Matters converge: a final stand at Hogwarts against Voldemort. The last part of the eight-film cycle delivers in terms of epic action sequences, resolutions for characters followed over multiple movies, and a decent coda; no real surprises, and nothing for outsiders, which is perhaps as it should be.
Tag: eamonn’s reviews
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010, dir. David Yates)
Harry and friends, now on the run, must destroy the magical items sustaining Voldemort. The first half of the final novel – more or less – is a decent chase adventure, with a darker tone than before; the splitting of the source material allows for pacing to be improved, through the structure necessitates a forced cliffhanger bridge to Part 2.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009, dir. David Yates)
Battle lines are drawn between Voldemort’s followers and others; Harry’s studies are supported by a mysterious textbook. Decent series entry, concerned with putting pieces in place for the final conflict. Not really a stand-alone movie, but series fans won’t mind that at all.
Aladdin (2019, dir. Guy Ritchie)
A street thief falls for a princess; a magic lamp offers the opportunity to win her hand. Okay-as-far-as-it-goes live-action/CG remake of the 1992 Disney animation. A couple of new songs, Will Smith brings some pizazz as the genie, and a nice magic carpet gag; otherwise this is a product rather than a movie, and feels it at times too.
The Curse of La Llorona [AKA The Curse of the Weeping Woman] (2019, dir. Michael Chaves)
![The Curse of La Llorona [AKA The Curse of the Weeping Woman] (2019, dir. Michael Chaves)](https://255review.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/coll-poster.jpeg?w=640)
LA, 1973. A cursed social services worker has her family stalked by a vengeful child-killing spirit. Competent jump-scare horror with links to the Conjuring universe. Some decent period details, solid character actors galore, and a few well-engineered shocks. All-but-bloodless fare, but entertaining enough.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, dir. David Yates)
Voldemort’s rise develops; a fightback begins. Middling fifth instalment treading water between the establishment of the nemesis as a real threat, and its crystallisation; meanwhile, Hogwarts is put into special measures. Okay for fans, and well-enough done, but no classic.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, dir. Mike Newell)
Harry is mysteriously selected to take part in a wizarding tournament at Hogwarts. Fourth and perhaps the best of the sequence, balancing a stand-alone story with the developing Voldemort narrative. Little for series entrants, but a confident and well-made movie for fans of the books and the films to date.
