"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" dissuade them from firmly planting their tushes in movie seats and reveling in the final installment in their beloved series of movies. But, because we know there are some folks out there who appreciate a little objectivity, we've gathered up these reviews -- but, honestly, the movie must be magical because it was virtually impossible to conjure a negative review. The film's first review actually came on July 6, from London's Daily Telegraph and critic Philip Womack, who writes, "This is monumental cinema, awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old: there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it." The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday, too, declares it a success, writing, "Feeling at once like an anti-climax and a spot-on send-off, the ultimate Harry Potter movie embodies all the elements that have made the franchise such a sturdy enterprise, from its cream-of-the-crop British cast to its lavish but unfussy illustration of a story that will always be captured best in readers' imaginations." Calling the film "deeply satisfying," New York Times critic Manohla Dargis heaps particular praise on the older (meaning the ones that didn't start this thing as cute kids and end as Burberry models) who have anchored the series: Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Jason Isaacs, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman. Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, venerable critic Roger Ebert jumps on the praise train: "The finale conjures up enough awe and solemnity to serve as an appropriate finale and a dramatic contrast to the lighthearted (relative) innocence of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" all those magical years ago." But, he cautions, see the movie in 2-D because the 3-D version, says he, adds nothing. Finally, at rottentomatoes.com, that egalitarian bastion of movie review-dom, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" is holding steady with a 97 percent fresh ranking. Like we said: magical.
