Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010, David Yates)

The Harry Potter films are a difficult bunch of movies to review as it becomes impossible not to constantly compare them to their superior source material. The Deathly Hallows Part 1 becomes even harder to analyse as a stand-alone piece of work as it is very much an extended advertisement for part two, albeit a very good one. So how do I go about reviewing such a film? Pretend I have never read the books and accept it for what is; essentially a teaser for next summer’s final instalment.

The opening is excellent, as soon as the Warner Brothers logo materialises on screen you can tell this instalment is more serious than the previous films and the darker tone continues throughout the frenetic first act. The bad guys have taken over and the good guys will suffer...and suffer they do. If you take your kids along to this one expecting to see a group of innocent adolescents getting to grips with their new wands then you’re going to be in for a shock. Hallows is a far more atmospheric, tense and even frightening experience then any that came before it. After Lord Voldemorts giant snake pounces at the screen, causing many a jump in the audience, a middle-aged man sitting next to me whispered to his mate, “and this is supposed to be a 12?!”

In fairness it’s not really that dark and grizzly but compared to the earlier instalments in the saga it is a fairly large shift in tone. A shift though that the series always needed. It may have come a bit late but after being at the helm for the last three Potter films director David Yates has started to find his feet with the series and has produced the best offering of the lot. It is a shame that all the films couldn’t have been approached with such gusto, the first three felt a little safe.  Now that Warner Brothers have a guaranteed audience and one that has aged with the passing of the films, they are willing to take an edgier approach it seems.

Many critics have noted the film drags in the middle, with one reviewer exclaiming, “it crawls along slower than an arthritic house-elf”. It moves slightly more abruptly than a pint-sized creature with dodgy joints but I must agree it does drag in places. However, this has to be expected from a narrative that is very different compared to the previous films that sees Harry, Ron and Hermione on the run, and only the briefest glimpses of Hogwarts. This road-movie portion of the film is lifted by the brilliant on screen chemistry shared by Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, both of whom have blossomed into fine actors. Even Radcliffe manages to appear slightly less wooden, yet still pales in comparison and is destined to be type-cast for the rest of his career (ala Keanue Reeves).

If you’re not a massive Harry Potter fan, maybe the previous films didn’t do it for you and you’re undecided whether to check it out, give this one a chance, if only for the brilliantly animated sequence where the significance of the Deathly Hallows is explained or to see landmarks such as the Severn Bridge and The Forest of Dean in all their beauty on the big screen.

A word of warning though, I know I promised not to mention the books but please at least make sure to swot up on past events in the Potterverse via repeat viewings of previous films or through friends, otherwise you may be left wondering what the hell is going on. The film really does take no prisoners, the first and third acts rattle along faster than a Quidditch player chasing a snitch and if you’re not up to speed on events then you could get left behind.

The Harry Potter films have consistently provided a good time, featuring the best of the British acting alumni, but The Deathly Hallows Part 1 goes one step further and brings genuine emotion, fear and foreboding to the story. Yes it ends just as things are about to get even tastier but it’s a perfect hook into the second instalment and it executes its purpose brilliantly. Is it the best film of the year...probably not, but it is the best in the series.

4/5

The Girlfriends view:

It was a really good film, best in the series but it was a shame there was no Hogwarts and it felt very different. Even though Harry is still shit his acting has improved and the others are great, Ron especially. It's scary for a 12A and I wouldn't take kids but I would recommend it overall. However, would be slightly confusing if you haven’t refreshed your memory on the back story.