I really disliked this movie. lack of pacing and tension. brooding, repetitive score that rarely fit the scene unfolding. close-up after close-up of pensive looks passed off as emotion. bizarrely dry readings of the script, with uncomfortable pauses to no effect.
there were bright spots. the cinematography and many action scenes were gorgeous, with seamless integration of CGI. Fiennes and Rickman have fun with it. Helen Bonham Carter has killed it since her first introduction, as has Maggie Smith.
but overall, with so much attention paid to how grim and dire things have gotten in Harry Potter's world, it's as if they forgot to interject any joy or character into the story. why not have the final showdown as it was written, with Potter and Voldemort surrounded by everyone in the school? the sun rising as they duel, and an eruption of cheers after Potter wins...absolutely no need to re-write that.
instead, we got a celebratory-less victory and mundane coffee social after saving the world. no sense of triumph or elation.
scene after scene was misused like that. this movie should have easily been so much better.