A Reel Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Part 1

Director David Yates has always struggled in the Potter-verse; seemingly unable to shed his TV background in turning in two consecutive boy-wizard films that rushed by in the blink of an eye. In Part 1 of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, Yates overcomes most of, but not all of his bad habits while turning in the most moving and quite possibly strongest Harry Potter film adaptation yet.

Still reeling from the death of Dumbledore, boy-wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)and his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermonie (Emma Watson) set out on a quest to destroy the remaining Horcruxes; which is the only way to finally rid the world of the evil dark lord Voldemort.

HALLOWS main storylines (and there are many) revolve around Harry and his three friends. While their quest is a dense and difficult one, it is the way the dire situation effects their relationships that is the real power of the film. The predicaments make them bicker, fight, separate, and put the very nature of their powerful friendships at the edge of the abyss. Having the kids outside of Hogwarts into the big scary world on their own, away from the friendly confines of the world they grew up in was a bold move in the writing of the original story, and it translates very well on film.

Character development is the strongest in HALLOWS as it’s ever been. Everyone is fleshed out nicely; and the traits each character has showed for the past 6 (film) years reaches their peak. A large complaint from this blogger concerning Yates’ adaptation of THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE was the dehumanization of Dumbledore prior to his death. Audiences only shed tears over characters they can connect to on a human level; and in HALLOWS the characters are made human and we do feel the tears –a-comin’ when they bite the dust or lose an ear. Overall HALLOWS is real pull on the heart-strings.

Still, things are not perfect. Certain vital elements and events, such as the breaking of Harry’s wand, and the mystery of the mirror-shard could have benefitted from a bit more development. Explanations of Harry’s connection to Voldemort, along with the overall importance of the Horcruxes are blazed over quickly. The answers to the latter can be found in viewing prior films, but it does feel like Yates is still relying a bit too much on 100% of his audience being familiar with the book. But what if you weren’t? Another sin is the treatment of the wedding scene, which is devoid of any real fun or love. When the baddies show up to wreck the happy day, there isn’t much to get upset about.

All three kids really shine in HALLOWS. Radcliffe continues his mastery of the character, as does Grint. Watson turns in her best performance ever; most especially in the torture scene near the end, which is as convincing as it is heart-wrenching.

Visual effects are hit and miss. The early chase-scene and displays of magic are fun and a joy to watch. The CGI-rendered house-elves look great one minute and then awful the next; but they do get the eyes right, which is where the soul can be seen. Yates’ direction of the sets and camera-movement is worlds better than his past efforts, and the overall visual tone matches the dark nature of the film nicely. An animated section that tells the tale of the Deathly Hallows is beautifully done, and breaths some major life into the middle section of the film which does drag a little bit.

The finale goes for the jugular and gets most of it. It goes for a dark ending with the intention of putting everyone in the worst situation possible. It moderately succeeds, and wraps a bit abruptly and awkward. Still, HALLOWS feels like a real movie; complete with the emotional roller-coaster that the series deserves. There is a lot to be excited about when Part 2 unspools in 2011.

BOTTOM LINE: See it.