On November 19th, the most anticipated movie of the year was released: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I thought that this film followed the book well and was shot perfectly. It is a must see for all Harry Potter Fans.
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 covers a little more than half of the book. The rest of the book will be told in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, to be released on July 15th, 2011. The beginning of the film starts off by showing that things will be different than previous movies. The Dursleys as well as Hermione’s (Emma Watson) family are shown fleeing London and going into hiding to avoid Voldemort. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is then transported to the Weasley house hold. During this trip, Mad-Eye Moody is killed as well as Harry’s owl: Hedwig. From there Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione must also go into hiding due to the death eaters taking over the Ministry.
The bulk of the film is spent following the three as they elude capture by the Death Eaters. During this time they also look for horcruxes which they must destroy in order to kill Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) once and for all. Near the end of the movie, they learn about the Deathly Hallows which are three magical tools that make the possessor the master of death. They also learn that Lord Voldemort is trying to find these tools so that he can kill Harry once and for all.
This film is much darker and intense than previous Harry Potter films. There are also many adult themes such as fascism and ethnic cleansing. After the Death Eaters take over the Ministry of Magic, they start a campaign about creating the “perfect wizard”. This is an allusion to Nazi Germany and creating the “perfect race”. Another difference is the setting. No part of this movie is filmed at Hogwarts, and most of Harry’s friends from previous movies are not in this one. The majority of the film is about Harry’s quest to find horcruxes and destroy them while alluding capture.
One glaring draw back about the movie is Daniel Radcliffe. In real life, Radcliffe is 20, but in the movie he is playing a 17 year old. His acting is good, but he does not look like an 17 year old. Another negaive is the romantic scene between Harry and Hermione. When Ron is trying to destroy a horcrux, the horcrux plays out his worst fears. One of these is a relationship between Harry and Hermione, whom he likes. What comes next is a oversexualized scene between Harry and Hermione that is completely unneccesary. This scene was not needed and did not add anything to the plot. In the end it could have been left out of the movie, and no one would have cared.
Overall this is a great film. It follows the book perfectly, keeping the same story line, but leaving out unneeded details that some people think made the book drag. Even though the actors look much older than the age they are portraying, the acting is still good. This movie is intense, but it can still appeal to younger generations of fans as well as older generations with it’s allusions.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is not only a Harry Potter fan, but also a fan of good movies. However in order to completely understand the movie, I also recommend that one reads the book before seeing the movie. The movie assums that you have read the book, thus leaving out some explanatory details which would make the movie much longer.
In the end I give this movie 8.5 out of 10 stars, and is one of the best Harry Potter movies ever.
