Review by Spencer Gordon
Photos by Allie Gavette
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson
Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images, and brief sensuality
It is hard to believe that the tale of The Boy Who Lived is now only one film away from concluding its cinematic travels. The story of Harry Potter has been known for years now (the last book published three years go), but that hasn’t stopped every fan, including myself, from getting excited to see the brilliant film adaptations. As the story draws to a close, director David Yates takes the fabulous threesome of actors through a magical tale of love, betrayal, and good versus evil that pulls the audience into the story within the first few seconds.
The film begins with the Minister of Magic warning the Wizarding World about the Death Eaters’ plot to take over the world. Following Dumbledore’s orders, Harry and his crew drop out of Hogwarts to find the remaining Horcruxes. In this movie there is no Hogwarts, no new awe inspiring magic to learn, and no more silly school drama like girls or grades. The fate of the bloody world is at stake and our three heroes won’t let anything get in their way to save it.
There is a lot to be said about the acting in the Harry Potter series as some of my favorite actors including Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and Brendan Gleeson all lend their amazing talents to the films. Here in Hallows, however, the stars are definitely the leads. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have matured since they first appeared in Sorcerer’s Stone. In that film it’s obvious the three little kids had no acting experience and were only cast because they look identical to the fictional characters. Now after seven films and five different directors, those same three are top notch and really transform into Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.
The book was very dark to read and I was glad to see the film take a similar dark undertone. Fiennes is sinister and truly evil as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the rest of the Death Eaters like Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange really give you chills and are a treat to watch. The lighting of the film really enhances these evil characters as they are always given a dark blue light that makes their faces darker and their smiles creepier.
Although the film is a blockbuster and had a huge budget, it doesn’t fall prey to what some big budget films – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for instance – call a movie with their horrible scripts and rushed shooting schedule that they try to hide with special effects. Hollows had the special effects for sure but it’s clear the people who worked on the film really cared about it and didn’t let the final product disappoint its many fans.
Yates has directed the previous two Potter films so it seems fitting that he be at the helm of this one as well. He also directed Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which means that the movie has a very high chance of being just as good if not better than Part 1. Start lining up now as the conclusion to this magical movie series comes out July 15th, 2011. I’ll try to speed up the process by looking for Hermoine’s time turner on eBay.
Grade: A for the feeling of anticipation and excitement I felt once the final credits rolled and I began the countdown for Part 2.
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