On target, but unremarkable

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2010)

I was a little confused at the onset. I didn't know what to expect, but Yates does not hold much favor in my mind; so that said I will refrain from bashing on him. The story continues, but in a much more honest, sincere measure.
I felt the acting was much more polished, the emotional content much improved and the bond between the three primary characters solid in so many more ways than portrayed in earlier movies. You could feel that after a decade of working together, growing together, almost living together that their profession in acting has also grown similarly. I found my experience being drawn in to their drama, their pain and their bonding to all that they are connected. After a while you really didn't care who they chose to play what in this movie, but there were enough returning cast to put you back in that comfort zone that the Potter legacy will hold on to for generations to come.I got to hand it to them: They kept the group together for over 10 years. That alone is an amazing accomplishment.
I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't a hugely over involved CGI epic. It had its moments, and it was obvious at the first sight of Dobbie that life characteristics in a computer generated character have made them a bit more believable rather than just cartoonish. I didn't actually agree with the choice for Lovegood, it seems that a portly, stout or even fat person would have been more suited for this role, but again it was acceptable.
Again, much of this first part was acceptable, but not great. Some reviewer said this was a great prolonged trailer. I agree in many senses of that. There was a lot that could have happened in a shorter time. I felt the dialog, action, sequences were deliberately retarded to stretch and get as much out of this as possible. I'm not trying to be mean. I found the movie kept me engaged in a positive way. But when you can count 10 seconds between responsive dialog, I felt the stretch. The tragedy scenes were much better. The younger guy sitting in the seat next to me was balling his eyes out at the death of Dobbie (though it could have been to impress the pretty lady he was sitting next to.... OOH! Low Blow!). Yeah, I got misty eyed at a couple of spots. The handling of the finding of the sword and the reunion was exceptionally well conceived and filmed. The thing is, the film got most of the right things in at the right time with an acceptable amount of scenes cut out. Overall, people that groan and moan about this one are too calloused. On the other hand, those who praise it as a top notch film have probably been so used to being disappointed with Yates' productions that this one was his defining moment. It probably was, but that is not saying much.