Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced the world to a young wizard with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead in 1997, the Harry Potter series has been nothing short of a global phenomenon. Devoted readers of the series were ecstatic when it was announced that Chris Columbus would be bringing Hogwarts to the silver screen in 2001, and for the past decade, the Harry Potter film series has been dominating the box-office, poised to overtake Star Wars as the most successful film franchise of all time. The films have been getting progressively darker since David Yates first took control of the franchise with 2007’s Order of the Phoenix, and many fans were curious to see if he could do true justice to Deathly Hallows, the epic and notoriously dark finale to Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s adventures. Given the enormous fan-base, marketing was simple, as all Warner Bros. had to do was progressively release more pictures and scenes from the film to get people excited, and as someone who grew up reading the books and watching the movies, I could not wait for Deathly Hallows, Part 1.
Of course, as an absolute Harry Potter fanatic, I loved Deathly Hallows, Part 1, as it was an incredibly loyal adaptation to Rowling’s book. Beyond that fact, the film still offers impressive special effects and a surprisingly strong level of acting, mixing humor and fear as these young wizards finally step outside the safety of Hogwarts castle. For those who have not read the book, I must warn that Deathly Hallows is drastically different from the previous films, toning down the innocent charm to make way for some considerably stronger adult themes, but the film handles the transition brilliantly. If I have one criticism, it is that the film clearly panders to those who have read the book; in fact, if you have not closely followed the book series, there are definite parts of Deathly Hallows, Part 1 that will be very confusing. Despite this small shortcoming, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is still an immensely entertaining adventure that respects its source material and serves as a perfect way to say goodbye to the beloved series…the worst part of the whole experience is that I now have to wait until July for Part 2.
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Overall Recommendation: Very High
