*SPOILER. BUNDIMUN!! (that’s the babbling curse for your information)
Though I’ve never been a member of the Order of the Phoenix, or, perhaps, of Dumbledore’s Army, I could still feel all the magic in the air as I approached the line for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 at 4:30 in the afternoon. I don’t think it’s quite possible for anyone, and I mean anyone to be more excited for the premiere then I was; and quite honestly, Potter did not disappoint. After having been wasting away in the front of the theatre complex for five hours, my friends and I were allowed to enter into Auditorium 2, where, after an additional two and a half hours, the lights dimmed to a subtle glow and the only sound audible was the sentimental melody of Hedwig’s Theme. For me, this marked the beginning of the end.
As a dedicated fan to the series, I find it necessary to applaud the film for how strictly it followed along with the book and for the phenomenal performances of each actor/actress. Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows opened up into the departure of both Harry and Hermione from their families, signifying the isolated journey the trio were about to embark on. I found that the movie did the book justice in that it really showed just how cut off Harry, Ron, and Hermione were from Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World. The maturity of the characters, in comparison to previous films, was evident in this adaption of the seventh book particularly because they were forced into an unknown adventure to find all of Voldemort’s (yes, I said his name) horcruxes before time runs out.
The most successful aspect of the Deathly Hallows had to have been the performance of each actor and actress. While following closely to the book’s plot is vital, I think that the acting also needs to be up to par; in my opinion, in regards to the book, each actor played their part to a T. Danielle Radcliffe embodied the changes and maturation that Harry Potter experienced during his growth as a character in the book; Rupert Grint really showed the self-doubt and conflictions that Ron Weasley went through; and Emma Watson really proved herself as intellectually worthy and confident as Hermione Granger. The movie really feels magical because of their dedication to the characters.
Even though the movie was amazing, there were still a couple of flaws. Firstly, I felt that the departure of the Dursely’s in the beginning of the book was significant to the closure Harry needed within his adoptive family. In the movie, all that transpired was much less noteworthy, since they just packed the car and left without a word. Secondly, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are caught by the Snatchers and brought to the Malfoy Manor, the book and the movie interpreted it in two very different ways. The word, ‘Voldemort’, was a taboo in the book, where anyone who said it was immediately caught by the Snatchers, which is what happened to the trio. However, the movie just had the Snatchers appear randomly from behind a bunch of trees and chase the three into submission. It added a tense scene that was cinematically striking but was still nonexistent within the actual book.
Taken as a whole, this movie was nothing short of phenomenal. I had been waiting to see it since the summer of 2007 and I feel that I was genuinely impressed with the premiere. Deathly Hallows will keep any audience member at the edge of their seats as they join Harry through his final battle to overcome the Dark Lord. Now we’ll just have to wait until July for Part 2!
These are dark times, There is no denying.