with contentment.

The movie gave the book justice, as it tied all loose ends just as JK Rowling did in the book. While some back stories were omitted, I was happy that Snape's story was detailed here (this is one of my favorite chapters in the whole series). For those who haven't read the book, let me give you a hint: a really big twist.

I felt, though, that the "19 years after" should have been lengthened, but maybe the director thought that it wasn't really essential to have all that dialogue. But I'm so glad of how they did the battle in Hogwarts. That was so cool.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson shine as they did in the past movies (would've wanted a longer Ron-Hermione kiss, hehe!). Ralph Fiennes is really fine (!) as the main antagonist Voldemort. Maggie Smith gave audiences a glimpse of McGonagall's "cool" side. And Alan Rickman is simply wonderful, giving justice to the multi-layered character of Severus Snape.

But if there was one person who stole the show, it would be Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom.Who knew that he'd grow up to be so handsome? :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 is really worth watching, whether in 2D or 3D (doesn't really make much of a difference). The superb storytelling is enough to keep you engaged.

"It all ends." Yes, it does. The movie gives audiences a sort of closure, a memory that would elicit a smile on your face when you recall it afterwards.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: A week-late review

Wow, I've been so busy that I failed to make a review of the first half of the Deathly Hallows movie right after watching it. But anyways, here's my take on Harry Potter's final grudge match with You-Know-Who...

I've read the book upon its release 2 years ago and I still can remember how the story goes in general (that's why I don't get why there's a Dobby + sad face icon spreading in Twitter, hehe!). Going more into the more technical stuff, I believe there are a few bits from the book that should've been shown in the movie, especially the part where the Dursleys were leaving. That, for me, was a touching moment in the book that should've been included. But Hermione's story was fine.

After 6 HP movies (I missed HBP because I just gave birth that time), it was only here that I realized how good Daniel Radcliffe is as an actor. The Polyjuice Potion scene proved that, when he had to act as Fleur Delacour posing as Harry Potter. That was really funny.

I also like how David Yates, the director, made this more dark and brooding. The book had a serious tone, as this features the final battle of Harry Potter and Voldemort. I like how the first scene, with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, set the mood for the first half of the last installment. So for those who think that this is still the Harry Potter movie from years ago, I'm telling you it's not. Definitely not. And it's a good thing, because you'd expect the kids who read Book 1 when it was first released in early 2000 would have grown up and understand that this would be somewhat "mature."

But no worries, nothing in here that would be too gross or morbid to see. Well, in my opinion...

I also liked how the first part ended, as a prelude to what you can expect next year, when the second half of the Deathly Hallows movie comes out. It made me anticipate on how they will bring the next scenes of the book to life.

It's not yet late to catch this in the cinemas (please note that this is NOT in 3D, but Part 2 is). I feel this movie will be as good as Prisoner of Azkaban (which was the best of the lot for me). Well, we'll have to wait for 2011 before I can give a final verdict.

Movie trailer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

It's time to salivate, fanboys and fangirls.

I think I watched it 3 times before posting it here. I'm so excited to see this in 3D.

Here, my dears, for your viewing pleasure: the trailer of the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.