Somewhat Rushed, but Overall Good

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2011)

WARNING: Typically I keep my reviews spoiler free, but because I will be comparing the film with the book and because just about everyone has either read the book or knows what happens by other means there will be SPOILERS in this review. So for the five of you out there who are not familiar with the story leave now.
Alright, so as per usual, I re-read the book before seeing the film so that I could compare the two together and see each ones own strengths and weaknesses. And I will say there are some really good things about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The main trio have definitely matured as actors and really are wonderful in this movie; Deathly Hallows was perhaps the book that most deeply explored the relationship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and I am happy to say that the strong relationship they had in the book was very well replicated on screen. For better or for worse the Harry Potter films have always had impeccable casting, and though there are few new characters, this film certainly is no exception. While reading the book again I realized just how much these actors have become the embodiment of the characters from Rowling's novels, and they are completely inseparable in my mind. The entire cast is excellent in this film, and anyone who dares remake these movies in the future will have an overwhelming challenge trying to find a cast as perfect as this.
Unfortunately, I can't praise the pacing of this movie nearly as much. When re-reading the book this time, knowing the story would be broken into two parts I tried to imagine where the split would take place, and I decided that the most logical break would be after Ron returns, he and Harry retrieve Gryffindor's sword, and the two of them destroy the locket. If they had built it up it could have been a really powerful climax for the first half, it would have settled the conflict of Ron's departure before the split, and it fits neatly just about half way through the book. Several chapters further, there is the sequence in which Voldemort steals the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, and I knew that would make for an irresistible cliff-hanger, however, that happens about two thirds of the way through the story causing a slight problem. Unfortunately, the draw of a cliff-hanger ending proved too great and the story was split at the latter, meaning that in order to cover all of the many important bases in the first two thirds of the book, things had to be rushed.
There was nothing in particular that was left out that I thought damaged the movie in any way, but rather certain important character moments were not given the proper time or attention to really help emphasize the emotions and situations of these characters. For example, Hermione's emotion over Ron's departure felt slightly brushed over, and her anger at his return came and went in an instant. In a story like this where the development of characters is the single most important thing, I was disappointed that a lot of that development was rushed through in order to hit the major plot points leading up to the cliff- hanger.
On the bright side, though, there were some truly amazing moments in this film: the trip to Godric's Hollow, the opening scene showing Hermione altering her parents memory and the emotion reflected later in altering the Death Eater's, and the beautifully handled scene depicting Dobby's death and burial.
For those who claimed the two part film was nothing more than a cynical cash-grab for Warner Bros. this film should prove them wrong; if they had tried to fit the entirety of the Year 7 in one two-and-a-half hour film it would have been terrible. As it stands, though, Part 1 was a good movie despite being somewhat rushed. The silver lining of the split being where it is, is that they will have much more time to really pack the second part with all the emotion it requires. I'm looking forward, anxiously, to July when I'll be able to look at both parts as a whole.
Rating: B+