by Adam DiOrio
Part 1 of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows was released yesterday across the country, marking the beginning of the end for Warner Bros. outrageously successful franchise. This movie figured to provide the setup to the finale next summer, and thats exactly what it did.
If you happened to be a person who had only seen the first two Harry Potter movies, watching Deathly Hallows would probably shock you. The Harry Potter series has morphed from children’s fantasy movies into something much more adult. Gone are the sunny, more carefree days at Hogwarts. Now theres no more Quidditch matches, no more classes to attend, and no more awkward teenage romance. The whimsical attitude towards magic is gone, replaced by the hard truth that magic can be, and certainly is, used for evil.
The first ten minutes of the movies set the tone for what is to come. Its the end of the summer, and we see Harry, Ron, and Hermione all preparing to leave their homes. Things are very uncertain since the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape. Harry and his friends felt safe with Dumbledore around because he was the only wizard powerful enough to stand against Voldemort. But with him gone now nothing is certain. The other scene we see at the outset involves Voldemort holding court at a table full of Death Eaters while the body of the Hogwart’s Muggle Studies teacher hangs over the table in obvious pain. This casual magical torture goes on while Voldemort talks about his plans for killing Harry Potter. Like I said, things are serious in this movie.
All of Harry’s friends and allies meet at the Dursley’s house, a place that has not only been Harry’s home since he was orphaned, but has provided magical protection from his enemies. Harry is nearly 17 now, and on his birthday the protection offered by that spell will expire, and Harry will be no safer there than any other place on Earth. The Order of the Phoenix knows that there will be Death Eaters awaiting his departure, and possibly Voldemort. To combat this, eight of his friends drink Polyjuice potion with Harry’s hair in it, creating eight Harry Potter’s. They all leave the house at once, making it impossible for the Death Eaters to know which is the real Harry. What follows is a pretty good high-speed chase through the air as the good guys try to escape the Death Eaters ambush.
While some may say this movie lacks much action, it does roll along at a good pace as we continue to be given new information and insight into what is going on. The story here is rich, and starts to fill in the missing pieces for fans who have followed the series from the beginning. By the time Part 1 ends, we are perfectly setup for an amazing final chapter.
[revenueshare id="13"] Overall I enjoyed the movie very much. I found myself laughing a few times at some dry, subtle lines delivered by this all-star cast of British actors, who manage to bring levity to a very serious story. The acting is brilliant all the way through, which helps bring realness to the constantly spiking emotions of each character. Although Bill Nighy has only a couple scenes, I enjoyed his role as Minister of Magic. I also enjoyed Luna Lovegood and the Weasely twins.
Overall I enjoyed this movie very much. If you’ve been watching since the beginning, you will be very happy with Deathly Hallows. As long as you remember that you are essentially seeing half of a movie, this should make the wait until Part 2 next summer a little more bearable. As someone who has read the books, I can guarantee that if the finale to the Harry Potter movies is anything like the books, no one will be leave the theater disappointed.
Related posts:
