FILM: Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Spoiler-Free)

Nov 21, 2010 129 Comments by

Is this my first Harry Potter review on Rhombus? I think it is.

Well then. You probably haven’t heard my theory. I’ll save it for the end so that you don’t decide to prematurely stop reading this review of the most recent film.

Firstly, let me emphasize the difficulty inherent in evaluating “part one” of a film that was created as two. So much of how I judge a film depends upon how satisfied I feel at its end. Was it emotionally effective? Did the characters’ actions and relationships fit together in a meaningful and reasonable way? Did it help me, as the audience, achieve any kind of catharsis?

This is a film without a climax. Despite starting in medias res, the first act was actually quite powerful, and the second act was great — for how far it got. Then it went and ended right in the middle of the second act.

I’ll go ahead and get my beef with this film out of the way right now. The most powerful and most complete story arc was that of Ron’s relationship with Harry and Hermione. It was effective all the way up until the boy left. And then we don’t see him again until he comes back. So it’s a little disjointed. The strongest plotline in the film loses its primary protagonist halfway through. And then he returns, and we get his whole from-then-to-now story through dialog. And that sucks. It was weakly structured drama. The way he gets back to them is neither set up nor shown. Frustrating.

But the rest of it was beautiful. Radcliffe does some of his strongest acting in this film, which is still embarrassingly weak against, well, all of the other characters, who themselves were all brilliant. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are blossoming into seriously talented actors — especially Watson. Her first scene actually put some tears in my eyes — and she’s gorgeous to boot. Go Hermione.

And speaking of the beginning of the film, I’m becoming more impressed with David Yates with each passing film. Thank goodness he came back as director for these last two installments of the franchise. The very first shot is of Bill Nighy’s eyes, just his eyes, for several seconds, and then his face, as he delivers a statement on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. It was subtle, flawless filmmaking, not to mention a superb performance by a man who only gets a few minutes of screen time. I love Nighy.

Plenty of other scenes were, taken on their own, simply outstanding: that first scene I mentioned with Hermione and her parents; the entire ministry “infiltration” sequence; the horcrux “finale” (oh my gosh); the wedding’s end; Godric’s Hollow; a scene between Hermione and Bellatrix; and a phenomenal animated sequence, about which I shall say nothing.

Eduardo Serra, the cinematographer for this latest installment, works magic with the camera. Once again, I was visually blown away.

In terms of tone, the first part of Hallows almost perfectly matched the book. Through much of the last text, Rowling beleaguers her audience with a lot of stark despondency. Not much happens for quite a few pages. It’s an effective way to help the reader feel some of what the characters feel — that they can’t do anything as the world falls apart around them.

I’m sure many will say that this film feels slow, like nothing much happens through much of the last half, but for myself, I say hats off to the director and editor, who manage to pace this film so that it achieves what it took Rowling hundreds of pages to pull off.

This is not a happy film. It’s a setup film — and a very good one at that. I’ll still be as close to the front of the line as I can get to see the final chapter of this increasingly wonderful story.

And now here comes my theory: When it comes to Harry Potter, the movies are better than the books. Particularly those helmed by Yates’ — the fifth, sixth, and these final two. I realize this is going to make a lot of Harry Potter fans very angry. People love the books. That’s where this whole thing started. If not for dear J.K., there would be no Harry Potter and, therefore, no toweringly good films.

But when Rowling started writing the books, she was very much a novice. She didn’t have a whole lot of talent or experience behind her. What she had was drive and a great idea for a story, one for which an enormous audience happened to be absolutely starving. But she was not a good writer. She was actually a bad one for a while. I confess that when I finally started reading the Harry Potter books, I up and skipped the first two because I couldn’t slog through them, and I already knew what happened anyway, thanks to Chris Columbus’s cloying adaptations.

She did get better. Book three was when she really started warming up to the whole novel-writing business. And then by book five, she was writing seriously okay books. She had her story down, her characters built up pretty well, and a huge audience she knew how to write for. And so she finished off the series admirably for her level of talent and experience.

But none of her books are great. They are, some of them, good books. Books worth reading if you fit into a certain sizable demographic (which, turns out, I do). The films, on the other hand, starting with the fifth, are great. They were written, directed, shot, edited and produced by filmmakers who have a lot of experience, and whose talent has been proven often enough that it is no longer in question. They star an astounding cast of actors who (excluding Mr. Radcliffe) are rarely anything short of brilliant, and who, in every case (including Mr. Radcliffe), have given their characters far more complexity and resonance than they ever had in the books.

That is what I think, and I think it strongly enough to declare that it is not merely my opinion, but an objective, demonstrable fact. You may passionately disagree. You would be wrong, but that’s okay, because ultimately, all I’m saying is that I friggin’ love these movies. I think they’re exciting and funny and moving and I’m all kinds of grateful for the wonderful woman who started it all.

Now all we have to do is hope part two gives us the ending the franchise deserves so the whole thing can soar. For whatever it’s worth, my hopes are high.

Film

About the author

The author didnt add any Information to his profile yet
  • http://www.examiner.com/movie-events-in-salt-lake-city/davey-morrison Davey

    I couldn’t disagree more about Radcliffe–dude has developed into an incredibly fine young actor. His passionate dedication to the material reminds me of DiCaprio–plus he’s got some excellent comic timing, even better, if you ask me, than the much celebrated Rupert Grint, even if he doesn’t have nearly as much opportunity to show it off.

    “Deathly Hallows” is like an Ingmar Bergman special-effects fantasy blockbuster. It’s a bit uneven in places, but I was kind of blown away by the fact that I was in a packed movie house, with people who’d been waiting in line for hours to get a good seat, seeing a movie that was mostly a handful of people hanging out in the woods meditating on their mortality. Seriously, wtf? It begins with a high school girl erasing the memory of her own existence from her parents brains, and it ends with Harry burying the cradled, innocent, childlike body of, basically, his own childhood. In the middle, there’s a lot of desolation, and a lot of waiting. There is that animated scene, which looks like a Pixar short made by Lotte Reiniger, and is on its own one of the best fairy tale movies I’ve seen. And there’s that amazing scene with Harry and Hermione dancing in a tent, smiling and laughing, trying, and only partially succeeding at shrugging some of the weight of the world from off their shoulders. Both among the best scenes of the year.

    I don’t think the movies are better than the books, or that the books are better than the movies. I agree that Rowling isn’t a great writer, but I definitely disagree that she’s a bad one. There are things the books do beautifully that the movies don’t, mostly just because they are movies. Both series excel at different things, and both series are very uneven–the best movies are maybe better movies than the best books are books, but the worst movie, the fourth, is infinitely worse than the worst book, the fifth. The transition in the books from children’s literature to epic fantasy is pretty astounding, and more subtle and effective than the movies. Rowling does a beautiful job of shaping the day-to-day world and life of Hogwarts and the magic world, of devoting as much attention to tests and school dances as she does to defeating the forces of evil–the movies never quite have the time to develop those domestic aspects, and the failure of the fourth film is that it leaves out all the space that gives those action scenes their weight; it turns a fantastic novel into a cheap video game movie. And that, I think, is the success of this most recent installment in the movie franchise–it is a film that is all about space, and all about waiting.

    Like those opening moments when Hermione erases the memory of herself, “Deathly Hallows” is a movie defined more by what we don’t see than what we do. In one of the first scenes of the film, a major character dies offscreen. In one of the last scenes, another major character incurs a fatal wound offscreen, and does shortly thereafter. A whole lot of the action occurs offscreen, in fact. It’s a movie of somber, quiet stillness. It is an anti-action movie. Dumbledore is dead. We never once see Hogwarts. An incredibly brief scene on the Hogwarts Express reminds us only of our separation from that world we’ve come to know and expect–Harry, Ron, and Hermione have traded in the castle walls we remember for a tent in the woods; they live in exile. Snape appears for all of a couple minutes, and he does precisely nothing, and yet there was a collective anticipation in the audience I saw it with every second he was on the screen–Rickman brought with him all the weight and baggage of his character, and, though he served absolutely no dramatic purpose in the movie, he created a thrill in those two short scenes of doing nothing. All of the characters, really, bring with them the years of acting and of aging that imbue their characters with emotional weight–Watson, Radcliffe, and Grint have all grown into tremendous young actors, but, as good as they are (and they are good), it is the years in the performances that give them meaning. In fact, the “Harry Potter” movies are a bit like a fictional “7 Up” series–a meditation on aging, on adolescence, on mortality and the death of childhood. The starkness of the narrative reminded me of Bresson; the use of the landscape was reminiscent of Antonioni. It seemed both more like a miniseries and more like some crazy foreign art film than it did any sort of Hollywood entertainment. It’s one of the strangest movie series I know, and, uneven as it is, it also happens to be worlds better than that abominable “Lord of the Rings” tripe. And people are freaking dressing up to see it.

    It is all of these bizarre contradictions that make me love these movies so much.

  • http://www.examiner.com/movie-events-in-salt-lake-city/davey-morrison Davey

    I couldn’t disagree more about Radcliffe–dude has developed into an incredibly fine young actor. His passionate dedication to the material reminds me of DiCaprio–plus he’s got some excellent comic timing, even better, if you ask me, than the much celebrated Rupert Grint, even if he doesn’t have nearly as much opportunity to show it off.

    “Deathly Hallows” is like an Ingmar Bergman special-effects fantasy blockbuster. It’s a bit uneven in places, but I was kind of blown away by the fact that I was in a packed movie house, with people who’d been waiting in line for hours to get a good seat, seeing a movie that was mostly a handful of people hanging out in the woods meditating on their mortality. Seriously, wtf? It begins with a high school girl erasing the memory of her own existence from her parents brains, and it ends with Harry burying the cradled, innocent, childlike body of, basically, his own childhood. In the middle, there’s a lot of desolation, and a lot of waiting. There is that animated scene, which looks like a Pixar short made by Lotte Reiniger, and is on its own one of the best fairy tale movies I’ve seen. And there’s that amazing scene with Harry and Hermione dancing in a tent, smiling and laughing, trying, and only partially succeeding at shrugging some of the weight of the world from off their shoulders. Both among the best scenes of the year.

    I don’t think the movies are better than the books, or that the books are better than the movies. I agree that Rowling isn’t a great writer, but I definitely disagree that she’s a bad one. There are things the books do beautifully that the movies don’t, mostly just because they are movies. Both series excel at different things, and both series are very uneven–the best movies are maybe better movies than the best books are books, but the worst movie, the fourth, is infinitely worse than the worst book, the fifth. The transition in the books from children’s literature to epic fantasy is pretty astounding, and more subtle and effective than the movies. Rowling does a beautiful job of shaping the day-to-day world and life of Hogwarts and the magic world, of devoting as much attention to tests and school dances as she does to defeating the forces of evil–the movies never quite have the time to develop those domestic aspects, and the failure of the fourth film is that it leaves out all the space that gives those action scenes their weight; it turns a fantastic novel into a cheap video game movie. And that, I think, is the success of this most recent installment in the movie franchise–it is a film that is all about space, and all about waiting.

    Like those opening moments when Hermione erases the memory of herself, “Deathly Hallows” is a movie defined more by what we don’t see than what we do. In one of the first scenes of the film, a major character dies offscreen. In one of the last scenes, another major character incurs a fatal wound offscreen, and does shortly thereafter. A whole lot of the action occurs offscreen, in fact. It’s a movie of somber, quiet stillness. It is an anti-action movie. Dumbledore is dead. We never once see Hogwarts. An incredibly brief scene on the Hogwarts Express reminds us only of our separation from that world we’ve come to know and expect–Harry, Ron, and Hermione have traded in the castle walls we remember for a tent in the woods; they live in exile. Snape appears for all of a couple minutes, and he does precisely nothing, and yet there was a collective anticipation in the audience I saw it with every second he was on the screen–Rickman brought with him all the weight and baggage of his character, and, though he served absolutely no dramatic purpose in the movie, he created a thrill in those two short scenes of doing nothing. All of the characters, really, bring with them the years of acting and of aging that imbue their characters with emotional weight–Watson, Radcliffe, and Grint have all grown into tremendous young actors, but, as good as they are (and they are good), it is the years in the performances that give them meaning. In fact, the “Harry Potter” movies are a bit like a fictional “7 Up” series–a meditation on aging, on adolescence, on mortality and the death of childhood. The starkness of the narrative reminded me of Bresson; the use of the landscape was reminiscent of Antonioni. It seemed both more like a miniseries and more like some crazy foreign art film than it did any sort of Hollywood entertainment. It’s one of the strangest movie series I know, and, uneven as it is, it also happens to be worlds better than that abominable “Lord of the Rings” tripe. And people are freaking dressing up to see it.

    It is all of these bizarre contradictions that make me love these movies so much.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1126329359 Joanna Sakievich

    Having not seen Deathly Hallows yet, thanks for wetting my appetite w/o spoiling the experience! Personally, I could not understand either the hype or the taboo associated w/the the “Harry Potter” books when they came out-I liked the story, but was not wild about it, but couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want their kids exposed to it. Now, however, I still don’t understand the taboo factor (although it’s useful to realize, as with any other book, not all of these books–or movies–are appropriate for very young children) the stories have grown on me. While still uninfected by the hype, I enjoy it!

    Most of all, I agree, both the books and the movies have improved. I nearly fell asleep during the first movie and nearly swore off the rest. And even though I liked most of the characters, Harry Potter, in the movie, seemed type-cast not only for his perfect “look,” but he was just as two dimensional and uninteresting as Harry was in the book. I still feel that he’s the weakest link in the stories. He carries the story along dutifully, but I’ve never been able to connect w/the guy. Thank heaven he has interesting friends!

    I’m grateful there are delightful oral books for the series as well, because that’s how I “read” all but 2 of them and the characters have become good friends in my life, due to many, many hours on the road commuting between states.

    And, Davey, interesting thought there: “I don’t think the movies are better than the books, or that the books are better than the movies.” Have you ever read “Wuthering Heights?” Probably not your cup of tea, but the Laurence Olivier movie is wonderful, but the book is just plain depressing!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1126329359 Joanna Sakievich

    Having not seen Deathly Hallows yet, thanks for wetting my appetite w/o spoiling the experience! Personally, I could not understand either the hype or the taboo associated w/the the “Harry Potter” books when they came out-I liked the story, but was not wild about it, but couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want their kids exposed to it. Now, however, I still don’t understand the taboo factor (although it’s useful to realize, as with any other book, not all of these books–or movies–are appropriate for very young children) the stories have grown on me. While still uninfected by the hype, I enjoy it!

    Most of all, I agree, both the books and the movies have improved. I nearly fell asleep during the first movie and nearly swore off the rest. And even though I liked most of the characters, Harry Potter, in the movie, seemed type-cast not only for his perfect “look,” but he was just as two dimensional and uninteresting as Harry was in the book. I still feel that he’s the weakest link in the stories. He carries the story along dutifully, but I’ve never been able to connect w/the guy. Thank heaven he has interesting friends!

    I’m grateful there are delightful oral books for the series as well, because that’s how I “read” all but 2 of them and the characters have become good friends in my life, due to many, many hours on the road commuting between states.

    And, Davey, interesting thought there: “I don’t think the movies are better than the books, or that the books are better than the movies.” Have you ever read “Wuthering Heights?” Probably not your cup of tea, but the Laurence Olivier movie is wonderful, but the book is just plain depressing!!

  • Davey

    Hey Joanna! “Wuthering Heights” is actually one of my favorite books. The 1939 Wyler film with Olivier is fantastic, and it also, as you probably noticed, leaves off a little less than halfway through the story. Movie adaptations are a fascinating beast. :)

    Personally, I think if Harry is a kind of uninteresting or unrelatable protagonist that it has more to do with the character than with the performance. Harry is a good enough hero for me, but the hero in a story like this is all too frequently the least interesting character, and that argument can certainly be leveled against ol’ HP.

    Related to Harry Potter, you should watch this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPVhmZodaLA
    Brad Neely’s “Wizard People, Dear Reader” is the definitive screen adaptation of the first HP novel, and among the best of the Harry Potter movies.

  • Davey

    Hey Joanna! “Wuthering Heights” is actually one of my favorite books. The 1939 Wyler film with Olivier is fantastic, and it also, as you probably noticed, leaves off a little less than halfway through the story. Movie adaptations are a fascinating beast. :)

    Personally, I think if Harry is a kind of uninteresting or unrelatable protagonist that it has more to do with the character than with the performance. Harry is a good enough hero for me, but the hero in a story like this is all too frequently the least interesting character, and that argument can certainly be leveled against ol’ HP.

    Related to Harry Potter, you should watch this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPVhmZodaLA
    Brad Neely’s “Wizard People, Dear Reader” is the definitive screen adaptation of the first HP novel, and among the best of the Harry Potter movies.

  • Evelyn :)

    I’ll keep this short, as others have been long-winded. I only wish to say that I whole-heartedly agree on two of your point: Radcliffe is no good, and JK, while decent, is not a phenomenal writer. Thank you for seeing past the HP rage and pointing this out. I still love HP, don’t get me wrong. I don’t get out to see movies in the theatre much, but I still made the effort to dress up (yup) and go to the midnight showing. The books are super fun, and thank goodness they got kids interested in reading again, but I don’t think they’ll ever be defined as classics.

    Loved the review. Rock on my friend.

    ….and Wuthering Heights is also one of my favorite books too…and not because it’s an amazing romance, but because it illustrates a miserable one. I think we’re supposed to feel depressed when we read it.

  • Evelyn :)

    I’ll keep this short, as others have been long-winded. I only wish to say that I whole-heartedly agree on two of your point: Radcliffe is no good, and JK, while decent, is not a phenomenal writer. Thank you for seeing past the HP rage and pointing this out. I still love HP, don’t get me wrong. I don’t get out to see movies in the theatre much, but I still made the effort to dress up (yup) and go to the midnight showing. The books are super fun, and thank goodness they got kids interested in reading again, but I don’t think they’ll ever be defined as classics.

    Loved the review. Rock on my friend.

    ….and Wuthering Heights is also one of my favorite books too…and not because it’s an amazing romance, but because it illustrates a miserable one. I think we’re supposed to feel depressed when we read it.

  • Wsutton

    dope review. Gave me a new lens to see this though, which I sincerely appreciate.

  • Wsutton

    dope review. Gave me a new lens to see this though, which I sincerely appreciate.

  • Pingback: Top 11 Movies of 2011 | SOUND Online Magazine

  • Pingback: lentovertailu

  • Pingback: pikalaina

  • Pingback: Para Ma

  • Pingback: Vertaa lennot Kiinaan

  • Pingback: sw17 window cleaners

  • Pingback: cat deterrent

  • Pingback: Electronic Cigarettes

  • Pingback: ecommerce design

  • Pingback: short hairstyles

  • Pingback: Jual Lingerie

  • Pingback: visit site

  • Pingback: Downline Builder Script

  • Pingback: Escort girl Paris

  • Pingback: Ivory Stump

  • Pingback: Gunblood cheats

  • Pingback: ford edge

  • Pingback: Private Krankenversicherung Vergleich

  • Pingback: Emergency Plumbers Toronto

  • Pingback: Legal Smoking Herbs

  • Pingback: Gumboots

  • Pingback: ögonfrans serum

  • Pingback: scalp psoriasis remedy

  • Pingback: y-stolen

  • Pingback: books for aspergers

  • Pingback: Cams

  • Pingback: Pasir Ris DBSS

  • Pingback: Tokusatsu Downloads

  • Pingback: Integrative Nutrition Reviews

  • Pingback: pork tenderloin

  • Pingback: video conferencing

  • Pingback: Industrial Design

  • Pingback: water coolers

  • Pingback: free ads

  • Pingback: electronic cigarette maker

  • Pingback: Business Valuation

  • Pingback: Referencement Montreal

  • Pingback: phlebotomy training programs

  • Pingback: essential downloads

  • Pingback: hiring truck drivers

  • Pingback: how to make penis grow

  • Pingback: Latino PR Agency

  • Pingback: iphone

  • Pingback: Medical Clinic Englewood Colorado

  • Pingback: random facts

  • Pingback: portable generator

  • Pingback: maqui berry

  • Pingback: healing cold sores review

  • Pingback: Calgary photography

  • Pingback: computer forensics

  • Pingback: payday loans

  • Pingback: http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Quartz-Countertop-Benefits&id=1233371

  • Pingback: Interior Design Denver

  • Pingback: sexy jobs

  • Pingback: porn videos

  • Pingback: r&b

  • Pingback: Dieta HCG

  • Pingback: fast cash advances

  • Pingback: Cum

  • Pingback: czekoladowe fontanny

  • Pingback: Godby Furniture

  • Pingback: Riverside Chiropractor

  • Pingback: challenge coins

  • Pingback: cleaning services Cardiff

  • Pingback: iphone 4s sim jailbreak

  • Pingback: apple jailbreak iphone 4s

  • Pingback: iPhone 4 Siri

  • Pingback: Cambridge Pest Control

  • Pingback: business hosting

  • Pingback: Job Search

  • Pingback: app valencia

  • Pingback: fat burners

  • Pingback: Domain host

  • Pingback: increase breast size

  • Pingback: jobs online

  • Pingback: speeches for wedding

  • Pingback: strategy game

  • Pingback: farm supplies

  • Pingback: swissdent

  • Pingback: bestaande keuken

  • Pingback: Sex show

  • Pingback: Granite Countertops Denver

  • Pingback: Villa a Louer Ile Maurice

  • Pingback: New Balance Athletic Shoes

  • Pingback: Battery Charger

  • Pingback: Campement Ile Maurice

  • Pingback: Personal injury attorney

  • Pingback: Boise chiropractic

  • Pingback: Accounting Advice

  • Pingback: human rights

  • Pingback: juegos para nokia c3

  • Pingback: mohamed bouazizi

  • Pingback: juegos para nokia c3

  • Pingback: How To Build Muscles

  • Pingback: fridan

  • Pingback: Sale Pinarello Carbon Seatpost

  • Pingback: Viagra

  • Pingback: Villas in Mauritius

  • Pingback: avafx

  • Pingback: Mybet

  • Pingback: seo nashville

  • Pingback: Fast weight loss

  • Pingback: auto repair rochester ny

  • Pingback: Villas Mauritius

  • Pingback: jail break phone

  • Pingback: tamashebi

  • Pingback: backlinks

  • Pingback: insurance quotes for your phone

  • Pingback: get UK visa

  • Pingback: military solar

  • Pingback: shade sails perth

  • Pingback: bronze windows

  • Pingback: geile frauen

  • Pingback: the quickest way to lose weight

  • Pingback: make a website

  • Pingback: Lane Penge

  • Pingback: marijuana seeds

  • Pingback: Debt Consolidation

  • Pingback: promo video

Categories

Archive

Pages

Bloggroll