Another strong entry to the series!

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2010)

Likes: The 3 main actors did some of their best work, they have really grown over the years and fleshed out these characters to an impressive degree. They provide the most emotional scenes of the HP films. The direction is great, providing the most realistic of the films and a great layer of dread and suspense over everything. The few moments of comic relief are effectively subtle, I enjoyed the lack of silliness and slapstick gags. The beginning with Hermoine making her parents forget her was well done and powerful. The "heist" section was fun and interesting. The Voldemort dinner was effectively chilling. Great stuff all around in the scene where they finally destroy the horcrux. Hot evil Hermoine is hot. The action chase in the opening was great. I liked the multiple Harry's and the humor that provided, and the visuals were cool during the flight on the motorcycle. Really awesome camera work and cinematography, providing visuals that furthered the sense of them being all alone in their quest. By not having to rush things the audience gets a much better feel for the frustrating setting for our heroes. In the brief time he is on screen, Alan Rickman once again makes Snape one of the most engaging characters in the series. This film is up their with the best produced entries, quite a feat considering it goes up against the magnificent Prisoner of Azkaban. While I wouldn't say it's the best technically made film, it's probably second best. I've enjoyed seeing the series get darker and more atmospheric as it goes. For the first time there is actual realistic danger towards the characters, which adds a lot. This is one film that carries great emotion weight, giving it the necessary feel to make the audience care leading into the climactic events.
Dislikes: Although some important events took place, not quite enough happens plot wise for my tastes. Definitely not enough Snape! Missed seeing a lot of the other characters, many of whom were given brief cameos in the beginning and never seen again. Dobby's death was fairly cheesy and failed to make me care that much. Perhaps it was due to not reading the books, but since Dobby hadn't been seen since Chamber of Secrets it seemed convenient to bring him back just to save them and get killed off. It wasn't bad, I just didn't really care. Although the character development was necessary and appreciated, there was a few scenes that dragged a bit as I itched to get the plot moving again. (I will say this beats the film feeling rushed, as we felt in Goblet of Fire). The dark nature of the film unfortunately means there is much less of the fun, adventurous feeling some of the other entries provide, which means while this one is totally necessary for the series as a whole, it wouldn't be my first choice to pop in and watch over and over. A few of the characters come in without so much as an introduction and it wasn't made clear why they were important. They just get introduced, and either turn into a bad guy or exit. I still have no clue what the deal is with the shard of glass, and am unsure whether I am supposed to know. (if it is important to not know, and it will be revealed in the next film, please avoid spoiling it for me). Also, there is the expected effect of the ending feeling anti-climactic. It just sneaks up and provides a stopping point to lead into the next film. Just when it was getting good, right?
Overall: This is easily one of the strongest entries in the Harry Potter series, providing fantastic atmosphere and emotional weight. While I would still rate The Prisoner of Azkaban and the under-rated Half-Blood Prince ahead of it, it is definitely above the rest of the installments. Deathly Hallows part 1 continues the tradition of solid films and its flaws probably couldn't have been avoided due to the nature of it being mostly set-up. That being said, this is about as good as it could have been and makes me more than eager to see the conclusion next July. I support the decision to split the final film into two parts because it allowed us to see these characters grow so much more without having to rush the plot more. And that evil Hermoine needs to make another appearance!
Final score 8/10