I would like to start off by saying that I am reviewing this movie as simply a movie - none of my opinions here will be associated with the book, and I will not discuss whether or not this film is a good adaptation of the book.
If I had to pick a Harry Potter movie to watch at any given time, I will always suggest this film due to how different it is from every other film in the franchise. It is an excellent movie, not just in the Harry Potter series, but in general due to its cinematography, score, tone, and emotion.
The tone of this movie follows the trend of the films getting progressively darker as they go on, with this film by far being the most depressing yet. Similar to the Half Blood Prince, this film has a dark tint to it, which I think was needed considering the light hearted nature of the first few films. It reminds us that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are no longer kids, and the world is falling apart day by day. The stakes are higher than ever for the Golden Trio as Voldemort rages on.
One of the biggest reasons I love this movie is because its main focus is on the trio, and there is some really good character development here. Ron gets some serious development for once, as we see him explain to a naive Harry that the war against Voldemort is bigger than just him and his world early on. We also see him struggle with the pressure and frustration of the trio's quest to destroy the Horcruxes, and the scene where he returns to Hermione and Harry is quite heart warming. We get to see Hermione try her best to be the glue of the group while Harry and Ron fight it out, but we soon see the stress of their situation get to her as well. It is amazing to see how far the three main characters have grown, and Grint, Watson, and Radcliffe give their best performances yet.
This film has some of the best scenes in the series. I think the wedding sequence was done very well (despite somewhat cringe dialog between Harry and an old woman), as it reminds you that the main cast don't have any time for celebrations anymore. The following scene in a Muggle restaurant was shot stunningly, and the absence of any score really immerses you into the scene.The Ministry of Magic sequence is genuinely hilarious (Ron gets a little too into character), and is every bit enjoyable as it is thrilling towards the end when the three attempt to escape the Ministry. I love every moment of our trio's camping trip, and there are some really gorgeous landscape shots used as transitions. The chase scene through the forest is exhilarating, and again, the lack of score in the scene is gripping. The tales of the three brothers was beautifully animated, and is an example of the several risks that David Yates took in this film. The scene where Harry and Hermione stand in the Godric's Hollow graveyard is one of the best in the series and is quite touching.
A lot of people dislike the infamous Harry and Hermione dance scene, but honestly, I thought it was great. It's an incredibly sad scene as we see how depression has struck our main characters; Harry and Hermione try their best to remember happiness after the devastating loss of their best friend, but it quickly fades as the two snap back to the reality of their depressing situation.
The main criticism of this film seems to be that "it's too slow" or "not much happens", but I would argue that the people who make these comments are missing the point of this movie. This movie is less about the action and more about who Harry, Ron, and Hermione are as people and how they cope with their struggles (even though the action in this movie is great. It's a depressing film, and there are a lot of long shots of the three characters talking to each other because that's the point of this movie. The characters are depressed, finding the Horcruxes seems impossible to them, and as a viewer you experience their frustration. I feel like the production team easily could have made an action packed final film instead of splitting the last two books, but I'm glad they didn't because it allowed for excellent character moments. I am glad that Yates didn't simply go for the easy way out, and that he wasn't afraid to make a slower paced film. And no, this movie wasn't a "cash grab", because it is simply too good of a film to be.
Lastly, I would like to point out that there is and never will be a franchise of the size of the Harry Potter series where all the films are at least decent movies on their own (some of them being outstanding). You will never see another blockbuster series eight films long that has as much artistic integrity as the eight Harry Potter movies, and that's what makes the Harry Potter films so special.
