Buddy's Film (and Game) Insights

Everyone has an opinion!

Movie Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Posted by Buddy Acker on November 20, 2010 at 3:13 AM

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

The end is near


 

Image and video hosting by TinyPic


 

I sat watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with a certain degree of sadness. I have been with Mr. Potter since the beginning. I mean the VERY beginning. I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1999 when it was released and instantly fell in love. I have read every book. The movie adaptation of the first book was the first movie I ever saw by myself in a theater. I have seen every Harry Potter in the theater and enjoyed every one. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest franchises in movie history.


 

But we are nearing the end. There’s one movie left. After that, there will be no more Harry Potter. Albus, maybe, if J.K. Rowling takes it upon herself to write about his adventures at Hogwarts, but that’s doubtful. That’s okay though. Harry will suffice. And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 will suffice. As a matter of fact, it’s great. It’s just not as great as I wanted it to be. It doesn’t even begin to be that good.


 

The Harry Potter films have always been built upon the foundations of friendship, loyalty, and bravery, and this one is as well, even more so than the others. Harry, Ron, and Hermione depend on one another to get the job done. Their friendship is one that must not be broken. Us Muggles could learn quite the lesson from those three. The movie focuses mainly on them and their struggles. They have no clue how to go about completing their mission. They make mistakes. They fight amongst themselves. But they persevere and do the best they can.


 

There are two scenes that stand out in my mind. One involves Ron as he discovers the dangers of opening a Horcrux. He experiences a vision of darker versions of Harry and Hermione as they taunt him and then embrace while almost fully naked (don’t worry; it stays within the PG-13 boundaries). It is both shocking and highly effective. My overall favorite scene comes when the story of the Deathly Hallows is being told. It is depicted in a unique animation style that reminded me of The Nightmare before Christmas. I found it to be beautiful and brilliant.


 

Speaking of brilliant, Alexander Desplat’s musical score is perfect. He and Hans Zimmer are the best film composers in the world right now. Anybody who says that the music in a movie doesn’t matter is an idiot. Movies do not function properly without a decent soundtrack. The Potter movies, for the most part, all have decent soundtracks. This one has the best.


 

The seventh installment also includes the best performances to date. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are all three great, they really are, but Watson is just amazing. Every emotion she puts on display feels 100% genuine. Radcliffe still has that weird thing going on with his face from time to time, the thing where he stretches his mouth out on certain consonants, and Grint needs to just quit hesitating sometimes and go all out. But they are all three miles ahead of where they were just nine years ago. I’m getting all nostalgic now again just thinking about how drastically they have changed.


 

It’s a shame that the movie gets sloppy from time to time. I’m not one of those folks who thinks that a movie should be EXACTLY like the book it is adapted from because I’ve never expected that but the movie does unfortunately take some advantages with borrowing from the book to fill in crucial plot points. A key example of this is when Voldemort starts explaining exactly why he must kill Harry Potter and I was sitting there staring at the screen in disbelief at how scripted it all sounded. I mean come on, don’t just tell me, Steve Kloves; SHOW me


 

I would also like to issue a warning: this is the darkest movie in the series thus far. During the movie, a boy gets part of his ear mauled, blood flows in abundance, there is a hanging (albeit a fake one), and there are several deaths. The movie ends on an intensely depressing note. This movie is not for anyone who is stupid enough to believe that life is all sunshine and butterflies. It is, however, very much in the favor of anyone who believes in hope. Hope may lead to disappointment sometimes as Harry, Ron, and Hermione well know, but it is worth the risk.


 

So here we are at the home stretch. Harry Potter’s quest to defeat evil (or not) is about to come to an end. Come next summer, the curtain will close. I’ll save my tears for then. Mr. Potter, it’s been well worth it. Your movies have ranged from good to amazing. There was never a bad one. Out of seven movies, not a single one was any less than satisfactory. That is a simply unbelievable feat. And I have faith that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will follow tradition. We’ll see.


Score: :D:D:D:D 1/2

 


Categories: None

Post a Comment

Oops!

Oops, you forgot something.

Oops!

The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.

Already a member? Sign In

0 Comments