Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: Movie Review

There probably won’t be another worldwide phenomenon like Harry Potter in our lifetime. The movie franchise has been part of the lives of this generation and to say that people are dying to see the final installment is probably an understatement. We were delighted when we found out that the last book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be divided into two parts - giving the producers more movie time to put in as many elements of the book as they can while at the same time give us more Harry Potter. Well, the first part of the final film is finally here. Read on to find out our final take of the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" after the jump.

After Dumbledore's (Michael Gambon) death, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) gains control of the Ministry of Magic. On the other side of things, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) decide to destroy the remaining Horcruxes - problem is, they do not know where they are and how to actually destroy them. When the Minister of Magic decides to finally read and turnover Dumbledore's last will and testament to Harry and his friends, they are given four items. Ron is provided a Deluminator - an object that can capture any light source nearby. Hermione gets a book while Harry gets the first snitch he caught. The final item, the Sword of Gryffindor, is missing. The trio believes that these items will help them find the remaining Horcruxes, provide them the means to destroy all of these and ultimately stop the evil Lord Voldermort.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", to be frank, was not a thrill ride or was it made for the enjoyment of a younger audience. In fact, the movie had a serious, slow tone that might surprise some. If you expected wand against wand action then you definitely need to wait for the second part next year. In place is a movie that clearly wants to pace itself slowly knowing that there will be a second film to cap things off. This could be a good thing for book fans as there would be less chances for book elements to be put on the chopping block. But the reality is, not all film viewers will be avid fans. The problem with this scheme is that the movie itself became boring at some point.

Putting all of these negative things aside, we still think the film was well-made. It actually had that epic feel to it. The introduction at the start was also amazing. It was one of the best intros we have seen all year and it really built up the excitement and anticipation. For some, it might be unfair to judge the final installment as separate parts and this is probably true knowing that Part 2 contains all the action. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" was a great film - we just wished they balanced it out more.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the film was well-made and had that epic feel all over it
- the build up at the start of the film was just wow

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- may be too scary for kids especially if you are thinking of taking them. there are no quidditch games or Hogwarts to enjoy.
- if you expect this to have action-packed scenes then you will be disappointed



12 Comments

Comments

  1. hello!!! well, ganun rin naman talaga siya sa book e. the book is not action-packed. :)

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  2. Either way, I'm still going to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

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  3. Read all of Harry Potter books and I'm really anticipating for this last installment. Too bad.

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  4. yeah right!! i set high expectations on the film. i just ended up disappointed. but I'm still looking forward to the second-half. that for sure would be and must be very action-packed and will leave no expectator unsatisfied. HP ROCKS!!!

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  5. I saw the movie yesterday and thought it was great. However I hate waiting for a whole year to see the last part. Harry's bosem buddy Ron is portrayed as kind of a weenie in this last one till later in the film. Kind of like in "The Goblet of Fire." They made him too moody, he should be a chick. HaHaHaHa

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  6. November - July isn't a year ...go back to school

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  7. I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And nothing can stop me from seeing the 2nd part. It sucks it has to be next year, though.

    By the way, did you guys see the HP 7 TV special? I forgot which channel that was, but I somehow watched it, too!

    Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows TV Special... watch it here!

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  8. the last harry potter movie seem kind of dark .some parts of the movie are scarey .but other then that it is a nice movie . it should get 3 reels

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  9. I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince twice. I thought it was pretty good, not half bad. I hope that part 2 is better though. I agree, there should be more action in Part 2. It seems to me that was what the whole series was leading up to.

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  10. I already saw this movie. The slowest-paced Harry Potter movie. Had the highest expectations towards the final installment of the series. I don't know why critics and people like it but I don't, not so much. Maybe I just can't accept the fact that Hogwarts is absent in the movie. The movie's just circling amongst Harry, Hermione & Ron too much. Lack of humour maybe. There are a few suspenseful scenes but not as thrilling as it seems to be. Question marks popped in my mind countless times when watching the movie but I guess I'm just going to have to read the book. I absolutely love the whole series but sad to say, the first part of the last installment is not fun.

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  11. Im 26 and have lived thru 4+ worldwide movie phenoms.... harry potter, lord of the rings, star wars, star trek

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  12. there won't be another phenom in our lifetime? they said about star trek, star wars, and even grumblings about Twilight being epic. harry potter is great but someone will come out with something bigger and better.

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