HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 Review

I’m going to start this review of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 with a few points.

1) I will try to make this as spoiler free as possible while still giving my opinion on the film. I understand that a lot of people haven’t read the books (I have no idea why, but I digress), and therefore do not KNOW certain things about the plot going into the movie.
2) On that note – I am a HUGE fan of the books, and prefer them over the movies. I’ve been with Harry since the beginning, have done the midnight release parties, etc. You might say I’m “one of THOSE” fans. I tend to leave the films with a chip on my shoulders because they “weren’t like the book”.
3) That being said, this movie is awesome.

From the opening credits until the final scene I was enthralled by the world David Yates created. His direction, his eye for detail, and his attention to the book were amazing.

I’m not saying that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows followed the book exactly. In fact, there were several times when I had to lean over to have a friend verify that I hadn’t skipped/blacked out/blocked certain portions of the book, but what Yates DIDN’T do was skimp on details from the novel.

I feel that the past few Harry Potter films have lacked the magic that the books offer, and I understand that I’m being a pretentious book elitist by comparing them side by side, but when you take such an EPIC series like Harry Potter, you have to stay true to the story.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was amazing. I ran a gamut of emotions while watching. The opening credits alone with the “WB” shield rusting away, and the haunting “Hedwig’s Theme” playing gave me goosebumps. I’m beyond pleased that the theme stayed in place. It came a little later than usual, and I found myself almost HIGHLY disappointed within the first 20 seconds of film.

Then we move on to the way the wizarding (and muggle) world have changed. To see Hermione having to leave her home and wipe her parent’s memory was just heartbreaking.

I wish Harry’s goodbye with the Dursley’s would’ve been a larger part of the film. I find this to be one of the most touching parts of Deathly Hallows – especially when Dudley asks why Harry isn’t coming with the family – and was disappointed that it wasn’t touched on in the slightest. The Dursley’s were Harry’s family regardless of how horrible they were to him, and I LIKED seeing that Petunia wasn’t a cold hearted, horrible person when it came down to it.

There was only one other part that completely disappointed me, but I won’t mention it as it happens near the end of the film. Let’s just say that it in no way, shape, or form happened in the book, and I’m STILL trying to figure out what the reasoning was behind it.

I thought I was going to be FURIOUS with the movie being cut into two parts, but instead of the break bothering me, it was a logical place to stop. And I appreciate Yates cutting Hallows into two – there is just too much book to get through in one sitting, which is where I think other films in the series went wrong.

The journey that you’re taken on in the 2 hours is… well, magical. It’s hard to believe that the series is coming to an end, and I feel it’s going to be hard to top Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1, but I’ll be there opening day on July 15, 2011… Sticking with Harry until the end.

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