"Deathly Hallows: Part 1" proves that the end isn't necessarily a bad thing

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2010)

We have all had Harry Potter in our lives. We've either read all the books or seen all the movies multiple times. Almost all of us, from the elementary school all the way up until the later years of high school, have been influenced by J.K Rowling's masterpiece that has grabbed millions of fans all over the world into a world full of magic, peril, friendship, loss, and hope.
Now I know many think the Harry Potter movies, although good as they most likely are as films, don't reach the same emotional and magical level the books do. And to those people: you are right. However, from my own perspective, film adaptations with a movie and a book or source material can't be graded as the same thing. I see an adaptation as not only being faithful to the material, but carrying on its own with the same tone, emotion, and feeling the source material did. For me, the Potter films have done this. No, the films haven't included every single line or scene the fans want, but as films, they work extremely well with having the same themes throughout all the films thus far.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" is the second-to-last installment in the Harry Potter franchise. For those who didn't know, the last book was split into two parts for two sakes: more money, and being extremely faithful in ending the series on an epic and satisfying conclusion for all fans. To me, this film had to go all out with the acting, plot, and an overall feeling of closure with now over 10 years in the making.
And did this film do just that? Oh yes, and it even exceeded my expectations in not only being extremely faithful (maybe TOO faithful) but working as a film on its own. From just the opening scene until the credits role, I was also taken back by how epic this film was. Brethless, I sat through the credits with one particular flaw: that we would have to wait eight months for the final installment to come out.
Getting right to that acting, the trio has their all time best here. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry relies mostly on the act of silence to convince everyone that Harry is, once again, alone and desperate. His first shot proves this well the most, as someone who has lost almost everything while trying to keep hold of what he has left. However, this isn't Radcliffe's film. It belongs to his two companions, Ron and Hermione, instead. Grint, far away from his comedic side now steps into a more dramatic role and does it perfectly. And Watson nearly steals the entire movie from everyone with some of the most heartbreaking moments from the series so far. Even from the acting, something that has bogged down the Potter series from being taken seriously by most critics, this film shows them up.
Even from the adult cast, it hits a ever higher standers from ANY Potter film in the past. Fiennes, Carter, Rickman, Isaacs, Felton, Gleeson, Thewlis, and Straunton are all perfect. New additions including Bill Nighy Rhys Ifans as gives top performances to enhance the world as a time of hopelessness and darkness.
As from the technical side of the film, it is nearly flawless. The special effects are at a all time high in the series: nothing feels fake or to showy in order to win the audience over. Eduardo Serra's cinematography enhances the three characters into the most desolate landscapes all across England, and with great camera movements from subtle moments to intense action scenes, it's possibly the best of the entire series. Alexandre' Desplat score gives something that, for me, no Potter film has ever produced: balance. His score never feels over the top neither lacking in any sense. It is epic when it needs to be epic, sad when it needs to be sad, and beautiful in the more dire moments. And finally: no credit can be hidden from production designer Stuart Craig, who gives the best sets for all the movies thus far. And here: he tops them with familiar and creepy atmospheres through all the film.
David Yates captures the emotion and feeling from the book perfectly and upon that, sets the standard higher than any HP director before him with two amazing and unique scenes: one being a animated sequence that is breathtaking to view telling the more important information to our heroes, and then a dance scene set to Nick Cave's "O'Children" that will indefinitely divide the HP fan base. One side, including myself, call it perfect to sum up the relationship as brother and sister, but in a time of depression and desperation, people can see the good in little things. Like Dumbledore said: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."And for Hermione, Harry was her light. Not at being romantic, but through love of being best friends. And in that, it worked perfectly.
Harry Potter is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life. I loved all the books growing up as a child in middle school, and even though it makes me sad the movies are coming to an end after 10 years of magical moments, we still have something to hold onto for the meantime. "Deathly Hallows" is a monumental achievement of visual wonder, acting calibers of all sides from the younger cast to the veterans of the series. It's extremely faithful for even the more die-hard fans, and if not enjoyed by them, I seriously feel sorry for them. Even through the camping scenes, I was moved. This is a Potter film that we've never seen before, but in the end, it is by far the best. So please: go see the best HP film to date.