Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter book series. However, that novel was so long, and so detailed that director David Yates decided to split its movie counterpart into two movies. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” would premier in 2010, while the follow-up titled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” would be released in 2011. I think this was a very smart decision, which paid off very well, and it was also a nice treat to get one more installment in the Harry Potter series then we were expecting. However, while I really like that they split this book into two movies, I think they could have done a slightly better job with “Part 1” of “the Deathly Hallows”. Actually, I find this another mixed entry in the series, one that has enough quality material to stand as a positive instalment, but only at the very low end of good.
In the last movie titled “Half-Blood Prince”, Harry Potter learned that his enemy Voldemort could be defeated once and for all by destroying seven items that contain part of his sole. Unfortunately, his head master Dumbledore was killed by Professor Snap, who apparently has allied himself with the enemy. Now Voldemort rules the wizarding world with an iron fist, he has his death eaters running the ministry of magic, and he appoints Snap as the new head master of Hogwarts. With nowhere else to go, Harry, along with his two best friends Ron and Herminie, set-off on a quest to find and destroy all seven items in an effort to defeat this tyrant, and bring peace back to their world. Along the way they travel to various locations, and lots of action scenes happen along the way. At face value, this is an awesome premise, our heroes are embarking on an adventure rather than spending another year at school, and the stakes are higher than ever. It brings to mind the Percy Jackson books, which were more quest based, with lots of exploring, and lots of thrilling encounters ... except where the Percy Jackson group was consistently fun to go adventuring with, the Harry Potter characters sadly struggle to find their footing in a situation like this.
I’d go so far as to say that the first thirty minutes of their journey was fantastic, as it starts with a lot of energy, they need to get off the streets, find a safe place to stay, and the situations they get in are a lot of fun. There are more action scenes spread throughout this film then any other in the series, although there very hit and miss. Some of them go by way too fast, and there’s one particular chase in the woods that suffers from way too much shaky camera. However, when the action gets good, things can get really exciting. The best action segment by far is the sky battle in the beginning of the film. This started things off on a very high note, as all the characters are flying through the air, all while under attack by multiple adversaries. There’s vehicle destruction, high speed maneuvering, and it easily stands as one of the most exciting battles in the entire series. There’s an especially exciting sequence when our heroes disguise themselves as adult wizards in an effort to sneak into a highly secured building, and retrieve one of the seven items, which is being held by their old foe Dolores Umbridge. This leads to some thrilling action, and it makes for a fun, covert, highest scene.
Unfortunately, once our hero’s hit the forest, and set-up camp, things go downhill. You’d think this would be where the adventure really starts to liven up, but the characters spend so much time doing very little. The pacing also gets really uneven at this point, as sometimes the movie rushes through scenes that should be crucial or interesting, then other times it moves at a snail’s pass through moments that feel like filler. There are several parts that feature our characters just sitting around, not saying anything, not doing anything, and the only thing missing are the sounds of crickets going “Chirp Chirp”. Also, nothing feels magical about this experience. I actually find myself forgetting that this film takes place in a magical Kingdome, because for the most, all we see in this film are colorless landscapes, and the ugly interiors of a grey tent.
This leads me to the next big problem with the film, the tone is just too cynical, intense, and very unpleasant. In general, I have no problem with character drama or darker elements in a movie. In fact, I usually love edgy material, because when your hero’s face intense obstacles, and go through hard times, it makes us care a lot more about the situation at hand, and it also makes the resolution feel so much stronger.
However, there’s usually a balance in the Harry Potter films, and this particular movie isn’t just dark ... it’s intensely dark. There’s characters getting killed off left and right, our three heroes have some really heated arguments, the villains murder people without mercy, there’s an especially intense scene where Herminie gets tortured, there’s lots of blood (at least by Harry Potter standards), and there's some shocking imagery that might just be pushing boundaries. One moment that stands out is Ron having a vision of Harry and Hermine together kissing ... and naked. Granted, it doesn’t show anything too inappropriate ... but still, this film embraces it’s dark, intense, and adult content way too much.
With that said, it's still a high-point of the film when Ron destroys one of Voldemort's seven objects. It’s a really intense scene, and the visual designs are awesome. Plus, it’s very satisfying to see Ron finally confront his greatest fears and doubts in both a figurative and physical confrontation.
When you combine this films frequently joyless tone with its uneven pacing, it just makes the whole experience feel dull, and even a little depressing. The music is sorely lacking, but the cinematography is actually quite impressive. Even though the scenery has little color, the locations themselves are still really cool to look at. Thankfully, most of the dramatic character elements in the film do work, and at the very least, there are some really good moments that keep the film from being a complete downer. There’s a nice little scene where Harry visits his parents graves on Christmas, and it's this beautiful quiet moment, which dose a good job playing to our emotional sides. The most cheerful scene in the film is a little dance number between Harry and Herminie, and while I feel the whole scene ends with no real payoff, it’s still a welcome piece of levity. Plus, it’s just genuinely nice to see Harry and Herminie have a positive bonding scene together. Even though I like the three main characters a lot, the movie just doesn’t always know how to utilizes it’s time with them. This will be their last adventure together, so let’s see them talk with each other a little more, or let’s see them bond over their past experiences.
It’s also annoying that the movie never bothers to cut-away to any of the other characters in the series. I think it would have really helped the pacing of the movie if we’d get occasional scenes of what other characters like Hagrid, Draco, Ginny, or Snap are doing. Instead, we're stuck with the three main characters, almost as if their the last people on earth. The climax takes place under the mercy of the wicked witch, Bellatrix Lestrange, who's played once again by Helena Bonham Carter. While she’s always been a sinister adversary, this film has her go unhinged, attacking her own goons, torturing people without mercy, and even murdering another one of our favorite characters. The final fight itself is short, but effective enough, and the ending leaves us somewhat excited to see what happens next.
Now wait a second, what about those Deathly Hallows which are right there in the title of our movie? Well, they really have nothing to do with the plot, have no connection to Voldemort's seven soul items, and aren’t even discussed until the very end of the film. Yet, the Deathly Hallows are actually more interesting than anything else in this film. The series finally takes a moment to explore myths and legends in the Harry Potter universe, and I really wish the plot was all about this instead. We're given an incredible backstory of “The Tail of the Peverell Brothers”, which is a segment told through stunning animation, imaginative dark visuals, and it’s boasted with a cryptic atmosphere. The scene itself is one of my favorite scenes in the entire series, and the concept of the Deathly Hallows has so much potential to elevate this films shallow plot into something really good. We learn that the Deathly Hallows are three magical items that when joined together make an individual master of death. Unfortunately, the movie never does anything with this premise, as they never collect all three, they never get joined together, and they’ll never have any bearing on the plot. So really, why bother making the legend of these Hollows so interesting, and so detailed if they won’t amount to anything?
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