Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Pt 1 (2010)

I want to talk about the most recent installment of Harry Potter because I constantly get into arguments with people who dislike the perspective of director David Yates on the Harry Potter franchise. Time and again people annoy me saying the fifth or sixth or seventh movie was "bad" because it offered less action than the first films and cut large sections from the book. While I may agree with the latter statement to a certain extent (like why most of action of the Order of the Phoenix was cut from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), I dislike comparisons between films of different directors and think that Yates' films ought to be looked at individually.

Yates has a deep poetry to the way that he has looked at Harry Potter. It is somber and contemplative, and he recognizes that his fx should be used to inspire and awe in their judicious use, as opposed to those who use them to dazzle simply because they can.

This last film shows the wizarding world at the bleakest it has ever been, which I think is correct. I don't think it would be right to offer much hope as it is a part 1, but Yates keeps the film from becoming completely dismal by offering characters with genuine pathos, coming from the best work of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson that I have had the privilege of viewing. Throughout the 10 years of Harry Potter films we have seen the wonderful progression of the young actors into people well learned in their craft. Their fine work made me overlook the fact that the running time was close to two and half hours simply because I was enjoying choices that the actors were making.

The movie offers some very clever bits amidst the long stretches of dazed wanderings. I won't delve into the plot because you should have read the book--if you hadn't then I'm not sure how you spent your childhood--but I will say that there were some moments that particularly impressed me. The opening sequence was especially disturbing; take a moment to reflect on the implications of what Hermione does to her family. The story of the three brothers was unexpected and refreshing, and among the long stretch of traveling in the second act of the film there were some especially tender moments between the actors that made it clear that the Harry Potter series is much more than magic and monsters.

My main problem with the movie is actually a fault with J.K.Rowling's narrative. The plot line with the horcruxes is incredibly superfluous and really taxing on my patience. There was nothing cleverer that she could have come up with than making the seventh book a quest story? I could think of three right away. But this is not a reflection of the film, as they were simply following orders from one of the world's most powerful women.

The movie definitely feels anticlimactic, but that is because there shouldn't be a climax. It ends with a funeral and a desecration of a grave, and somehow that is intriguing enough to have me very excited for the final chapter next month.

3.5/4