Focusing on isolation and desolation, this feels far removed from Harry Potter--Yet its the best

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2010)

Yes, I am a fan of the Harry Potter series. I love it because Harry Potter has always had substance and a storyline with twists and turns to figure out as well as character development.
This one is by far not only the best acted, but also a gutsy move by the director, screenplay writer, and author J.K. Rowling. Never before would I think I would be going through a very bleak world chimed on by the mystical sounds that brought on the many funny moments of Hogwarts introduced in every Potter movie. The director had to choose when he made this movie and I felt he made the right one.
What was the choice? SPOILER ALERT-- The choice that was made was to put you in shoes of these three kids in a world gone wrong and let you feel the full emotional impact. Using things like a squelchy radio reporting all the deaths and things gone wrong in the wizarding world gave you such a withdrawn feeling that nothing is left out there for you.
The hopelessness that you feel is nothing any other post apocalyptic movie can touch. For this the movie is a complete success. The only other one that was close to giving me this feeling was the Road, but the Road didn't have 10 years and 6 movies built up to make you feel the intimacy you do with Weasley, Hermoine, and of course Harry.
Special effects (although there is still much of the brand in dueling wizards and witches as well as some chase scenes--one is even soaring above the clouds) and epic battles are sacrificed for minimalist moments of surviving in tents in undisclosed locations. The dance between Harry and Hermoine was unbelievable. It was brief and awkward, but for just a mere moment you saw the purity of children within, and how it was necessary for them to do such silly things to survive: to remember and not lose themselves.
Harry Potter has developed unbelievably. Not only is he more confident (no longer the kid with the glasses and the awkward smile), you really feel that he could be the champion of the story, and yet you still see how much pain and anguish he goes through. You feel his follies, you get the sense that he is utterly lost without Dumbledore. You see his anger that has culminated for the past six movies, and you see him breaking down.
Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger has peaked. She is showing some real acting chops in this movie. No longer is she the shrill, cracking voice, but now she has shown unbelievable conviction to her character and what she is going through.
Ronald Weasley of course plays a humorous role well, but he is not without his conflicts and there are some scenes that he really rises and shows that he is more than just a goofy red-headed kid you should always be laughing at. He too has his pains.
Spay special attention to Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. He has been given screen time only in chunks, but if you watch him closely, you'll see what a three dimensional villain he is. At first I felt they got him wrong. I expected an unstoppable force with tenacity in his calmness with the likes of Darth Vader, and now I realize that they nailed this villain so well. But he goes through his own pain and anguish in his hot pursuit of Potter and his claim to power. He too goes through a whirlwind of emotions.
This is an amazing movie. This not only has the special effects and action, but also the minimalist acting of art-house films. Try to take off the Harry Potter label and look at this movie just once. You'll see past the famous-infamous popularity of the franchise, and see a movie for what it really is.