What was suppose to be a perfect final year at Hogwarts has now turned into a race around the wizard world. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) grows more powerful every day, and is wreaking havoc on everyone in his quest to kill Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) are in search of the Horcruxes (objects that store parts of Voldemort’s soul, making him immortal). In order to have a chance at beating the Dark Lord, they must destroy his split souls. While on their mission, they also uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in existence, objects that let one beat death, the Deathly Hallows.
Let me start out by saying that this is not for young children. The films, like the books, grow with their audience and become more grown up and violent. Sure, you aren’t going to see guts spilling on the floor, but there are scenes that deal with torture, loss and death. Also, this film will not be very enjoyable if you have not watched the other films, or have never read the books. Don’t get me wrong, this movie is fantastic, but you need to be caught up on what is going on, and a bit on what is to come in order to fully appreciate it.
This film, of course, is building up to the final showdown. Emotions are being built up, objects need to be found, and lessons still need to be learned. For the Harry Potter fans, this is wonderful. For someone that has no clue what is going on, this is not the place to start. You will be lost, and might even be bored. I can see where some muggles with no magical knowledge might find this one slow and confusing. I was on the edge of my seat, because, if you haven’t figured it out, I am a HUGE HARRY POTTER FAN. I think that is was more than necessary to split the last book into two films. To be honest, Half-Blood Prince should have been split into two. They barely talked about Snape being the Half-Blood Prince, and the final battle was horribly misrepresented. They did not show the war that went on throughout the school, or the students standing up and fighting, which is important in illustrating why Hogwarts is no longer safe. Heck, the fact that it has been a safe haven for many years, and is finally compromised is a huge deal! Also, Dumbledore’s fight was extremely rushed. His fight scene and death were much more dramatic and intense than what they gave him in the film. I still enjoyed Half-Blood Prince, but it was my least favorite in the series, by far!
I would like to first point out that Grint has been seriously hitting the weights. He looks very muscular. It’s pretty darn noticeable, but hey, you need all the strength you can get while fighting the Dark Lord. I don’t think it took away from the story or characters at all. He still played the same, awkward, yet lovable Ron Weasley, who shows his fears the most. Watson has really grown into a beautiful young lady. I was waiting with anticipation to see how they play out the Ron-Hermione chemistry. They did a great job of building it up. Radcliffe is always perfect as Potter. He shows such determination, strength, and love (for his friends) as Potter. I have always admired the emphasis that they put on friendship. It’s a timeless lesson. I have always thought that this is the best casting, based off of a book, comic, remake etc… that I have ever seen in a film.
There had to be quite a long debate on where to split the movie into two. I think they picked a perfect part. If they would have done too much, such as find more Horcruxes, or discuss in more depth the objects of the Deathly Hallows, then there would not be much for the finale. Sure, the final battle will be epic, but that is going to be one movie where fans are upset if it is under 2-2:30 hours. They need enough substance to lead us back into the story before jumping in to the meat and potatoes of the final showdown (or tofu and potatoes if you are like me). The last film needs to be legendary. At the same time, if they would have cut back on Pt.1, fans would be equally disappointed. This is an important story and it needs to be told properly. Potter fans crave the emotional side, as well as the action. They spent the perfect amount of time on their journey, which is an momentous one, and they aren’t even done. It didn’t just end in a boring place, or in a place that didn’t make sense. I knew as soon as the final scene was happening that it would be the cut off, and I was ok with that. Well played everyone… well played!
The cool part about these films is that we have watched the Potter trio grow up in front of our eyes. We saw their first days of wizard school, and how they came to be friends. We have seen first snogs, dances, battles, and loss. It has been quite the ride. This story just cannot be rushed! The slow build up of this film was perfect. They could have gotten extremely violent and gruesome with some of the more intense scenes. While they do bring a little more blood in than in the past, they do not go overboard. They do a great job of delivering the intensity and potency of a violent or gruesome scene without being overly graphic. I think that because they relied on the actors to deliver the feelings of urgency and anxiety, rather than showing bloody body parts and gore, they ended up evoking a deeper, more ferocious energy from the audience. Everything that needed to happen, did. The build up, friendships, and lessons are the biggest, most important parts for the first half, and they really showed it with grace.
This is the part where I warn you about SPOILERS: DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!
Being a fan of the books, I knew what was coming. I never knew exactly what they would show and what they wouldn’t, but I had a general idea. Especially with the important parts. Having said that, it can still be very different seeing it on film as opposed to reading it and imagining it in your head. The only reason I feel comfortable talking about this is that I know a good number of you HAVE read the books and already know what happens. Therefore, it’s not really a spoiler. Hedwig being hit had me in tears from the start. I knew it was going to happen, but that didn’t make it ok. Like I have previously stated, they do a really great job of building up emotions in this film. The part that really had me sobbing though was Dobby. I bawled like a little girl… and by bawled, I mean the tears were flowing from my eyes, HARD! I didn’t think I would take it so hard, knowing ahead of time (from the books) what happens to him. Boy was I wrong. I was bummed out!
The film ends with such intensity that I felt ready for the final battle. I felt like I had just gone on an emotional, draining, and intense journey. That’s exactly what these movies and books are. They are a journey with friends. We have traveled all this way and we are all ready for the final fight. Everything is falling into place and it’s time that Voldemort is destroyed once and for all! Although I will be sad when it is all over, I am ready to see it come to life on the big screen. I just really hope that they took their time and did it justice, and it doesn’t end up dissapointing. (Like the final episode of LOST… ugh!)
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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