Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 review buzz has been nearly perfect so far. In fact, the last adventure may have the best reviews of the entire series when it is all over. That distinction would certainly make Deathly Hallows Part 2 the ideal finale for the franchise, and also put it among the greatest movie endings ever.
Countless franchises have found it hard to stick the landing at the very end. Series like The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Godfather and the original Star Wars trilogy were all lambasted for their final chapters, despite the greatness of their past installments.
Yet ending a franchise on a high note is not impossible to do. Eight years ago, the Lord of the Rings trilogy closed with one of the biggest Oscar-winners of all time in Return of the King. And just last summer, the Toy Story trilogy ended with a finale that brought thousands of adults to tears -- even though there are new doubts that it was the series' last movie.
For Deathly Hallows Part 2, the review numbers indicate that it will be closer to Return of the King and Toy Story 3 than The Godfather Part 3 and Return of the Jedi. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 92 percent score from 24 reviews, and an average rating of 8.1. However, the first negative comments came in Monday: Andrew L. Urban and Louise Keller from Urban Cinefile both panned the film.
More critics are bound to give rotten ratings before Friday, but judging by the comments so far they will likely be in the minority. In the end, the movie will probably range from 80 to 90 percent positive, like most of the Potter films. Yet it could still challenge the top scores of 91 percent for Prisoner of Azkaban and 87 percent for Goblet of Fire.
The eighth installment of a movie series isn't supposed to have high scores, since franchises usually reach the bottom of the barrel by then. However, Harry Potter has been an exception to those rules from the start, as every single installment has gotten over 78 percent or more at Rotten Tomatoes. Since the finale appears destined to complete the trend, that alone may make it one of the great endings.
Not every positive review may put Deathly Hallows Part 2 on par with Return of the King, Toy Story 3 or the other grand finales in movie history. But it is clear the series won't end with as many detractors as the Godfather, Indiana Jones, Spider-Man, and original Star Wars and Batman franchise endings had. For that, fans around the world can breathe a massive sigh of relief.
Sources
Rotten Tomatoes- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
Urban Cinefile- "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2"
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