Giving The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 its due

I read recently that the famous movie website Rotten Tomatoes has rated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the "best reviewed" film of 2011.

That means that Part 2 was rated by professional film reviewers more positively than any other film last year.

I have to admit it: I find that amazing. Surprising. Disturbing. And perhaps a bit eye-opening, to be honest.

As anyone who has been reading this blog will know, I was not positively disposed to Part 2, which I thought butchered J.K.'s subtle and elegant final novel for the sake of filmic flashiness.

So why do all of these professional reviewers seem to like it so much?

It's possible that the reviewers like it because it is a good movie. Maybe even a great movie. Divorced from its source material, it probably stands very strongly on its own merits. It's exciting, well-written, and well-filmed. The acting is good, the story is strong and the technical work on it is exceptional.

I guess I can see all that. But it's difficult for me because, in my opinion, it could have been SO MUCH BETTER. Had they stuck more closely to J.K.'s plot, themes and character development, then added the same high level of technical, acting and writing work, they could have had a masterpiece.

Yes, I'm biased. Yes, I feel a huge amount of loyalty to Rowling's original novel (more, I fear, than even J.K. herself seemed to feel). And yes, I am completely incapable of seeing the film for what it is.

So I'll give them their props. Congrats to David Yates and Steven Kloves and all of the cast and crew on making an exceptional film. The accolades appear to be well-deserved.

Now, how long do we have to wait until someone is allowed to try again?

Rotten Tomatoes offers a treasure trove to rev up your anticipation

With only four days to go until the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, here in North America, I've come up with a great way to get yourself even more excited about the movie than you already are.

Step one is to go to Rottentomatoes.com, the website for all things movies.

Step two: read all the reviews from Great Britain for the film, which has already been released there.

Step three: watch all of the video tidbits they've posted, which include movie trailers and scenes from the new movie.

If that doesn't get you revved up, nothing will.

The professional reviewers from Great Britain are unanimously thrilled with this final film. Several of them pointed out that this is a situation that almost always leads to disappointment (high expectations plus a long wait = a big let down), yet somehow the movie makers have managed to turn out a product that is both exciting and emotional. They all call the final instalment of the film series a fantastic way to end.

I'm most pleased by the fact that, according to the reviewers, the action doesn't overwhelm the emotion of this final film. Sure, Part 2 has tons of action (one reviewer said it has more action than the previous seven films combined) but it also allows the characters (and the fans) the chance to feel the end of the journey.

As for the video bits on Rotten Tomatoes, well, there are too many to cover here. Suffice it to say, some are amazing, some interesting and surprising and some suggesting of disappointments to come for fans of the books. Still, getting a chance to watch just a little bit more from the new movie has only served to crank the anticipation up even more.

Four more days. Wow.