A refreshingly surreal and dark blockbuster. Plenty of money has been thrown at this film, but it retains a sense of identity that is unmistakably British

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2011)

It will be no surprise to anyone that the latest instalment of Harry Potter is "darker than the one before it", but I certainly wasn't expecting such a pitch-black blend of melancholy, depression and horror- with a bit of sex thrown in. What the hell happened? One minute Potter is a scrawny little dork, getting into trouble in the enchanted school of Hogwarts, the next he's covered in the blood of his friends, a look of quiet acceptance on his face, as he prepares to die. I haven't been paying the utmost attention to the series, but I have at least seen every film once. If you haven't, don't even bother watching The Deathly Hollows, because no attempt will be made to bring you up to speed with the story so far. Instead you'll spend the entire film wondering why so many famous and much loved British actors keep popping up with just a handful of lines of dialogue between them. It is a curious thing, but ultimately good, that so much time is spent with the film's heroic trio while people like John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs and so, so many more (basically all the British actors) are left to hover around in the background, largely left out of focus.
There is a tangle of different plots that keeps the narrative going forwards, but they are of such simple design that the ideas never really bog you down. It's more a case of "find the MacGuffin" which is actually a refreshing change from the complicated relationships of Harry, Ron and Hermione, who all hate each other now apparently. The story itself is relatively linear; Harry and the team must find and destroy some pieces of evil Lord Voldemort's soul, which have been hidden away in keepsakes and scattered about (though usually found in locations that were important to the dark lord). There's also the Deathly Hallows themselves, which are explained in a rather lovely animation sequence, as three magical devices that, when combined, can defeat death itself.
Voldemort obviously wants to get his mittens on these Deathly Hallows, while the heroic trio are more concerned with finding a means to destroy an unbreakable locket, which contains a piece of his aforementioned soul. It's simple stuff, but allows for plenty of emoting on the kid's side, as the burden of their quest becomes too much to bear. Cracks begin to appear in their relationship, especially between Harry and Ron, while Hermione actually holds the gang together- although, it's fair to say, she is the source of most of the trouble. Indeed, this new instalment has a lot of sexual undertones- and at one point throws subtlety completely out of the window, when Hermione becomes a cold, hard dominatrix- possibly channelling Galadriel's temptation of the one Ring. Speaking of which, the new Harry Potter, like the majority of the previous instalments, borrows heavily from Tolkien lore, most notably with the corrupting power of Voldemort's locket, which the trio take turns in carrying round their necks. The locket is one of the primary contributing factors to the cracks in the trio's friendship, ratcheting up the tension and the melancholy in equal measure. While the film is host to many a famous face, the young stars; Radcliffe, Grint and Watson do an admirable job, their acting lending the fantasy a healthy injection of realism.
The kids are so normal, that at times they seem at odds with the overly camp, theatrical actors that prance around having immense fun with their limited roles. It is worth noting, however, that despite the apparently sombre look of the film, the spiky humour is consistent throughout, and there is an ample amount of surrealism that gives this film a particular shine. The infiltration of the Ministry of Magic is a stand out moment; equal parts disturbing and bizarrely humorous, drawing on great films like Terry Gilliam's Brazil for inspiration. Another wonderful scene is Harry and Hermione's trip to see Bathilda Bagshot, which is scarier than most of the horror film's out at the moment.
All in all, the film is dark, but funnier than the previous chapter's in the series. There are plenty of flaws, particularly if you find yourself unconvinced by the film's protagonists, who carry the story on their shoulders. There are plenty of cliché's, and the moments you wish would last longer are hurried along to make way for more scene's of Harry sitting around looking tired. However, the overall feel of the film, the darkness that must come before the light, is pretty powerful. If you allow yourself to be invested in the story and the characters, rather than approaching it with snooty cynicism, you will probably find yourself going along for the ride.
Children of a certain age may not understand a lot of what's going on, and will likely be terrified during the scary moments, which are often quite horrific, but chances are the people who have invested in this film have already grown up with the previous six instalments. If you are unfamiliar with the story so far, go back and watch the other films, or at least read the synopses on Wikipedia.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a good movie, there's plenty of exciting set pieces, sharp wit throughout and lots of time to develop the characters in interesting ways. Just remember that it is actually darker than you're expecting it .