By I feel like I’ve been saying the same thing each time a Potter film comes out (excluding Prisoner of Azkaban), and that is that it’s good, fans will love it, but it really doesn’t do much too stand on its own. This might have been especially true for the last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was fine, but lacked much of what makes the Potter books so great.
Now we come to the beginning of the end. Part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is here. The question is, has the series peaked at its apex or has it fallen at the time when it needs to stand the strongest. I’ll actually answer that here: this is the best Potter since Azkaban, but you’ll have to read on to find out how good it truly is.
I feel like I've been saying the same thing each time a Potter film comes out (excluding Prisoner of Azkaban), and that is that it's good, fans will love it, but it really doesn't do much too stand on its own. This might have been especially true for the last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was fine, but lacked much of what makes the Potter books so great.
Now we come to the beginning of the end. Part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is here. The question is, has the series peaked at its apex or has it fallen at the time when it needs to stand the strongest. I'll actually answer that here: this is the best Potter since Azkaban, but you'll have to read on to find out how good it truly is.{{page_break}}
The first and most striking thing about Deathly Hallows, is also one of the things that makes it great: this is not a childrens' movie. The book was not a childrens' book. We're dealing with young adults here, and one of the things the books did so well was grow up with their characters. Thankfully the filmmakers had the balls to do the same thing because Deathly Hallows deals with a lot of adult material as Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) continue their search for the horcruxes that will allow them to kill Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). If that made no sense to you don't expect any help from the film, it assumes you're a Potter expert and dives right in.
The simple fact is that death, love, loss and many more adult emotions fly around this film, and instead of shying away from the fact director David Yates embraces it. This is the darkest, most threatening Potter film yet and its all the better for it. In fact, looking back, the filmmakers have been doing a good job of progressively making the series more adult, but nothing has stuck as well as Deathly Hallows. While those who haven't read the books might find some of the plot's points a bit too convenient it's hard to argue that the movie doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing what is going to happen next.
This is especially true thanks to the fact that Yates's direction is fantastic. There are some seriously impressive shots throughout the film that establish a perfect mood for the ever darkening story. Unlike Yates's previous two outings with the series, it feels like he absolutely let loose for this one with some stunning camera work (there are two rotating camera shots that will seriously impress) and performances from his actors that are definitely the best in the series. That latter fact tomight have something to do with all three of the leads having much stronger roles to play throughout the film, but it can't be denied that they're all becoming very good at what they do when it really matters.
Despite the serious nature of the movie the film also keeps things light. Humor abounds when it can (Grint has been great at punchlines since the first film), but more importantly action is everywhere. There's even a car chase, if you can believe it. It helps that the movie isn't trying to explain everything all the time either. Because the universe is already so well established it allows for more action and less blathering on about magical things — though, to be fair, there is plenty of that too.
What you won't find in Deathly Hallows is anything that will turn a Potter hater into a Potter lover. Once again Potter fans will definitely be happy with the film presented to them (except for some over protective parents who will assume this is a child's film and get angry when Harry and Hermoine kiss passionately while naked). On the flip side, those who detest Potter will find many of the same flaws they found in previous films. Basically, you'll love it if you love it and you'll hate if you hate it, but if you're just looking for some fun in the theaters you can do far, far, far, far, far worse than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Overall Score: 7.95 – Good. (7s are good, but not great. These films often have a stereotypical plot or are great movies that have a few minor flaws. Fans of this movie’s genre might love it, but others will still enjoy seeing it in theaters.)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a worthy film in the series and definitely on of the best. Any Potter fan — not to mention anyone else — will have fun at this movie. It's few problems don't hurt it and David Yates does a masterful job with the film's direction.
