Harry Potter, the boy who lived... come to die.

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part II

(2011)

A bit of a crumbly end to the series; Part I actually worked better and that had some serious structural flaws.

Presumably fidelity to the source material has resulted in this misshapen climax (and the promise of extra bucks that didn't see the book truncated into one movie), which doesn't succeed in sustaining tension and, amidst the ongoing battle sequences, gives us only a couple of really memorable scenes. One is the bank "heist" near the start, featuring an extremely well-rendered dragon.

The other is a flashback sequence involving Rickman's Snape, which answers many questions but also signposts some serious bungling in narrative flow; Snape exits the story with a whimper, so the investment and intrigue surrounding his character never pays off in a cathartic way.

There are other problems of that ilk too; hoisting a charisma-free series regular, Matthew Lewis, to fourth lead may be true to Rowling, but it leaves a vacuum of indifference in the scenes where he holds centre stage. And while most of the rest of the cast are solid enough on the run or incantating, they show their limitations (or are let down by the script) when required to express teenage passions.

***

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She writes Twilight fan fiction.

Vampire Academy (2014)
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I can only presume there’s a never-ending pile of Young Adult fiction poised for big screen failure, all of it comprising multi-novel storylines just begging for a moment in the Sun. Every time an adaptation crashes and burns (and the odds are that they will) another one rises, hydra-like, hoping…

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Django Unchained (2012)
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(SPOILERS) There’s no guessing he’s back. John Wick’s return is most definite and demonstrable, in a sequel that does what sequels ought in all the right ways, upping the ante while never losing sight of the ingredients that made the original so formidable. John Wick: Chapter 2 finds the minimalist, stripped-back vehicle and character of the first instalment furnished with an elaborate colour palette and even more idiosyncrasies around the fringes, rather like Mad Max in that sense, and director Chad Stahleski (this time without the collaboration of David Leitch, but to no discernible deficit) ensures the action is filled to overflowing, but with an even stronger narrative drive that makes the most of changes of gear, scenery and motivation.

The result is a giddily hilarious, edge-of-the-seat thrill ride (don’t believe The New York Times review: it is not “altogether more solemn” I can only guess Jeannette Catsoulis didn’t revisit the original in the interven…

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The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2018)
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I mean, I think anybody who looked at Fred, looked at somebody that they couldn't compare with anybody else.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
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Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe.

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