True to the book

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2011)

I felt like this first part of the HP finale bears the same strengths and weaknesses as the book: A furious start (Harry's party leaving his home and being attacked by death eaters) followed by a quite drawn-out and repetitive stretch (Harry and his core crew err around and look for horcruxes aka magic tokens).
As in the book, the emotional conflicts between Harry, Hermione and especially Ron are not very deep or convincing. The obvious parallels with the Lord of the Rings (Ron and his locket vs. Frodo and the ring) are embarrassing, to say the least.
Still, in terms of mood and visual style the movie comes astonishingly close to what I had in mind when I read the book. Overall, good and faithful adaptation but no cigar.