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Harry
Potter and the
Deathly Hallows,
Part One
sets up the Potter
franchise for its
big ending with a
dark and dreary film
that might be the
franchise’s best
yet. Not everyone
will agree with that
attitude, but there
are plenty of
reasons why that’s
the case.
In
the first part of
the two-part finale,
Voldemort isn’t just
back, he’s right in
the middle of his
assault on the
ministry of magic
and the wizarding
world to get things
how he sees how they
ought to be. That of
course is with him
being in power,
everyone serving
him, and probably
the end of the
existence
non-magical people.
Basically bad things
are due to happen if
Voldemort succeeds
in his takeover. But
here’s the thing, he
does succeed with
his takeover of the
ministry, but before
he can move even
further with his
domination, there’s
the matter of that
darn Potter kid.
Hermione Granger,
Ronald Weasley, and
Harry Potter have
grown together of
course, but they’re
finally on the
journey to destroy
the horcruxes and
destroy Voldemort
and end the magical
world’s suffering.
Harry
Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Pt.
1
is about the first
part of their
journey to destroy
the horcruxes.
Instead of rushing
through a gigantic
book and skipping
over several
finishing portions
of a huge franchise,
Warner started a
trend and decided to
bust the final
Potter book
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows
into a two-part
movie. Although I
was among the
skeptics that
thought this was
just another big
studio taking
advantage of a major
cash cow to make
twice the money, it
turns out turning
Deatlhy Hallows
into a two-part
movie makes total
sense. As the book’s
fan base has gotten
older with each book
and the characters
for that matter,
more and more
character
development and
interaction has
become necessary.
Basically with the
final Potter movies
pushing things like
mood and tone are
more necessary than
they were with the
first few movies.
Director
David Yates did a
tremendous job of
establishing the
tone of the movie
and the mood of the
story behind the
lens, but
screenwriter Steve
Kloves perfectly
wrote the first part
of this movie. It
fits in with the
book more than any
other Potter movie
has yet, and all in
all, the job he did
here is fantastic.
As good as Steve
Kloves as was he
can’t overshadow the
work that David
Yates has done with
this franchise since
taking the reins. He
took these movies to
whole new levels.
Every one that he’s
done has been better
than his last. He
took this material
and he pushed it
over the top into
what it has become
the past few
movies.. Somehow
what was looking
eerily like a
terrible 80’s
fantasy film
franchise, David
Yates took over and
made it into
something insanely
cool. Kudos to him
on that.
You
also can’t discount
the producers’
decision to take as
many great British
thespians as
possible, surround
the three young
actors (Daniel
Radcliffe, Emma
Watson, and Rupert
Grint) with them and
let the cast grow.
That decision
allowed a young cast
to grow into capable
actors, and thus
allowed this
character-driven
story to be made
possible. Everything
is great here with
Potter, it’s true.
But some people
might despise the
timing and the
pacing of this film,
long-time fans will
love that they
didn’t skip out on
very much in the
final book. What I
can dislike about
this movie, is that
even though
releasing it
theatrically in
parts makes total
sense, they should
have released it on
one Blu-ray package
when Part II was
ready. Between all
of the bundle
opportunities and
the insane amount
that the
Deathly Hallows
wil
take in at the box
office between the
two parts… it would
have been nice if
they would have
given people a break
and done printing of
physical copies when
both are out there.
Its understandable
why they did, it,
but it’s just a
small blemish on an
another great
project.
As
far as extras go,
Deathly Hallows Part
1
gets the Maximum
Movie Mode treatment
from Warner. But
digging into the
additional scenes
and making-of
features is
excellent. There’s
also a great
commentary track to
go along with some
of the additional
scenes and a digital
copy. Basically as
far as extras go
it’s a solid bundle.
Harry
Potter and the
Deathly Hallows,
Part One
isn’t going to be
everybody’s cup of
the ole’ British
tea. It’s not this
fast-paced action
thrill ride that the
last few movies have
been. It’s more
subtle than that.
It’s a character
driven tale that’s
dark and ominous.
It’s still the
perfect set up for
the final showdown.
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