Friday, November 19, 2010

If some bespectacled Harry Potter fan had told me six films ago that I’d be crowing about the most recent entry in to the phenomenon that is the Harry Potter series, I’d have laughed right in their face. Christopher Columbus’ childish, boring takes on the first two books of the series (childish and boring in their own right) nearly sidelined my nascent Potter interest. Luckily, Alfonso Cuaron’s brilliant and surreal Prisoner of Azkaban pulled me in, though I approached the rest of the films with a sort of half-hearted reluctance, almost waiting for them to fail. But as the credits rolled on David Yate’s sixth entry in to the franchise, last years Half-Blood Prince, I realized two things: one, I was undoubtedly a true fan of this fantastical franchise and two, even if I wasn’t a fan, these were spectacular movies, big budget blowouts in the very best way. And let me tell you, as both fan and film reviewer, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 does not, in any way whatsoever, fail to live up to the high standard these films have already set.

Review - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1

David Yates is the best of the Harry Potter directors. Yes, Cuaron’s Prisoner of Azkaban still stands as my favorite film in the series, but where Cuaron pieced together a one-off adventure only loosely connected in style and substance to the rest of the films, Yates is intent on crafting fine films that expand the universe that is Harry Potter. Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, a split I whole-heartedly endorse, is the Empire Strikes Back of the series, the dark times before the big showdown. The Dark Lord (Ralph Fiennes) has ascended, Death Eaters (Voldemort’s minions) are intertwined in all aspects of the government, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is dead, and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and crew are on the run in a grim, directionless search for the artifacts that will lead to Voldemort’s demise. This is not a film for children. Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 is as dire and dark as any horror film, and though it’s rife with a choice selection of big budget set pieces (the broom chase at the beginning a stand out), the majority of the film is an emotional rollercoaster. Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) traipse about the majestically filmed English countryside in search of the horcruxes (the items that if destroyed will allow Harry to kill Voldemort) slowly unraveling physically and emotionally along the way. There’s a lot of pensive staring and pregnant pauses, but Yates manages to alleviate the doom and gloom with enough magical goodness for the film to be solidly engaging the whole way through. On top of that I, a 28-year old man, cried twice during this film. Not uncomfortable sobbing, but Yates has managed to really bring the sadness and desperation of the book to the screen amongst the more fantastical elements.

Did I mind the drastic cliffhanger that ends the film? Not a bit. The film is already stuffed to bursting (even a few of my favorite scenes from the book falling prey to the editing blade) and giving the final section of the final book room to breath in terms of action and emotion was both the correct move narratively and financially. I’m already at a twitter, waiting impatiently for the next film to drop, and after seven films, each one better than the last, that’s quite a success.

 

Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and the KEXP blog.  He also has his own Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.   If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his writings here at Side One: Track One then please do so here.

- Noah Sanders -



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