Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The last installment of the epic wizardry saga is finally here...sort of. The latest Harry Potter movie has started a trend that I am sure will be copied many times in the near future. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. Another fact that I'd like to state is that I would much rather watch a 4-5 hour movie that finishes the saga in an incredible fashion than be forced to wait another couple of months for part 2.

The wizarding world is experiencing an upheaval of earthquake-like proportions. The illustrious headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, has been killed. The ministry of magic is quickly falling into disarray and the evil wizard himself, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is rising again to subdue England and eventually the world. Voldemort has a slight problem though. Harry Potter and pals know his one weakness, a series of horcruxes that contain parts of Voldie's soul. They know that the only way to kill Voldemort is to hunt down and destroy the horcruxes. While they have an incredibly long camping trip trying to accomplish this, they learn that Voldemort has been seeking three items known as the Deathly Hallows, objects that, if possessed, will make the user master of death.

But I am sure you know all of this. I have to warn everyone right now, if you haven't read the book, don't see the movie. It will be a futile attempt to understand the multiple plot lines and characters popping on and off of the screen. The Harry Potter series has never done this well. Fans of the Lord of the Ring movies know that their films stand above the rest because the movies stand beside the books in terms of quality. Without reading any of the Potter books for background and seeing the movies is like setting War and Peace on fire and expecting the fire to spell out plot points with smoke.

For fans of the book, the film is fantastic fun. It has various discrepancies, the book emphasizes some things while the movie emphasizes different ones. In these case it is easy to figure out why the director chose to do what he did and most of the time I found myself agreeing with his decisions. There is just so much information to include, even if you split the book into two movies.

The actors are all familiar faces, but we are treated to a significant lack of supporting characters. Voldermort gets a depressing amount of screen time, same with Severus Snape, Bellatrix, and Madeye Moody. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are still fun to watch, but not all the time. Especially if only one of them can actually act (Watson). The absolute best part of the film by far is when Harry, Ron and Hermione impersonate three Ministry employees in order to steal a horcrux. Watching three unknown actors doing their best to act out the personality quirks of the three was hilarious. I wish the scene was even longer. The movie itself is fairly amusing with witty and quick dialogue, considering its very dark tone.

It is a very good entry into the Harry Potter franchise, and may be the best (I'll have to re watch number 4 to decide). Sadly, despite its successes, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 isn't really a movie. Like the poster says "The End Begins." The entire movie is a beginning, and maybe a little of the middle. There is no climax, no conclusion, it just ends. I shouldn't expect anything different but it's a little hard to swallow and makes it a hard movie to review. Needless to say I am as excited as can be for the final installment.

3 out of 4 stars

-Christopher O'Connell

p.s. What is up with the scene of Harry and Hermione making out in the nude? That was not in the book.