Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) by Jacob M — 23 Aug 2013

"I should be the one to kill Harry Potter.".

And here we go with the beginning of the end of the Harry Potter films. It had a rough beginning (Sorcerer's Stone), but the fact that the franchise has improved since its beginning is beyond me. Now we come to the second to last film, and it's incredible, even if we know that the film ends in an abrupt cliffhanger.

Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has gone at his most powerful and leads an all-out mission to destroy Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). He and his followers have taken over the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts itself. Harry, along with Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), bond together to find the remaining Horcruxes that can destroy Voldemort once and for all. But since Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) never told Harry where to start, the quest turns into a nightmare, filled with romantic tensions, fears of heavy death and abductions, and dark secrets that might end Harry's journey for good.

Returning to the franchise in this second to final chapter includes Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Jason Issacs as Lucius Malfoy, Alan Rickman as Snape, Timothy Spall as Wormtail, John Hurt as wandmaker Ollivander, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Brendon Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, Julie Walters and Mark Williams as the Weasley parents, David Thewlis as Lupin, Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, and Imelda Staunton as Delores Umbridge, Harry's worst enemy from the classrooms.

New to the film includes Bill Nighy as the Minister of Magic before Voldemort takes control, Domihnall Gleeson as Bill Weasley, Ron's older brother, and Rhys Ifans as Xneophilius Lovegood, Luna's loony dad.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is incredible. Simply incredible. This is the darkest Potter film released at this point. Don't be fooled by the PG-13. Actually I think this almost got an R rating due to a dream sequence where Harry and Hermione are making out nude. But of coarse, the film has an audience, and the film gained its PG-13 and made the nude scene carefully where the film's not R. And either way, that nude scene is kind of creepy, dream scene or not.

The emotional intensity has heated up its highest here. Some of my favorite moments include a dancing scene between Harry and Hermione, Ron's fears of being left out, and in the most disturbing scene, Bellatrix in a very wild and creepy torture sequence to one of the three, and even though the true torture is not fully shown, that scene still leaves an impact due to the looks on the others who hear the torture.

The cinematography shines, probably the best cinematography in the entire franchise, even outdoing the outstanding shots in Half-Blood Prince. The dark looks are outstanding, the locations are dazzling, and even if those stones were CG, I couldn't tell, cause I was still wowed by the cinematography.

There's also some amazing visual effects here, obvious cause the Harry Potter franchise is known for its outstanding visuals. Dobby and Kreatcher return, and look outstanding as ever, the trio use heavy makeup in a very memorable Ministry infiltration scene, which is one of my favorite scenes in the film, Voldemort's creepy snake appears in some disturbing moments, and the best effect, a scene where there's not one, not two, but seven Harry's in one room. ("Wow. We're identical.") That still blows my mind. I'm also wowed by an animation storybook sequence explaining the films title.

The casting, once again, is brilliant. We know how excellent Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson are in their roles, and how mature they've got in the years we've known them, so I'll cut it short. As usual, they're excellent as ever, particularly Watson, who shines best. Grint is still very funny, and Radcliffe is still good in the emotions. Ralph Fiennes is perfect as Voldemort, and makes a villain that leaves tons of impact. The other big actors here are mostly given cameos (Carter, Rickman, Issacs, Coltrane, etc.), cause this is Harry, Ron, and Hermione's picture, but still, the small roles these actors have amazing presence and dominate the picture, especially Helena Bonham Cater and Alan Rickman.

For the final two films, the film is scored by Alaxendre Desplat, and it's spectacular. In some moments, you'd think that John Williams returned, but in others, you don't. But that's fine, cause Desplat's score is the best score that Williams never made. It's exciting, it's chilling, especially in the opening theme, and in some cases, really haunting. I'm impressed, especially that it's not Williams.

David Yates had brilliant direction in Order of the Phoenix, but disappointed me a bit in Half-Blood Prince. Here, Yates is back on track, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the most trilling, dark, disturbing, chilling, exciting, and emotionally satisfying Potter film, until Part 2 came out, which really sums up both films and the franchise as a whole.

"I don't know what you're up against, Mr. Potter, but you can't fight this war on your own. He's too strong.".