Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
B-
A film review by Frederick Cholowski
Well after a year of waiting at anticipating for the last parts of the Potter franchise, here it is! Another set up film. This one is less than stellar than the last one though with some issues bogging it down. This should be where these movies begin to take off but instead part 1 is a grounded mess.
I am not going to explain the plot of this film because it would be redundant because you probably know it. In simple terms Voldemort is getting super powerful and now has control of the ministry of magic and it's up to the terrific trio (Harry, Ron, Hermione) to destroy the mystical dark parts of his soul (horcroxes). The pacing is the film's main downfall as pacing in the books dose not translate well to the screen as it speeds up and slows down and then speeds up and then slows down. Basically building up nothing, it tries to build but instead of having a constant sense of build and tension it likes to take big gaping character brakes that at this point especially in the motion pictures is completely unnecessary.
Then there is the ending which is expected is a cliffhanger but not an awesome heart stopper. No this movie just kind of ends. It just starts to gain momentum and actually start to build; Bam movie over thanks guys. This is the second potter movie in a row which the ending is one of the movie's significant downfalls. Last film it was anticlimactic this time it was way too sudden. They need to get it right in a hurry because they kind of have to end the franchise.
The action presented here is good but not mind blowing. The effects hold up in most places although with some exceptions (the car chase yes a car chase). It still has that great atmosphere that director David Yates is so good at too. You feel like you are in a war torn world and you can feel the trials of all the characters.
The acting has gotten better, much better. This is the strongest performances from the trio as they have really grown into their roles. They for the first time take the characters into really dark places something welcomed by me and it is tightly done by the crew.
This to me is one of the biggest disappointments of the year for me. It is by no means a bad film with some redeeming qualities but bad choices in pacing and a fail of an ending keep this one from pushing this series to new highs. We will see what happens with part two which with all the set up and character stuff out of the way has the potential to be a great film. If not though we could be looking at one of the biggest let downs (and poor decisions) ever in film.
