A Good Start For A Film That Will End a Series

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2010)

I haven't felt a sadness like this since Star Wars Episode 3 and Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King came out, ending the much beloved Star Wars Franchise (movie-wise) and The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy.
With the first part of the last film of the Harry Potter Franchise, the end is indeed coming.
In the Deathly Hallow Pt.1, Harry and his friends, leave the safety and comfort Of Hogwarts, to the dangers of the outside world, in order to destroy Horcruxes, items that contain the soul of the enemy Lord Voldermort.
Visually, Director David Yates has been consistent (in his Harry Potter Movies) in his use of "dark" tints, a trend first used in the Harry Potter films by Alfonso Cuaron, in order to "signify" the change of tone from the childishness of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, to the darkness of Prisoner Of Azkaband. And a fair warning, this is not the same harry potter as HP 1. What differs, is Yate's uses of the hand held camera, or what I call the "Jason-Bourne" camera. The result is some gritty scenes, that are quite enjoyable, especially when magic is casted.
One Huge Difference Is the use of fantastic scenery, something that is a welcome change from the dull castle-like Hogwarts. One must congratulate JK Rowling for making Harry go out of Hogwarts in the books, the scenery is really breathtaking.
Acting wise, the three main actors have done a commendable job, with Emma showcasing a side that is different from the usual seen in the past movies. The same can be said about Rupert Grint. I still have some problems with Daniel Radcliffe, while he is a decent actor, I do feel he lacks a good presence, and some lines do come out as awkward. This can also be due to his lack of experience.
I do have some main gripes about the film.
One of them, but this is probably due to the books, is the Huge Cast. With fantastic talent such as Helena Bonham Carter,Imelda Staunton, the always excellent Alan Rickman and the reliable Bill Nighy, they just don't get enough screen time, and when they do appear, it is usually for a few seconds. For example, Alan Rickman and Clemence Poesy only has a few minutes of screen time. This can also annoy some fans who have an affinity with some characters, i for one enjoy both Snape and Lupin, both are hardly in the movie.
For Harry Potter Purists, some might recognise the cuts and modifications Yates has done in the movie. As a reader myself, the cuts of some scenes that I consider important gets really annoying (Whether scenes such as Snape's background and Dumbledoor's history are going to be shown in part 2 is left to be seen).
Yates has also included some "funny" moments, while some work, I feel some come out as awkward and just plain weird. Furthermore, the "ending" of part 1, didn't come out well. While it makes many people painfully wait for next year, it does give a feeling that the movie is randomly cut there, the effect makes it feel "complete" in a way.
Overall Deathly Hallow part 1 is a good start for the last film of the harry potter film series. While it does have some annoyances, it does it's job of giving a sense of ending.