It only took seven movies, but this was the first Harry Potter film that completely enthralled me. I’ve always been a casual fan of the series and have never been truly amazed or completely disappointed by one single Potter movie, but this one really took it to a new level. In terms of filmmaking and remaining surprisingly faithful to the source material, this one is a total success.
For one, this film is surprisingly dark. Yes, the films have been getting progressively bleak and mature, but this one feels far from a kids' movie about wizards and magic like the first few previous efforts. Murder, political corruption and torture are all major themes here, so that's always fun to see, in my opinion. It should also be noted that this is the first Harry Potter movie to NOT feature Hogwarts and seeing Harry, Hermione and Ron stroll around a trailer park and in England's ghetto is ridiculously awesome. Speaking of awesome, everyone's performance here is great. These kids have spent nearly an entire decade together and it shows here with their obvious chemistry to another. It definitely adds some legitimacy to the performances as you can tell these kids really care about one another. To be honest, the real surprise here is Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley. He shows an incredible range here, given that the last six times we've seen him, he's been limited mostly to the comic relief. While no one will win an Oscar for this, they all show depth and emotion that we haven't seen previously, and it's wonderful. The entire film is impressively shot as well. The cinematography is gorgeous and the sheer beauty of every single shot is breathtaking (especially the outdoor shots). To push the films dark themes, the entire film is shaded with grays, blacks and whites that really adds to bleak mood. Lastly, this is the first time that I've really seen the magic spells and wands as weapons in a Harry Potter movie. Spells create explosions, knock people ten feet into the air, kill, break glass, etc. and it's all epic as hell. Having some actual threat, the action scenes are that much better because of it and it's very rewarding to behold the glory that is fighting with wands.
The only small things that I have to gripe about are nothing that the film can help, unfortunately. They pay such careful attention to the book, that it feels like I'm criticizing the source material mostly, but I hated the fact that my favorite characters weren't relevant. Alan Rickman as Snape, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody and Robbie Coltrane are almost nowhere to be found. Yes, that's pretty much how it is in the book, but I couldn't help but sadly desire these characters to grace the screen with their presence for just a little over five minutes. Oh, well. Maybe next movie. It's also a bit slow at times (although that may be the book's fault, too) and really, since it's only part one of two, builds up to nothing. It's a little disappointing, but what can we expect? Much like the first two The Lord of the Rings, we're given an unfortunate and abrupt ending that promises what's really to come will arrive a year later. It would've been perfectly fine with an intermission.
Now, it may have been for money, sure, but splitting this movie into two parts was sheer brilliance on the filmmakers part. With two parts, they're finally able to really delve into all the details in the book. While it does create some minor pacing issues, the audience is immersed in the world of Harry Potter that much more because of it. Overall, the filmmakers not being forced to cram 800 pages worth of story into a 2 ½ hour movie truly helps the movie to be that much better than the other films.
I absolutely cannot wait for Part II to make its way to the theaters this summer. Given the respectable following of the book, audiences can expect an intense, frightening and completely captivating end to the Harry Potter phenomena. It must be said, though, that people should defeintely seek out the other six films before even attempting a view of this. The amount of characters, backstory and mythology will just lose you otherwise. Just make sure you do it before July 2011.
My Final Rating: 9 out of 10
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