Despite their widespread popularity and ability to make major motion picture bank, the Harry Potter films have, for the most part, failed to capitalize on their cinematic potential. Few, if any, have managed to capture the real magic of J.K. Rowling’s original books, using gimmicky special effects and 3-D innovation to replace the exquisite tapestry of her writing and imagination.
More importantly, with the exception of Alfonso Cuarón’s trippy 2004 take on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, none of the films wielded any cinematic ingénue to augment the books’ translation to film, leaving them not much more than limp opportunities for fans to see sanitized versions of the series on the big screen, rather than standout standalone movies.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I, is not quite an exception to this, though its ability to capture the dark, harrowed feeling of the seventh book is admirable and adds some dimension to the film. Directed by David Yates, who also lent his vision to 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Deathly Hallows takes Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) outside the safe haven of the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry as they hide from newly-risen Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his supporters, and hunt down the rest of the Horcruxes – the seven objects in which Voldemort has hidden pieces of his soul, for those who need a refresher – in hopes of finally destroying him. The world the three teenage wizards are forced to navigate is a strange one, fraught with fear as Voldemort infiltrates the Ministry of Magic and runs the wizarding world with all the might and horror of a darkly magical Adolf Hitler.
In an effort to retain most of the series’ 78 plus page concluding novel, Warner Bros. decided to split the seventh installment into two back-to-back films, with Part I in November and Part II in July 2011. For devoted readers who felt too much had been cut from the previous films in favor of shorter films, this is a big improvement. For those who did not read the final novel, however, the film feels like an extended preview for an already protracted conclusion to the series.
Watching Harry, Ron and Hermione navigate the Ministry of Magic and the Forest of Dean works for readers, who can fill in gaps and know the small, important details to look out for. For non-readers, however, important subtleties will likely be lost in the seven months separating the films, and the sense of urgency and suspense that characterized the final book is sadly stilted. There was nothing quite like holding the unopened, unread seventh book in your hands, waiting for all the secrets to be revealed; the film, on the other hand, doesn’t play out that way.
That being said, Deathly Hallows, Part I, is a solid improvement over the past few films. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson have honed their acting skills over the years, making it far more enjoyable to watch them wield their magic onscreen. The overall feel of the film is appropriately darker and more mature, and twisted secondary characters, like Helena Bonham-Carter’s Bellatrix Lestrange, captivate with a frightening force. Deathly Hallows, Part I may serve more as a prelude to the grand finale, but at least it’s an interesting one.
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