"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant (said in
[insert your favorite character's name]'s voice, with their awesome British
accent)!" That is the recurring phrase in my mind as I think back on the many
marvelous details of what many have been referring to as "the beginning of the
end." As I attempt to give a fair and objective review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part I as a single film,
standing alone, do keep in mind that I am an unashamed Harry Potter fanatic,
meaning that I'm certain you will find justifiable reasons to disagree with
some of my opinions. I do not care.
Those who have read the books (especially
those who have read them many times) might find that their favorite moment or
line has been altered or even left out all together. While this sucks and gives
some die-hards the excuse to whine and complain, I assure you that the creative
liberty taken here is nothing short of amazing. I found myself repeatedly
thinking how impressive certain scenes were, still capturing the subtleties of
emotions and relationships despite having to cut quite a bit of material for
time. Action scenes suffer the
most since they can be cut without losing vital information. Each fight
sequence resolved right about the time I was starting to get nervous, and I
think that had a few more minutes been tacked on it would have made a big
difference.
As far as the performances go, Britain's
finest come through once again living up to and beyond the names in the
line-up. The leading three have come such a long way since they were nine, and
their maturity and practice show here. They deliver moving performances as they
carry this film much more than they have ever had to do before. The humor and
whit gets better with each outing, and this is where the supporting cast
shines. The writers have again found that perfect balance between gut-wrenching
emotion and laugh-out-loud humor. Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes'
performances are as sick as the evil characters they portray. Everything from
the lighting to the scenery will have you entranced in the magic world of
Hogwarts. Even the make-up in this film plays a huge role as actors start to
look as we feel.
Every detail counts in a story of this
magnitude, and in this film, the important ones are all covered. No, the movie
isn't flawless, and I'm sure we can all think of some part that should not have
been left out, but Rowlings' seven part masterpiece is simply too complex and
vivid to be fully revealed on the big screen. Prepare for tears, prepare for
laughter, prepare for shock. It was funny, and emotional, and suspenseful from
start to finish, and it left me with my mouth open as the screen went black,
anxiously awaiting July 15 and everything that comes with Part II to this journey's epic conclusion.
