Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One

#108 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One is the first film in a two-part finale to the epic series. Harry Potter is wanted by all of the wizarding world. You must choose a side: you're either defending The Chosen One, or you are supporting Lord Voldemort. The Deatheaters descend on Harry and his friends while they are transporting him to safety and then again at Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding reception. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are forced to go into hiding and live a life on the run from Voldemort, the Deatheaters, and his Snatchers - dark wizards who kidnap witches and wizards on behalf of the Ministry. The trio is in search of Horcruxes, which house pieces of Voldemort's soul. Their mission is to find each Horcrux and destroy them. The task becomes tiring and frustrating, which leads Ron astray. He leaves Harry and Hermione in a fit of rage, but eventually finds his way back due to his love for Hermione. Just when they think everything is going their way, the Snatchers find them and drag them to Malfoy Manor, where they are kept as prisoners. Who should appear in the dungeon to save the day? Dobby! He disapparates Harry and his friends out of Malfoy Manor, but not quick enough. Bellatrix Lestrange tosses her dagger just as Dobby is disapparating, and it stabs him. The movie ends just after Dobby is buried by Harry on the beach just outside of their newest hiding place, Shell Cottage - Bill and Fleur's home. We then see Voldemort discovering where the Elder Wand is. He breaks into Dumbledore's tomb and steals the wand. The wand is important because throughout the film we learn of the Deathly Hallows. Whomever possesses the Deathly Hallows is said to be the Master of Death. This means that if Voldemort has all three Deathly Hallows, the elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the invisibility cloak, then he will surely be able to beat and destroy Harry Potter.

This movie, for the most part, is extremely boring, but it has a purpose, so that's why I don't completely hate it. It is a whole bunch of explanation leading up to the ultimate battle between good and evil in the final book. I agree with the decision to split the final book into two films. It allowed the directors and writers to do the series justice. To cram the entire ending to a seven book series into a two and a half hour film would require a lot of cutting....and a lot of fan disappointment.

There are only a few sections of the film that I actually enjoy. I really love the escape scene where everyone takes Polyjuice Potion to look like Harry. It's brilliant and was done wonderfully. I know a lot of book details had to be cut from this scene, but I feel like they still did it justice. Even though I love this scene, I do not like the fact that Mad-Eye cuts off Tonks just as she's about to announce that her and Lupin are expecting a child, and I also do not like that they did not have Harry use "Expelliarmus" while battling the Deatheaters in the sky. "Expelliarmus" is what gives him away. I understand that they used Hedwig as the give away in the film, but "Expelliarmus" has been Harry's trademark spell for the entire series. I don't like that they chose to drop that for the last three films.
I also love the scene where Dobby and Kreacher kidnap Mundungus Fletcher and bring him back to Grimmauld Place. This is a duo that could've been even more amazing, had the screenwriters included them in Half-Blood Prince as well. The dynamic between sweet Dobby and rotten Kreacher is fantastic. This film completely tosses out reasoning why Kreacher is so quick to help Harry - in the books, when Sirius dies, Harry is given complete ownership of 12 Grimmauld Place and Kreacher, so Kreacher is now owned by Harry. THAT is why Kreacher must obey him. I hate that that was left out of the films.

There's a scene that I think the acting is incredible, and that's the scene when Bellatrix is torturing Hermione for answers as to why someone was in her vault at Gringotts. Emma Watson is fantastic, and she is so believable in this scene. One thing that was not included with this scene, that I think should have been, is Ron's reaction to Hermione's screaming. In the book, Ron screams for Hermione, and he is absolutely distraught over the thought of her being tortured. In this film, he looks upset, but never actually yells for her. At this point, the love that Ron and Hermione have for each other is extremely apparent, so it would only be natural for him to be sick to his stomach while hearing her scream. This is a very touching moment in the book that was left out for some reason when transferred to film. Ugh.

One major thing that I do not like with the animation of Dobby and Kreacher is that they look entirely different in Deathly Hallows when compared to their first appearances in Chamber of Secrets and Order of the Phoenix. In Deathly Hallows, Dobby is very light colored and smooth. He looks very cartoon-like. Kreacher looks very close to human. He even has bright eyes. Look at the different between the characters....

Makes me so mad. Dobby and Kreacher are two of the best characters in the books, and they are not given enough screen time in the films. 

Last thing to complain about: Bill and Fleur. They just pop out of nowhere, and we're just supposed to except that they fell in love and are getting married. Also, Bill makes a joke about Fenrir Greyback scratching his face, but then it's never mentioned again...oh, I'm sorry, last time I checked, when you're scratched by a werewolf, you are infected and begin to transform into one come the next full moon. However, that was never addressed. If that wasn't going to be an actual plot point, why even give him the scars? 

Overall, this movie isn't meant to be a thrilling movie. It's meant to segue into the final film. When I think of it in that sense, the film is not awful.

I give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One 3 out of 5 stars.