Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

B

OTTOM LINE: The Harry Potter franchise finally takes a step up and delivers a much more thrilling, dramatic and character driven piece, although it does suffer in some places for being too long.

THE GOOD: This seventh film in the franchise is something of a surprise, at least given its nature compared to the previous films. There is a grim seriousness, combined with a thrilling narrative, spot on performances and beautifully-shot sequences that immediately elevate this film above its predecessors. Serving as a build-up to the inevitable second part, this film primarily deals with both Harry Potter (Radcliffe) and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) as they both set about building to their inevitable confrontation. The majority of the film does not take place in Hogwarts, which is a breath of fresh air. Instead, Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron set out on a quest to destroy the Horcruxes while Voldemort searches for the most powerful magic wand ever created that formed part of the "Deathly Hallows".
As Harry and company are in effect on the run, chased by all manner of nasties, the narrative is quite thrilling, and the script allows for the three protagonists to engage each other in dramatic ways as the Horcruxes have a psychological effect on all three of them. Voldemort is as good as ever, with a fantastic opening scene where he feeds a captive to his snake. Another nice touch is when Hermione tells the story of the Deathly Hallows and it segues in to a voiceover with a well designed and executed animated sequence. Director David Yates has the freedom to develop a fantastic story, and although we are only getting half of it in this instalment, the results are thrilling and entertaining, even for those who are not so in to the travails of Harry Potter.
THE BAD: The inevitable problem with this film is that it ends on a cliffhanger. The frustration you feel when you are being told a good story and then it does not end is something that will no doubt fuel the box office fire when the second part is released. Having said that, where the cliffhanger occurs in this story is actually quite good as it really does leave you hanging for more. The film also suffers in some parts for being a little long-winded. Clocking in at two and a half hours, the film definitely loses its pace at certain points, mainly due to some scenes that do not advance the plot as well as others.

For the original review, follow this link: http://www.allaboutmovies.net/filmreviewharrypotterandthedeathlyhallowspart1.htm
Todd Murphy is a staff reviewer at the film/DVD review web site, http://www.allaboutmovies.net - for all the latest reviews on the newest releases.

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