Movie Review: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD

I’m going to come right out and say it: I am a die-hard Potter-head. I’m on my school’s Quidditch team, I have a list of spells ingrained in my brain, and I wore black the day after I read Sirius’ death scene in Order of the Phoenix. So while I could try and review HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 impartially…I’m not going to do that. Lets face it, this movie is going to be most important to those who are fans of the books. Of course let’s not forget those who have followed the movies religiously…they’re bouncing off the walls over Part 1′s quickly approaching release, too. But their reaction to it will probably be quite different. Despite the way movie 6 ended, some people will still be surprised to see that there is no Hogwarts, no Quidditch and none of your favorite professors present. That’s because DEATHLY HALLOWS takes us into completely new territory: the wizarding war is in full-blown action, and J.K Rowling and the filmmakers wisely don’t sugarcoat it. The deaths start coming quicker than you can say Avada Kedavra…and they don’t stop there. I consider myself a know-it-all when it comes to Harry Potter (think Hermione), so before watching the movie, I made sure I re-read the first half of Deathly Hallows, because I didn’t think I could stand sitting in that theater and not remembering if things were or were not in the book. I do actually have a point here… since I had literally just re-read the first half, the book could not have been fresher in my mind than it was when I sat down to view the new movie with all those hundreds of screaming Potter fans. So take my word for it here and now when I tell you: they did not leave anything out! I’ve heard some people criticizing Warner Bros. for doing this whole “two part” release, saying that it’s just a ploy to make double the money. Well screw the naysayers, because a wiser decision has never been made. The book is a little under 800 pages. We all want each and every second of the battle of Hogwarts in the movie. There’s no way that would have been possible with just one movie. Think of it this way: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS -PART 1 is 2½ hours…of ½ a book. So when it comes to even the most minute scenes that normally would not have even been considered for the sake of saving time, we get it in this movie. With the exception of Kreacher’s transformation from bad to good (he’s not a big character in the movie), I can think of nothing I wanted included that wasn’t there. When George loses his ear in the beginning of the movie while The Order is trying to fly Harry to safety, we even get his silly ear jokes. That’s one of things I’ve always loved best about the Potter films; even when they’re at their darkest, they still manage to slip in some of those funny one-liners and scenes to lighten the mood, which DEATHLY HALLOWS did better than any of its predecessors (look out for a scene of Harry in a bra–hysterical!). We also get plenty more of that sexual tension everyone loves between Ron and Hermione (including a part I loved from the book where they fall asleep practically holding hands), which only makes me, and I’m sure everyone else, all the more excited for “that scene” in the next movie. I just have to keep taking deep breaths and thinking to myself: “8 months…you can do this…just 8 more months”. See that’s the thing…PART 1 is just so good that it’s a feeling not unlike pain watching the movie end incomplete.

Now is that point when I would usually start pointing out the faults of the movie. Well, the most negative thing I can say about HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS is that the movie has flaws that actually aren’t even “flaws” at all. Let me explain… the movie did have its somewhat slower parts. However, those “slower” parts are those same exact parts that were slower in the book. The scenes were necessary, and it’s lack of action only makes everything that comes after it all the more mind-blowing. The scenes involving Harry, Ron and Hermione camping out in the forest trying to protect themselves from all the Death Eaters tailing them have a quiet power, even if not much is going on. It’s when we best get to see the group dynamic, and it’s then that our three leads are given their opportunity to show us just how much they’ve grown as actors in the past 10 years.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 is the Harry Potter movie I’ve been waiting for. It stays as true as possible to the book, and only makes those changes that make sense for the medium. It packed in the emotion that Dobby’s death deserved, the emotion that the other movies glossed over (I’m looking at you you Sirius and Dumbledore’s death’s!), and it was the first time in a Potter film that I found myself straight up sobbing. I predict that PART 1 won’t be my favorite Harry Potter movie of the bunch; because if PART 1 is any indication, the groundwork it laid has made it an almost sure bet that HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 will be everything we’ve dreamed of and more. Now take a deep breath and say it with me: just 8 more months, just 8 more months…

Rating: A