Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) by Pedro C — 19 Dec 2016

Concluding a film series with a 2 parter is usually, to me at least, a bad idea, a cheap way to make more money while dragging a story out unnecessarily over 2 movies. But with a tale as epic as Harry Potter you can understand why they did it.

It's true that this film often feels like it's spinning its wheels, with long stretches of downtime, the characters sitting around planning their next move or arguing. What saves it from complete mundanity is its character moments.

Each of the 3 principal cast members get a chance to demonstrate their acting chops and reveal the depths of their performances. Some of their conflicts may feel predictable and easy to resolve, but enough of them feel human that the ones which don't aren't too much of an annoyance.

It serves its purpose in getting us to the final movie, and is probably the least rewatchable of the series, but for a single viewing it's still a decent flick.