The Doha Film Institute launched a film review competition at the end of July, following a special screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. The film review initiative was part of DFI’s Doha-Giffoni Experience program to promote and enhance film appreciation among the youth of Qatar.

Young aspiring film critics, aged 8 to 18, were given ten tips on how to review a film. These tips were used as a starting point by the young critics to write their reviews and enter the competition. The three winners of the competition were announced on Friday 19th August at the Doha-Giffoni meets Freej event. More initiatives will follow in the next few weeks giving young film enthusiasts the opportunity to develop their skills as film critics.

Today we’re delighted to share the winning reviews of the Harry Potter competition with you.

1. Salman Ahad Khan, 16

Reasons: His review contains bright comments and comparisons. He’s done a thorough analysis with a lot of attention to details.

Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Review by Salman Ahad Khan

Tears and emotions ran high on the nine-o-clock screening at the Villagio cinema halls, as Harry and his friends bade their final farewell. Over the years, they took their rightful place in History, alongside ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’, and many others as one of the greatest books and film franchise of all time.

In this final episode of the long running saga, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) alongside his friends look to end Lord Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) dark reign of terror by destroying the remaining Horcruxes. We pick up right where Part one ended, with the Dark Lord now in possession of the Elder Wand (One of the three Deathly Hallows), and now seeking to complete his domination. Whereas the first installment of ‘Deathly Hallows’ focused more on Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s journey of isolation and danger to find the remaining Horcruxes.

A big treat for the book lovers will be the time this film finally focuses on the supporting cast of the series, giving them a chance to claim the limelight and show their true acting prowess. It was heartening to see Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), a stage legend in her own right, take matters into her own hands, and deliver a performance that would have left every ‘Potter’ fan feeling warm inside. Another surprising performance was delivered by Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), who emerges as one of the unlikeliest heroes of the series, and delivers a performance worth remembering as he leads the DA (Dumbledore’s Army), in Harry’s absence, and sets up resilience against the dark headmaster of Hogwarts.

Another shout out has to go to Ralph Fiennes in the way he portrayed ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’, as he looked more convincing than ever. Every time he takes over the screen there is a shiver going through the young fans in the audience, as well as the adult ones. In my opinion, he has almost done to Lord Voldemort, what Heath Ledger did to The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’.

Another wonderful thing about the film is visiting all the characters and the places of the previous films, which gives an eye-watering sense of nostalgia for fans of the series. We even have a scene which shows us clips from all the past seven movies and you get a sense of how mature and developed the story has gotten since then. You can clearly hear an influence of John Williams original score for the first film, as well as Nicholas Hooper’s mournful tone of the sixth film, in Alexander Desplat’s brilliant final rendition of the series.

Alas, as they say, all good things must come to an end, in this case a magnificent and glorious one. It’s really hard not to feel sad after the movie has ended, as you suddenly get that sense of realization that this is probably the last time you would see Potter-world in its current state. It is almost like you would be taking away a piece of childhood from the followers of the books I practically grew up with the Harry Potter series around me, but this will be the first time I won’t be expecting a return to the fantasy world of Harry Potter. It is a strong and fitting farewell for ‘The-Boy-Who-Lived’ and he will rightly be remembered for many a years to come, finally taking his place in history alongside the other legends. So alas we bid you farewell Harry Potter, at least for now, unless if rumor comes true, a Harry Potter-esque film may just be coming to Qatar. For now, we just have to wait and see.

2. Abdullah Al Kuwari, 15

Reason: It is a brief, concise and well written review with smart hints of key scenes. He also added analytical references taken from the audience’s reactions.

Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

I believe one should see all the films in the series to be able to appreciate the drama and the emotional value of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2”.

In this movie, Lord Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes) retrieves the Elder wand, which is said to be the most powerful wand that has ever existed. With this wand he can destroy Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff). Harry Potter and his friends, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) continue their quest to find and destroy the Horcruxes , which are very powerful objects in which a dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul to attain immortality. Lord Voldermort confronts them and that’s when the battle between good and evil erupts, as Harry potter makes a lot of sacrifices.

It was difficult for Harry Potter’s fans to accept the ending, because Harry has a great impact on them. What is amazing about the story is that all students stood as one against Voldermort, which made the audience feel rushes of excitement and fear, to the point where this last part has changed their perception of the whole Harry Potter franchise.

Looking at it from another angle, the movie was perfectly animated in 3D and we were able to see more details scarily clear. Some children said that they felt like they were in the movie, and going through the same events as the protagonists. It is worth mentioning that the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling is one of the bestselling books in the world.

Harry Potter has become one of the best movies of all time.

3. Noha Chaarani, 15

Reason: Another clean review with beautiful personal examples.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Review)

Through its years of growing and being part of our lives, Harry Potter an extraordinary, magical adventure has successfully captivated our minds to think beyond what’s real and thus allowed, exceeding the limits of our imagination into a fantasy of a thrilling, supernatural movie of enchantment and good versus evil.

Based on one of the books in the legendary series of written words by JK Rowling, director David Yates and screen writer Steve Kloves, along with many editors, have worked together into turning this work of creativity from consonants, vowels and paragraphs into a motion picture telling a story of a remarkable boy named Harry Potter, who survives an evil spell cast by a cruel hearted wizard.

The escapade consists of a yearly adventure at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry, where Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) fight against the immorality caused by the wizard, who’s past never spoke of the good, consequently revealing a devilish, haunted stone heart, trapped within a dark, deep ocean. Filled with courage and love, the three of them work as one to find the hidden “horcruxes” in which Voldemort transferred seven parts of his soul to, destroy them and defeat the malice wizard for good.

Unlike the other movies of Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows part 2 has differed in many ways, one being the spectacular 3D effect. As breathtaking as the movie is, and the amount of thrill that it holds, yet from my perspective, I felt that the movie sank deep within me, embroidering it’s every scene and point onto my heart like a tattoo, turning the theme slightly upside down to a world of emotion and sensitivity. From my observation, while viewing the big screen, music played an unbelievably significant part, the music for the different scenes has been chosen very carefully suiting every prospect of the movie, adding the clever, quick and smooth switch between the soft harmony and strong beats. Additionally, the music encountered sympathy and theme, allowing your mind into travelling within the movie, to experience the numerous delights, and have yourself put into each of the actors’ shoes exploring the every thought and feeling growing inside them.

To conclude, looking back to the joy and excitement that ran through the blood of every Harry Potter admirer for the long await of the release of each and every part of the series, reminds me of how I spent most of my years as a child and now a teenager impatiently looking forward for summer, in order to view one of my most venerated series. Now that it came to a close, it keeps me thinking how this childhood friend will slowly start to fade, it almost seems impossible! It has always been said that “the books are better than the movies”, in my opinion, find out for yourself.