Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2, the final installment in the decade-long wizard saga, found Alexander Desplat navigating some treacherous waters. After being handed the arduous task of helming the penultimate entry in the series, the fourth and final composer of Potterdom (
John Williams laid the foundation, while
Patrick Doyle and
Nicholas Hooper fleshed out the midsection) had to come up with something that matched the film's the massive endgame. Many fans, including director David Yates, had hoped that
Williams would return to the fold and close the lid on the tale, but conflicting schedules kept the venerable maestro from committing. Those fans will be disappointed by the lack of a prominent iteration of his iconic “Hedwig’s Theme” (though it does swoop in occasionally to remind us of what a long journey it’s been), but
Desplat offers up some solace with a stoic and stirring new theme in “Statues” and “Courtyard Apocalypse” that will likely become a favorite of muggles everywhere. Creating a successful musical arc over the span of eight films is daunting, and the four composers involved should all be applauded for their work, as each has brought something special to the franchise while maintaining the “feel” of author J.K. Rowling's unique world. Bombastic, sinister, and triumphant, the appropriately dark and apocalyptic
Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 may sit near the bottom of the Potter soundtrack pile, but it can hardly be called a failure. ~ James Christopher Monger