July 2011: Best Release

I have something to confess- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 wasn't everything I was hoping for. In order to make the transition into an action-packed war epic, the movie lost the brilliant character-led drama of Part 1, at which point Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had far less time to share on screen than they did before, a crime unto itself. That the opening was very slowly paced, packed with relatively pointless conversations that (barely) served only to move the plot to its first major setpiece, didn't help either. So no, I don't think Part 2 will be the Best Film of 2011- heck, I don't think we've seen this year's top film yet, and in actual fact for truly standout moments the Summer of Film has so far been quite underwhelming- but that said it is still one heck of a movie. The atmosphere of the final battle at Hogwarts is spot on throughout, primarily due to director David Yates' decision to keep the scenes of war primarily focused on the characters that this generation (myself included) have grown up with and loved for an entire decade now. And that's one thing this film certainly gets right- pay off! For all of us who have been eagerly anticipating an epic finale filled with action, romance, tragedy and ultimately much awaited closure on the story of the Boy Who Lived, Part 2 is the perfect fulfilment of our wishes. It's got its flaws, a shame when you consider how masterfully The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King concluded that trilogy of book adaptations, yet upon reflection of this phenomenal franchise the aforementioned shortcomings don't make much of a difference. It may not be one for the history books, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the conclusion everyone wanted, a great send-off for a great series of films. Cars 2? Captain America? Nope, until whatever turns out to be 2011's best flick hits the big screen (I firmly believe it's still to come), this is the must-see movie. Nuff said.
JANUARY 2011- THE KING'S SPEECH
FEBRUARY 2011- MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3
MARCH 2011- ALEX RIDER: SCORPIA RISING
APRIL 2011- PORTAL 2/DOCTOR WHO
MAY 2011- LA NOIRE
JUNE 2011- X-MEN: FIRST CLASS