Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman

Directed by David Yates

Rating: A-

In this conclusion to the Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows Part 2 did the series an immense justice. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) must face off Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) for the last time. Only one can make it out alive...

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman

Directed by David Yates

Rating: B+

There's a saying, "keep your friends close but your enemies closer." Sometimes it's best to know some background information on who you're going up against. For the past few years, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) has been digging up lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) past. Lord Voldemort had made horcruxes, magical objects containing a part of your soul. He stopped at six and now Professor Dumbledore is on the hunt to search and destroy these. He recruits Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), teaching him about Voldemort's past. To be able to finally defeat his enemy, all of the horcruxes will have to be destroyed.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a darker movie than those made in the past. With Voldemort's rise to power, a war continues to rage on. It's a busy year for Harry, not only is he getting private meetings with the Headmaster, he is also trying to find out who the Half-Blood Prince is. Harry finds a used Advanced Potions book in class and to his advantage, the book has handwriting throughout each page with short cuts on how to make a potion. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is also a busy student, with a special task from the Dark Lord himself.

Half-Blood Prince could have been directed a little better. The casting was picked well, with new editions Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) and Cormac McLaggen (Freddie Stroma). Unfortunately Frank Dillane, cast as the sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle, was a disappointment. In the books, Tom Riddle was portrayed as manipulative and handsome (sorry Dillane). Though his acting was convincing, I felt that Dillane wasn't the right fit. The movie was in some respects, pretty faithful to the book even though a few scenes were tweaked. For example, The Burrow (the Weasley house) was never burned down due to Death Eaters. I'm guessing this scene was created to show the danger of the times they live in.

Half-Blood Prince did get a good rating from users on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), better than some previous Harry Potter movies. While Half-Blood Prince was not the best out of all eight movies, it was decent enough.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane

Directed by Chris Columbus

Rating: A-

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) spent ten years of his life living under a cupboard in his relatives home believing he was just a normal boy. However, he is far from normal. Harry is a huge celebrity in the wizarding world for vanquishing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, a very evil wizard who was taking over. Upon his eleventh birthday, he finds out from a friendly half-giant named Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) that he is a wizard. His aunt and uncle had kept this a secret in hopes that he would grow up to be "normal". This is the happiest moment of his life, for Harry gets to leave the Dursley's (his relatives) home to go to a magical school. Upon Harry's arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he easily makes friends and an enemy on the first day. While Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry soon becomes home to Harry, trouble still lurks around the corner. Professor Dumbledore (Richard Harris) is hiding something at Hogwarts for protection but one of the teachers is after it. Harry and his friends spend the year trying to unlock the secret and find a way to get to the sorcerer's stone before it can be stolen.

Who wouldn't want to receive an acceptance letter to Hogwarts by owl? Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone does immense justice to the book. It's one of the movies that is most like the book and for this reason, it makes the movie feel a little too lengthy. However, it doesn't stop it from being a great film. Looking back to where it all started, all the young actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) look so tiny! Their acting was very convincing for ten- and eleven-year olds; though in the movie scenes had to jump to the next one since they had trouble with their lines. Part of what makes this movie such a success is the cinematography. This movie makes Hogwarts look so legit. Gringotts, Hogwarts castle, the Great Hall, everything looks so real. It makes the movie so much more believable, it takes you away to a whole new world. Another contributing factor that adds to the success of the movie is the screen writing. Steve Kloves (the screen writer) kept in touch with J.K. Rowling, the author of the celebrated series, to make sure he was on the right track. The movie has some memorable scenes from Harry and Ron saving Hermione from the troll to one of the most popular quotes from Dumbledore upon eating a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean, "Alas, Earwax!" Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone brings the magic to life and is definitely one of the better movies in the series.