Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

From a dramatic intro to a bleak one as Rickman stands alone on Hogwarts watching his docile masses. And not a word uttered in the two first scenes, nor early in the third as Radcliffe sits silently by the grave of another friend. 

There are still some logical flaws (why would Hermione refuse to show Bellatrix' wand to the goblins, when Harry showed it to Olliwander only two scenes earlier?) but I suppose in a franchise like this, that is nitpicking. This last instalment is an absolute treat, though the film did miss out on a top score due to the lacklustre scene "19 years later", which is too unnecessary to be overlooked.

The set-pieces are back in style here, and the escape from Gringotts with the sun-shy dragon an early highpoint. CGI has improved vastly since the first instalment and director Yates takes full advantage. The final battle for Hogwarts is stunning, though perhaps no one will ever improve upon Peter Jackson in that respect. The wands attacking Hogwarts is a more original and majestic moment though. The battle does have an outstanding introduction in music through Desplat and a fantastic moment from Maggie Smith, who portrays childish glee in a tired and scared old professor as the dire situation is clear for all to see. Piertotum Locomotor indeed.

It is the balance with the fates of the characters that make this franchise so endearing though and in the darkness that is this film, Harry's conversation with Aberforth is a gem. Watson is still fantastic at subtlety, whereas Grint and Radcliffe act more with broader strokes Little makes you miss the late, great Rickman like his death-scene in which the full truth of Severus Snape is finally unveiled. He plays his own death all human, close and solemn, with such a wealth of loss and commitment, whereas his reaction to his one love's death is devastating, dramatic and inconsolable. Two beautifully directed scenes where the music starts just as Snape ends.

A last hoorah: Unlike Michael Bay, David Yates actually has a knack for subtle. He does not need to explain every little detail, leaving little discoveries to the viewer as well. A most welcome trait in a director, something that happens less for every year it appears.

And as the carnage ends, and the dust settles with an author who has no qualms with killing off beloved characters at every turn, there is still time for one last tense, enthralling one-on-one to end one of the finest franchises put to film.

9/10