Where to they get those wonderful Tents?

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2011)

Being a Potter fan since childhood, I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing it end, but would still not have missed this for the world. At the same time, I do not let my love for the franchise affect by judgement of the film.
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' is by far my least favourite book in the series. It's the only one I actually disliked having loved every instalment before (especially Goblet of Fire). The book dragged on for far too long, and the ending was predictable and dry. Fortunately, the film put some punch into the first half of the story, creating a tense and emotional adventure.
This film is by far the darkest in the series, which I felt suited the story very well. It begins with the characters in a clearly hopeless situation, and ends with even less chance of success. The beginning was powerful, with a heartbreaking scene of Hermione being forced to erase herself from her parents' life, and a brilliantly chilling scene involving Voldemort and his followers. The cinematography is very advanced, and the series has come a long way since it began. I felt it was a beautifully made film, and if they had gotten every element right, the potential to have been the best in the series.
In terms of acting, Daniel Radcliffe has improved greatly (never been a big fan), but his acting still felt wooden and too different to the character of Harry in the book. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson played their characters perfectly, and the chemistry between them is a joy to watch. There was absolutely NO bad acting here. The performance that stood out the most for me was Ralph Fiennes chilling portrayal of Voldemort. He completely out-did himself in this film, creating a villain actually superior to the one written in the book.
But, the pacing of the film was fairly poor. The first half-an-hour was perfect, but the film felt very unstable after that. A problem I had with the book (the camping sections) were toned down in the film, but still a problem. Until the ending of the film, the characters really had no idea what they were doing, and most of their successes were from sheer luck. There was a beginning, but the middle and end did not seen to exist. I appreciate this is Part 1, but the lack of completion is a hit to the movie. I was not particularly overwhelmed by the film either, despite the fact that this is the finale.
But there was plenty I loved. The scene in the ministry of magic was very funny and entertaining, the few scenes involving Voldemort and the Death Eaters were chilling, the acting was excellent, and the action sequences and CGI were well-done.
Deathly Hallows Part Two arrives in Cinemas summer 2011, and I have faith it will improve on the pace and quality of this decent but slow beginning.