Every time a new Harry Potter film gets released, I walk into the theater with hopes so high that I always end up leaving disappointed. Not that the films in the series up to this point haven’t been well done, quite the opposite in fact. No, I think it’s just as a dude that has never read any of the books by J.K. Rowling, I really lack the connection to the beloved characters that everyone else seems attached to. Maybe this is how other people feel when they go see a movie about a smart guy who build a suit of metal based on a comic book. Investment in the series just isn’t there for me. But not withstanding, I have never left a screening of any of the Harry Potter films feeling as they didn’t deserve my money and I’ve made it a point to watch every single one theatrically and with every single release, the seem to get more and more impressive (“Prisoner Of Azkaban” is still my favorite) and the same holds true for this one. (Spoilers from this point on so be warned!)
The best stuff: The action sequence at the beginning of the film is easily one of the better sequences in the entire series. A very well done chase sequence that would make John Frankenheimer smile, no doubt. The bad stuff: Since the film was split into two parts, the climactic ending of the books really comes to us next Summer upon the release of the second part of “The Deathly Hallows” and that means that all the insane, badass magic battle that was shown in the trailers for Pt.1 are in fact only going to appear in Pt. 2. I couldn’t help to feel somewhat duped but it’s cool, there are some few scenes where the action escalates but if you’re going into this expecting some insane magic shit, soak it up with this first sequence because most of the cool stuff happens here. Director David Yates continues to do a good job with the series (he’s helmed that last two films as well) and keeps it visually interesting throughout the entire film. There’s a awesome animated sequence in the film who’s style that reminds of a cross between Frank Miller & Mike Mignola and that was one of the highlights of the film for me as well.
Clocking in at 2 hours and 26 minutes, the film is by no means a short one. And at some points, you really feel it. The story sags a bit in the middle but there’s enough there to keep you interested and still conscious enough to feel the need to continue the journey with the characters. The relationships between Harry, Ron & Hermione are fleshed out somewhat more, although not as much as the last film. Perhaps this was intentional but I felt that some of the development was unnecessary or perhaps a setup for what’s to come in the next & final installment but some scenes just felt superfluous.
And just as a side note, there never a time when I thought this film needed to be in 3D and I’m glad the studio decided to axe the conversion of the film, although it seems as they’re still going forward with it for the next film. *sigh* I guess…
Overall “The Deathly Hallows” is an extremely enjoyable film that may be a little too scary for the younger ones but definitely one that should be caught on the big screen. At very least to prepare for the batshit wizard fights that we’ve been promised for the last installment next summer. Until then, I’m off to purchase a motorcycle with a sidecar.