So what if I have HP fanatic “goggles” on? I still think I can manage a decent review of the movie or blab about it anyway. Warning: If you haven't seen the movie and don't want to know anything about it, then I suggest you don't read any further.
It’s Friday, November 19th at 12:01 AM and where can you find me? In a theater, of course! I can’t tell you how long I had been waiting for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” to come out (you know, because the rest of the world hadn’t been waiting, right?). I enjoy the midnight releases the most because I get to be with other Potter fans—the ones who cheer and clap at the opening title sequence, get emotionally involved in the movie, and applaud the movie as it ends.
First off, let me put it out there, they could have easily tacked on at least another hour to the movie and I guarantee the audience would’ve been perfectly content sitting there and watching. It didn’t seem like 2 and half hours. It was nice to see more characters in the movie than usual—Fleur was back, we’re introduced to Bill Weasley, we meet Luna’s father, Mad-Eye was back, and the ever wonderful Dobby.
The movie plays out well, the setting isn’t as dark as in HBP, which left me a little overwhelmed with the colors gray, white, and black. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t feel the foreboding or the evil that was already insinuated throughout the tone of the movie. It was just easier to capture with more time allowed for individual scenes from the book. That being said, the adaptation to the big screen was pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts or details from the book that they left out that made me a little mad…though, that hasn’t stopped me from seeing it three times already.
WARNING: If you haven’t seen the movie, DON’T read this, this review comes with SPOILERS!
The seven Potters scene is good, though the chase that ensues has Hagrid’s flying motorcar traveling on the ground (and ceiling of a tunnel). I’m thinking a magic flying motorcar should fly, right? At the wedding, Harry isn’t disguised. What happened to a distant cousin of the Weasleys? When the trio goes to Grimmauld Place and Harry looks through Sirius’s room, there is no discovery of his toddler broom flying days or the thank note from his mother. No matter, Ron discovers RAB and then Kreacher is sent to fetch Mundungus—though, there is no transformation for Kreacher. Instead, the Mundungus confrontation scene is stolen by Dobby—very funny, if I do say so myself.
The infiltration of the Ministry is kind of slackened at the end—where is the invisibility cloak? What happened to all the other Muggle borns? At least the polyjuice potion and characters that the trio played were good. The forest scenes were good and emotions ran high between the trio—which is the way it was supposed to be. After Ron left, I think the dancing scene between Harry and Hermione was funny and sweet—it showed how nice their friendship was.
The trip to Godric’s Hollow had my sister whispering for Harry not to follow Bathilda Bagshot.
The scene where Ron came back played out very well. One of my mom’s favorite lines from the movie is when Harry asks Hermione if she is still mad at Ron and she says, “I’m always mad at him.” My sister said the scene with Xenophilius Lovegood played out exactly how she imagined it, as was the scene where Hermione jinxes Harry’s face. The animated story of “The Three Brothers” was really cool—the semi-silhouettes made it fit the mood of the movie.
The scene at the Malfoys was enlivened at the end with the help of Dobby. I knew what was coming, but I still cried like a baby when Dobby died. He is so innocent, sweet, and good—I still don’t think he should have been killed off.
When the movie ended on Voldemort taking the elder wand from Dumbledore it was bittersweet. Only one more Harry Potter movie left—sigh…My mom, who went with my sister and I the second (and third) time, was not pleased with where they chose to end it, almost cursing she couldn’t believe it (trust me, that’s funny). But, the movie was done very well and I really liked it and can’t wait to see it a few more times in the theater.
I LOVED HP7, Part 1!
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