Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction – the Horcruxes. On their own and on the run, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever…but Dark Forces in their midst threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile the wizarding world has become a dangerous place. The long-feared war has begun and the Dark Lord has seized control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting all who might oppose him. The Chosen One has become the hunted one as the Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort…alive.
When Deathly Hallows first hit the theaters some people were apprehensive to accept it. On one hand people thought that Warner Brothers had cashed in on two different movies. It’s no big secret that WB had indeed profited quite nicely from the previous films (in the theaters and at home), and this was the last of the bunch, so it only seemed logical that they make the most of it. That was their intention, right? Wrong. This is one of those occasions where a final story takes precedent over money. Warner Brothers and J.K. Rowling knew that for the entire story to end properly it needed to be fully told. There is no way the last book could have been properly told in two hours; no way, no how. It was vital for the story to conclude on a high-note, so that years from now when you’re watching every movie again you don’t miss a beat or, better yet, you don’t say, “Hey. Whatever happened with that storyline for that one character?” The movie had to reflect the book, which wraps everything up quite well. There were things that needed concluding that hadn’t been mentioned since previous films that needed proper endings. For example, Dobby the house elf needed a reappearance, something he had been desperately needing since the second film. He character was snubbed in the fourth film severely and he needed to come back and end his story.
For those people who didn’t like the fact that WB had split this movie up I’m really sorry you don’t like stories. This split of the movie into two parts was the best idea for the finale.
Shifting gears here, what about the story? This was the second problem people had with the film that didn’t make sense to me. For a good majority of the film we have the trio of kids on the run (Harry, Ron and Hermione). The world around them is literally falling a part and the tight grip that Voldemort has on the world is getting tighter and tighter. Staying true to the book, which was critically acclaimed, the constantly on the run part worked really well for establishing a few things. First, it established how powerful Voldemort had gotten. The more the kids run the more it’s established that baldy is everywhere. Second, the amount of running the kids are doing shows exactly how alone they are and how there truly isn’t a safe harbor for them to hide at. Establishing their disconnection from their parents and friends was vital as the film headed towards the breaking point of the story. Much like the book, this was the uphill climb before the fast and furious downhill coast, which is the second film. When you get towards the end of part one you begin to feel the steep hill curving in the storyline and you understand by the end of the movie that you’re looking down the long drop. The trek through this movie helps establish the fun waiting in the next film. By using up a majority of the film to segment the kids out and establish all these ‘lonely’ and ‘fear-driven’ attributes of the storyline it’s just building to a grand finale, which it should.
So is Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 exciting? Compared to films like Goblet of Fire and Prisoner of Azkaban? No. For fans of the series you understand why this has to be the way it is. The first part of the book wanted to establish how terrible the situation had gotten since the Half-Blood Prince, and the film replicated that beautifully. The second part of the book, which hopefully the movie will reflect, will be the juice you’ve been trying to squeeze out of this fruit.
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was brilliant and the translation from the book to screen was brilliant. Getting back to my first point, the decision to break this up into two movies could not have been better. Nothing feels rushed and you get a full picture of the entire world and what shape it is in. Again, it was brilliant. Warner Brothers and J.K. Rowling made a great decision in maintaining the story’s integrity by breaking it up into two films.
So are there any flaws with Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – Part 1? None. The film was exciting at the beginning and it was a perfect break at the end. It mimicked the book it was based on perfectly and the actors/actresses in the film did one of the best jobs I’ve seen them do since this entire film series began. It’s regretful that we all have to wait until summer to see the next part, but I guess we’ll have to suck it up (and possibly re-read the book).
Blu-ray magic…
So movie aside, what about the Blu-ray? The Blu-ray looked gorgeous in 1080p. Warner Home Video knew how important it was to make this look just as good as the other Blu-ray Harry Potter editions and they pulled it off just as well. There is no grain or artifacts in the shots, even though some of the shots have some pretty dark light. For example, when Harry and Ron take out a Horcrux in the film it’s mostly a gray, foggy environment. This particular scene would be completely perfect for poor HD quality. Thankfully, there is none to be had and what you get is a pretty creepy, terrifying scene with the two actors and a very dark object. Much like the break up of the story/movies I feel like Warner Home Video got this transfer right. For Blu-ray HD fanatics out there you’re going to like what Warner Home Video delivers. With that said, I think the audio should have been in 7.1 DTS-HD. That might be the movie snob in me, especially after hearing TRON Legacy‘s 7.1 DTS-HD, but this movie deserved the mastering. Sporting a beautiful soundtrack and loaded with great sound effects, the upgrade from 5.1 to 7.1 would have been ‘magical’ (yes, I know that was a horrible pun). All in all, the 5.1 DTS-HD was quite good, but it could have been perfect with 7.1 DTS-HD.
So what about the features? The features for this film were good. Here’s what you’re looking at:
· Exclusive Sneak Peek of a scene from the highly anticipated upcoming film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
· Maximum Movie Mode – Join host Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), and other members of the cast and crew, on an interactive journey through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.
· Dan, Rupert and Emma’s Running Competition
· The Seven Harrys
· On the Green with Rupert, Tom, Oliver and James – Accompany Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley) and James Phelps (Fred Weasley) for a round of golf and get a glimpse into their 10-year friendship that developed while making the Harry Potter films.
· The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Promotional Trailer
· Additional Scenes
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: Behind the Soundtrack
I can’t tell you anything about the sneak peek, so please don’t ask. The maximum movie mode was pretty cool. The running competition between Dan, Rupert and Emma was interesting, though it mainly focused on their run through a forest and how competitive they are with each other. One of the more interesting segments of the film was ‘The Seven Harrys’. In the beginning of the movie all the good characters gather at Harry’s uncle’s house to make a run for it with the young lad. Most of the attendees had to drink Polyjuice Potion and assume the form of Harry. This feature shows how they pulled off having seven Harry Potters in the room at once. It’s actually quite cool, especially for budding filmmakers.
Another neat segment was a casual day on the golf course with Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Oliver Phelps and James Phelps. While it doesn’t have much to do with the film, it will be a treat for fans to see how some of the actors spend time together away from the set. That particular feature is very laid back.
Finally, one of the more interesting features, and something I usually roll my eyes at, is the additional scenes. For hardcore bookworms, you’ll be delighted to see some scenes that were left out of the film. For example, when Dudley has a ‘moment’ with Harry at the beginning of the book it’s part of this feature. I usually watch the film first before moving to the features (just to gain my own perspective before getting more insight from the cast/crew), so I was disappointed it wasn’t in the main feature. I’m happy they did film it and it did work as well as I imagined. The additional scenes are definitely worth your time, but there are some you’ll skip.
In the end, the special features were pretty damn good. They were definitely worthy of your time.
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