Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie Review

A year and a half after the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Potter fans have a new reason to return to the theater: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. This films marks the beginning of the end for the series, leaving Part II as the only unreleased installment of the Harry Potter films. David Yates, who directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, lends his expert hand to the finale of the series, which extends the story far beyond pervious installments. In this film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not return to school at Hogwarts, but having come of age, set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes evil Lord Voldemort has created in order to ensure his immortality. Although some may find room for fault, most viewers will find Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I a welcome addition to the Harry Potter phenomenon.

Some viewers of this latest Harry Potter installment may be concerned with whether or not the film is appropriate for young viewers. Darker than the previous films, both literally and figuratively, the film contains the death of three beloved characters and explores the darker side of human emotions, not only in the villains, but also in the three main characters. Ron Weasley, in particular, struggles with anger, jealously, and despair rather than maintaining his more optimistic tone from previous films. The film also features smoldering kiss between the apparently naked Harry and Hermione. Well-placed computer generated effects keep the rating at PG-13, but the scene is new territory for a film series that, to this point, has kept its rating at PG and sexuality confined to a few chaste kisses. While these aspects of the film may cause concern for parents of younger children, they do not outweigh the film’s appeal for more mature viewers.

Fans of the Harry Potter books will be pleased with the faithfulness of this adaptation; although the scenes from the book are trimmed and altered in minor  ways, the highlights of the book, including the flight to the Burrow,  the trespass in the ministry, the trip to Godric’s Hollow, the confrontation at the Lovegood’s, and the confinement at Malfoy Manor, are all included with little to no extra-textual material. Even the camping scenes, which some criticized as ‘slow’ in the book, have been included; they have, however, been trimmed considerably, an editing choose that should please many and offend none. The cuts may not have been severe enough for those who truly disliked this portion of the novel, but, overall, Yates strikes a nice balance between action sequences, information delivery, and character development. Readers will be please to know that main characters have been left unmodified and even a few of George Weasley’s bad jokes have been retained.

Aside from its ready-made book-built fan base, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will please those who are more interested in the cinematic aspects of the film than its merits as an adaptation. The acting abilities of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have certainly developed over the last several films, and their performances convince audience members of the deep emotional turmoil their characters endure. Veteran actors such as Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) and Helen Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) offer enjoyably horrific portrayals of their cruel, evil, vindictive characters adding to the dark tension that permeates the film. The visual effects, while more understated than the previous films, add layers of black and grey gloom that surround and embody the evil deeds and dark emotions woven throughout the film. The animations used to tell the folktale of the “Three Brothers,” the back-story for the Deathly Hallows, are reminiscent of Picasso’s “Don Quixote,” and these fluid images create a clear narrative distinctly removed from the live action style in which the main narrative exists, visually separating the story within the story.  

Overall, there is little fault to be found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. Its characters, actors, narrative, and execution have come of age, offering mature viewers a beautiful film adaption of a book they love (or may have never read). It is visually interesting and emotionally powerfully, unexpected yet as was hoped for. With the successful execution of Part I, Yates has certainly ensured that the second half of this finale will require more midnight showings than any of the previous installments have.