Dark times have fallen upon both the wizarding and non-magical worlds in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Right from the get go this movie isn't taking any prisoners. Part one of Deathly Hollows has Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) leaving the comforts of Hogwarts school of magic and fleeing for their lives as the evil, snake-like Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) tries to kill his long time nemesis.
However, the three junior wizards are searching for fragments of Voldemort's soul called Horcruxes, which once destroyed, will kill the sinister villain.
Harry Potter and Friends Battle to Destroy the Horcruxes
The beginning sets the tone of the entire movie. Harry, Ron and Hermione all show that this year isn't going to be books and potions but simply all out war. It's good vs evil and only Harry Potter as the chosen one can hope to defeat the powerful Voldemort.
What makes this movie stand out is definitely the pace and character interactions. All the build up over the last six movies have paid off with great affect. The presence of Voldemort is always felt and it really feels like the three Gryffindor are out on their own. Some of the best moments are when the trio are alone in the woods in a tent. The only thing protecting them are some enchantments and their wits that prove to be life saving.
Harry finally takes his role as general and leader of the group. Harry is now focused and dead set on destroying the Horcruxes no matter what the cost. His character development isn't explored as deeply as the other characters because Harry has had six movies to really grow. The same could be said for Hermione who is relatively the same character in the previous films because she has always shown great loyalty to Harry and his cause. So the movie really shines on Ron who finally develops the courage that's been hinted at since the first movie.
Without giving too much away, Ron leaves the group over a dispute with Harry and has to make his way back. Ron makes a startling comeback not only saving Harry's life but also demonstrating real fortitude and character growth as he destroys a Horcrux. Ron has grown from the scared sidekick into a real hero.
The action in this movie is spectacular. From the chase scene at the beginning of the film to the shoot out style fight in the coffee shop, this movie has come leaps and bounds from the previous six movies. It is almost cool to wave a stick around and shout out Expelliarmus!
The Darkest Harry Potter Yet
Death is a constant companion in this movie. Expect many familiar faces to die and some real heartstrings pulled when watching this movie. This is the strongest out of all the previous Harry Potter movies. There are scary parts, touching moments and real sadness. There are a few comedic moments but they seem forced and poor in execution.
One example is when Harry, Ron and Hermione break into the Ministry of Magic to locate a Horcrux and have take on the appearance of three ministry employees. The running gag here is that the person Ron has turned into has a wife and she's in big trouble. Ron seems to continuously forget who he actually is and believes he's married to the distressed woman. It is a very forced and a predictable joke with the payoff being weak in execution.
The other weak element is the Dark Lord himself. Ralph Fiennes' over the top performance comes back in abundance and almost chews up as much scenery as Helena Bonham Carter who plays the demented Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.
Fiennes isn't intimidating or scary and any on screen time with him diminishes the threat of Voldemort. He can't kill Harry because their wands are “twins” and so cancel each other out and he won't let anyone else kill Harry so that means Potter can only be captured. Fiennes tries and fails to be a powerful dark lord and instead looks like a small, pale, odd looking man.
Ultimately, this story revolves around Harry and his friends, which are the films strongest points. Great character development mixed in with great action makes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 a good first start to the end of the series.
Jeff Labine - Jeff Labine is a Canadian journalist. He works as a reporter and photographer for Tbnewswatch.com and a contributing writer for ...
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