It was always going to be difficult to adapt the final volume of Harry Potter to the screen in a way that was both true to the books and satisfying on its own. However, all in all, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 does a fairly good job of tying up all of the loose ends and narrative arcs established in the rest of the films.
However, now that it’s been quite a while since the film came to the big screen, it’s time to take a look back at some aspects of the ending that still don’t seem to make a lot of sense.
Why They Even Included The Flash Forward Ending
One of the more vexing aspects of the novel was its flash forward, which shows the various characters several years in the future.
While this works well enough for the book, it poses a lot of challenges for the film, and it’s rather questionable whether it was a good idea to digitally age the actors so that they looked older than they are in real life. It’s a rather jarring moment, and it’s not exactly a graceful end to this blockbuster franchise.
Why Hermione And Ron Were Just Going To Let Harry Give Himself To Voldemort
No one can fault Harry for being a brave young man, particularly during the ending, when he freely offers himself up to Voldemort in order to save the others. This makes sense in terms of his character.
What makes less sense, however, is why Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, his most steadfast friends and companions during the entire course of the series, would simply stand by and let him do so without at least following him to see whether they might be able to help him.
Why No One Seems Too Upset When Hagrid Carries Harry’s Body Back
In what is, supposedly, one of the most wrenching scenes in the film, Hagrid carries Harry’s body back to Hogwarts.
What’s strange about this scene, however, is that most of those gathered there don’t seem particularly upset by the fact that Harry, the most important person in the entire series, is apparently dead. This would make sense if everyone knew he was still alive, but as it is it’s a rather jarring and strange feeling to have during this pivotal moment.
Why They Mostly Skipped Tonks And Lupin Dying
Arguably one of the most tragic aspects of the ending of this saga is the death of Tonks and Lupin, one of the sweetest couples.
While it’s understandable that the filmmakers had to economize in order to make sure the film was at least somewhat manageable, one would think that two characters who have already been so important to the series as a whole would have gotten a better send-off than they did, if only to give audiences a proper chance to say goodbye.
Why They Changed Voldemort’s Death To Be More Magical Creature And Less Human
Sometimes, it seems that makers of fantasy films lean a little too much into the CGI, presumably because they think that this will draw more people to the theater.
While this may be true, it also runs the risk of taking away some of the power of good storytelling. The final duel between Harry and Voldemort, as well as Voldemort’s death, is an excellent example of this phenomenon, and it is one of those moments in the film that’s a little too overdone.
Why Mrs. Weasley’s Killing Of Bellatrix Is So Overdone
Likewise, the killing of Bellatrix Lestrange is another of those moments that seems to be just a bit too much. In the book, it’s a truly great scene, as Molly leaps to the defense of her daughter and slays the witch who has been the cause of so much heartache.
In the film version, she inexplicably freezes Bellatrix in some kind of spell and then breaks her apart. It’s just...a strange way to show this scene, and no doubt left many fans scratching their heads in confusion.
Why The Sword Of Gryffindor Showed Up In The Sorting Hat A Second Time
One of the best moments in this film is when Neville is finally able to show his true mettle. As part of that, he pulls the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat. Of course, this has happened before in the course of the films, and it’s probably because there’s a fundamental link between the sword and the hat.
However, there’s not a lot of explanation for why this should be the case, and so it probably left a few viewers wondering what on earth was going on.
Why Harry Destroyed The Elder Wand
Having finally defeated Voldemort and having established that he, in fact, is the master of the Elder Wand, Harry makes the choice to destroy it. In some ways, this seems logical, since its existence would always be an inducement to others to try to take it from him.
However, wouldn’t it have made just as much sense to simply keep it somewhere safe? After all, one never knows when a powerful threat is going to arise and necessitate the use of a powerful wand, and surely Voldemort isn’t the only evil genius wizard lurking out there.
Why The Elves And Centaurs Didn’t Join The Battle Like In The Book
While the films do many things very well, they seem to have taken a rather dim view of the elves and the centaurs, both of whom occupy substantially less space in the films than they do in the books.
Unfortunately, this means that they don’t end up joining the Battle of Hogwarts as they do in the novel. While again this seems understandable, a canny viewer would probably wonder why these magical creatures decided to sit out this particular conflict.
Why More Students Didn’t Just Leave
One of the more pressing questions about the ending of the film is why, given how repressive Voldemort’s regime was, more students didn’t just take it upon themselves to depart the school altogether.
Sure, he’d made attendance compulsory, but surely there were ways to get around this? One would think that the members of the Order of the Phoenix in particular would have been more determined to get their children out of such a toxic environment.