I remember being in high school and reading the last book cover to cover on a grassy hill in the University of California– Berkeley. I remember skipping my summer classes that day so that I could finish it all in one sitting. And, even though it is one of the longest books in the series, I did.
Anyway, point being, I love the series, and I loved the last book.
The first time I saw the Deathly Hallows trailer I freaked out. I think I might have squealed a little, and, honestly? The squealing started up again everytime I watched it after that. I have grown up with both the actors and the characters they portrayed, so the excitement for my friends and I was monumental.
My best friends waited in line for six hours to see this movie. I met up with them as soon as I got out of work– not even adulthood would stop me from reliving this book.
I don’t tell you this to brag. I tell you this so that you understand how high my hopes were for this movie. I wanted it to be good, to be great, to be amazing. I wanted it to bring me back into the world I had for years missed. I wanted it to remind me of everything I loved about the characters.
And it did. It gave me everything I was expecting to see and then some.
Essentially the story is about Harry Potter, the boy who lived, and his friends’ fight to end what has become Voldemort’s evil reign. Voldemort, of course, is the main antagonist in our story– he’s the darkness to Harry’s light.
In order to defeat Lord Voldemort Harry and the gang have to destroy the horcruxes Voldemort created. Horcruxes being random objects infused with the creator’s soul. As long as the horcruxes exist Voldemort cannot die. He is pretty much immortal.
Visually, Deathly Hallows was different from the previous films in that it was darker. The lens they used was a bit grittier and, even throughout the parts of the movie where things were calmer you never lost that sense of danger and foreboding.
David Yates, the director, definitely took an interesting visual turn in many parts of the movie. In one scene, for instance, we get treated to a short but crucial side-story. The scene sets up the rest of the film by telling us what the Deathly Hallows are. The gang go to the Lovegood’s home (the Lovegoods having been supporters of Harry throughout) and are treated to a story about the items that make up the Deathly Hallows.
Rather than simply having actors play out the story, or giving us reaction shots while the gang listens to the story, the audience is treated to a cartoon. Not only is the cartoon beautifully drawn, but it also manages to lighten the seriousness of the moment. The story itself is filled with darkness, but because of the whimsical nature of the drawings we don’t feel as bogged down.
The actors in this film are amazing. Alan Rickman, who plays Severus Snape, sets up the tone of the movie flawlessly from the get-go. We see him literally walking through an iron gate and immediately know that this movie will have great special effects. We then follow him into a dinner where all of Voldemort’s followers, or Death Eaters, are sitting. Above them, however, a woman hovers. This woman was introduced to us in a previous film as a teacher at Hogwarts (England’s premier school for the magically inclined). She is being tortured by Voldemort while everyone watches.
We can feel the tension immediately. At one point during the dinner she pleads with Snape to save her. She reminds him that they’re friends. Rickman’s face during this scene is perfection. Without ever saying one word to her we see his regret. We sense that he is sorry for what she is going through, but that he will not help her. The camera pans around the table and we see frightened faces. This lets us know that Voldemort’s followers are only there because they fear him. This tells us all we need to know about the dynamic, and no one has even said anything yet.
This method was employed throught the movie. Yates often has the actors portray what they are feeling without using their words. There is one scene where the dream team is broken up with Ronald Weasley’s (Harry’s best friend) jealousy. He leaves them in a burst of emotion and Harry and Hermione (Harry’s other best friend and Ron’s love interest) are left to cope.
During this scene we see Hermione breaking down slowly. Harry realizes this and, during a night when it was especially hard for her, he offers her his hand. He pulls her into an embrace and they begin to dance. Her face goes from intense sadness to delight. We can see her being pulled out of the bleakness she has felt.
I looked around during this scene and many audience members had small smiles on their faces. We all knew that this wasn’t a romantic scene between the two. This was a scene where we could see two broken people coming together to try and be whole. Two young teenagers with a monumental weight on their shoulders struggling to keep their heads above water. Once again, no words are spoken throughout the scene, but we still get the message.
The biggest critique of the movie was that it didn’t serve as a standalone. To this I say: well duh. I don’t know if these critics missed it, but it does say “Part 1” in the title. This of course means that there will be another part to it. That this is not in fact a whole movie.
Another big critique is that there is a lot of “filler” in the movie. But there isn’t. As someone who has read the books I can tell you that there is so much that they could have added. Everything in this movie is something that will be necessary in the next. Even if you think it something inconsequential– it isn’t. It will come back later and it will matter.
Basically? I loved this movie. I did. I was extremely excited to see it and was not dissapointed. I was more than happy with the upped rating (from PG to PG-13). I laughed, I cried (boy, did I cry), and I hoped. I hope that people see how amazing the series is. I hope people who have only watched the movies discover the world of the books. I hope that, even though these characters will soon be gone, I wont have to say goodbye to this magical world for very long.
J.K. Rowling, I’m looking at you.
