Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Year: 2010
Director: David Yates
Starring: Ralph Feinnes, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe & Emma Watson
Runtime: 146 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 18/10/20
Director: David Yates
Starring: Ralph Feinnes, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe & Emma Watson
Runtime: 146 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 18/10/20
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was a landmark film in a way I don’t think it should be particularly proud of. It set a new standard wherein young adult novel adaptations followed suit in that it split the book into two parts and released as two films over two years. Whilst at the time it seemed like a good idea as it would allow for a more accurate adaptation of the novel, it also shoots itself in the foot for having one film that ends just as it gets going and another that cannot function as a film when looked at on its own. This followed suit with massive franchises like Twilight and Hunger Games, and they all had this same problem. But wit that being said how does Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 fare when compared to what has come before?
Dumbledore is dead, Voldemort is at his most powerful. Knowing the impending war that will come Harry helps the Dursley’s move to safety, and Hermione erases her parents’ memories of her existence. The order then gathers to move Harry to safety however in doing so Mad Eye & Hedwig are killed. The Weasleys are hosting a celebration for Bill & Fleur’s wedding when an announcement that the Minister of Magic has been killed and the Ministry has fallen after an attack from Voldemort and Death Eaters. Death Eaters appear at the wedding and start to kill the guests when Harry, Ron, and Hermione teleport to London and begin life on the run as fugitives to discover and destroy the remaining Horcruxes.
It’s a bleak start to a film that for the most part is pretty devoid of hope. Where’s I’d argue that Half-Blood Prince is still the darkest Harry Potter story, Deathly Hallows Part 1 certainly has the highest body count with the amount of death and destruction in the opening act of the film. It’s a much tighter knit film as well with almost all of the screen time dedicated to Harry, Ron, and Hermione dealing with everything that’s happening whilst also beginning to turn on each other. This film is the peak of what the main trio achieve with their performances over the series and it’s because Deathly Hallows Pt1 is a very slow paced, dialogue heavy film. For some this is off-putting but personally I consider it one of the better entries in the series because of its dedication to delivering great dialogue and intimately emotional moments that the rest of the series simply doesn’t have the room for.
Dumbledore is dead, Voldemort is at his most powerful. Knowing the impending war that will come Harry helps the Dursley’s move to safety, and Hermione erases her parents’ memories of her existence. The order then gathers to move Harry to safety however in doing so Mad Eye & Hedwig are killed. The Weasleys are hosting a celebration for Bill & Fleur’s wedding when an announcement that the Minister of Magic has been killed and the Ministry has fallen after an attack from Voldemort and Death Eaters. Death Eaters appear at the wedding and start to kill the guests when Harry, Ron, and Hermione teleport to London and begin life on the run as fugitives to discover and destroy the remaining Horcruxes.
It’s a bleak start to a film that for the most part is pretty devoid of hope. Where’s I’d argue that Half-Blood Prince is still the darkest Harry Potter story, Deathly Hallows Part 1 certainly has the highest body count with the amount of death and destruction in the opening act of the film. It’s a much tighter knit film as well with almost all of the screen time dedicated to Harry, Ron, and Hermione dealing with everything that’s happening whilst also beginning to turn on each other. This film is the peak of what the main trio achieve with their performances over the series and it’s because Deathly Hallows Pt1 is a very slow paced, dialogue heavy film. For some this is off-putting but personally I consider it one of the better entries in the series because of its dedication to delivering great dialogue and intimately emotional moments that the rest of the series simply doesn’t have the room for.
But there are problems with it. Much like I said in the opening to this review. The film ends just as it starts to pick up momentum, just as we finally get some direction in the story and where the other Horcruxes are to stop Voldemort, the film ends on a cliff-hanger. I also feel like the film chooses an extremely cheap and emotionally manipulative point to do it at, wherein Dobby is killed by Bellatrix. Personally I’ve never really be a fan of Dobby, probably because I never read the last 3 books of the series and his depiction in Chamber of Secrets is one only of irritation. So this ending never really landed with me. But even then for people it does hit in the gut it’s also a poor place to end it because it just happens, it doesn’t even have a build up to it so it comes seemingly from nowhere for a cheap emotional ending.
I quite like the rough around the edges feel of Deathly Hallows Pt1. Much of it takes place in scenic areas with gorgeous scenery, but the way the camera navigates this terrain is rough and choppy. It makes you feel as though you’re there. And although I’ve said the three leads provide their best performances in this film, I have to say Ron’s character gets on my nerves a fair bit. For most of the film he seems to just blame Harry for the whole situation there in, which technically yes this is all happening because Harry is alive, but that’s not something Harry has had any real choice in. If he wasn’t alive it’s not like Voldemort would just go away either.
So overall I like Deathly Hallows Part 1, but I can understand why people don’t. It’s a film I enjoy and whilst I certainly wouldn’t say it’s one of the best films in the series, it’s not one of the worst either. In fact it’s a pretty good middle ground film.
I quite like the rough around the edges feel of Deathly Hallows Pt1. Much of it takes place in scenic areas with gorgeous scenery, but the way the camera navigates this terrain is rough and choppy. It makes you feel as though you’re there. And although I’ve said the three leads provide their best performances in this film, I have to say Ron’s character gets on my nerves a fair bit. For most of the film he seems to just blame Harry for the whole situation there in, which technically yes this is all happening because Harry is alive, but that’s not something Harry has had any real choice in. If he wasn’t alive it’s not like Voldemort would just go away either.
So overall I like Deathly Hallows Part 1, but I can understand why people don’t. It’s a film I enjoy and whilst I certainly wouldn’t say it’s one of the best films in the series, it’s not one of the worst either. In fact it’s a pretty good middle ground film.