After nearly a decade of watching the adventures Harry Potter and his wizarding friends on the big screen, it is time to say goodbye. The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 marks the emotional climax to what has become one of the most successful film franchises in cinema history. Now straight up, your probably wondering does it live up to the hype? In my opinion it sure does!

If you haven’t recently watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, do it now! Part 2 begins with no catch up, straight away the viewer is thrown into the world of Harry Potter picking up straight from where Part 1 ended. Voldemort has the most powerful wand in the entire world in his possession, and all seems lost.

For the next couple of hours, what you get is basically an action-packed sprint to the final showdown between the “boy who lived” and “he who must not be named”, taking an occasional break from the action-packed adrenaline to move you with emotion, predominantly heartache as you watch your favourite characters put through the ringer.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is the pacing uses to keep the plot going, while at the same time many would say it is also the film’s weakness. Because Part 2 has so much to fit in, in just a few hours, there are certain moments in the film that tend to feel slightly glossed over. For the die-hard Harry Potter fan, this might disappoint, but then director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves had their work cut out adapting the final book for the big screen. Let’s be honest, the book is always better then the movie!

As the film reaches its climax and we know the end is near, that is when Deathly Hallows Part 2 really shines. The battle for Hogwarts is utterly epic and gives Peter Jackson’s Return of the King a good run for its money, the emotions are plastered on thick, you as the viewer find yourself on the edge of the seat as your favourite characters fight for their lives, you’ll shed a tear when Snape’s true colours are revealed, you will share the pain as some of your favourite characters fall in the final battle, but most importantly you will find yourself cheering as the “boy who lived” rises up to fight the dark lord one final time.

Overall as a movie, it is a great finale to the franchise, but I will say this, nothing beats the original book!