The penultimate installment of the much-loved Harry Potter series opens with the wizarding world in chaos. While the series has been building up over the years, gradually getting darker as the main characters age, it has never been so clear as in Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows that this is no longer a children’s franchise.
From the start, it is clear this film is not going to wrap up happily at the end of term feast. There is no quidditch, there is no comedic wizard candy and there are no classes. Anyone looking for a trip back to Hogwarts will be sorely disappointed.
Deathly Hallows is much like a war movie, with no easy victories. Characters die within the first few minutes and continue to do so throughout the rest of the film.
At the heart of it, our three heroes, Harry, Ron and Hermione, are yet again left to fight the evil Lord Voldemort and reclaim their world for good — this time, by finding and destroying Horcruxes, magical objects that contain pieces of Voldemort’s soul.
For the first time, the trio is completely alone without any teachers, protectors or even textbooks. Their adventure is fettered with reminders of their maturation, with their once strong friendship tested by uncertainty.
While lighter moments and comic relief bookend the film, these quickly give way to the bleak reality the characters find themselves in.
Well-composed and framed, Deathly Hallows masterfully builds tension with sweeping and sometimes shaky camera movements and sudden jarring close-ups.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is constantly stoic, ready to throw himself into danger to prove he can be a hero. As always, Rupert Grint (Ron) can be counted on for awkward comic relief, although sometimes it seems misplaced, as if he is a remnant of the earlier films and unsure where he belongs. While all three lead characters are scared and unsure what they are doing, Ron is the only one who doesn’t try to hide it. Grint’s acting is natural and sincere, building on Ron’s insecurities and jealously.
Early in the film, Emma Watson’s Hermione carries herself with an assurance that she knows what she is doing and has a plan, until she realizes quickly the end is not easily in sight. While Watson is less convincing than Grint, their chemistry is clear and is convincing as the driving force for the conflicts that threaten to tear apart the team.
Though a long film, it never seems to drag on. The preceding films were always handicapped by trying to fit J.K. Rowling’s books into two hours, and the decision to split the finale into two will most likely allow for a fitting end to a series that viewers have consistently been invested in for nearly a decade.
Ultimately, this film delivers everything expected of it at this stage in the story. Fans of the darker tone of the past few films will see Deathly Hallows as a welcome successor; anyone nostalgic for a lighthearted romp into witchcraft and wizardry will be disappointed.
Four and a half out of five stars.