The Case for HP 7.1

I think it is a bit cheeky turning Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two films, considering how some of the longer books have been crammed into a 2 hour long movie running time, and especially considering a lot of the 7th book is spent waiting around and hiding. But then, the movies, like the books have evolved over time, and from the light and bright first movie, told with wide-eyed wonder and childlike innocence, the final (bar one) movie is a much darker and adult affair.



Despite the increasingly serious tone, the story still feels like a kid’s book because only the children can save the day. Adults all tend to be either evil or ineffectual. This is not a criticism of the movie or the book, just an observation because, really, the film is quite good, with scenes of action, revelation, animation, and even a smidgeon or two of romance. But it is incomplete.

The film takes its sweet time developing and evolving, and at times it feels like it is deliberately dragging its feet to make up the running time. Most of the stupendous scenes in the previews do not occur in Part 1; the major battle scenes are all destined for the final instalment, which should make it a complete cracker of a battle. That leaves Part 1 to set that final showdown’s scene, though it doesn’t really do a whole lot of that either. Nothing really happens between Harry, Ron and Hermione, and the fabulous adult characters (Alan Rickman’s gloriously dry Snape, of course; and the pink Predator that is Delores Umbridge is still one of the scariest creatures in the whole series, if not all of moviedom) only appear briefly.



But, despite the slowness and the not much actually happening – and probably also because of it – the sense of dread and despair that is evoked in the world of Harry Potter is fabulous. One walks out of the theatre with a sense of doom and gloom and a “what will they do now?” sensation. Which is wonderful – though the 7 months between the release of this film and the next is bound to dull that somewhat.

Verdict: A brief review on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 as, really, I would only be judging half a film. On its own, I don’t think it would really work as nothing really happens and no character is really introduced or developed. But, as part of the almost decade-long series of films, this works as a stepping stone towards the final battle royal. Here’s hoping the final instalment lives up to all the promise, and the expectations. 2 Deathly Hallows out of 3.