This was an interesting entry in the Harry Potter film series. Granted it’s part one of a longer film, which made the ending a bit frustrating, but overall the film was exciting, made me jump a few times, and is quite dark.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One is a dark movie. And it should be. Gone are the whimsical and fantastical shenanigans and goings on at Hogwarts. Gone are the flirtations, the awkward moments, and the hints of romance. This movie takes us down a much darker and bleaker path for Harry and company. The result is a movie that is more adult-oriented in nature than any of the previous films.
This makes sense and serves the film and its tone well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all young adults, and their problems should mature along with them. Since the audience who has seen all the films in theaters has grown up with these movies and their respective characters, they deserve to be treated as grown-up moviegoers. Anything less would be an insult to the viewer and their experience watching these films.
While the magic is still present and used for some rather fun moments in the film, there are themes of loyalty, betrayal, death, and evil that are explored at a deeper level throughout this storyline.
It is the use of these themes in a more adult way that makes the film work on a level removed from a children’s film, which is what many consider the first in the series to be. Here, Harry Potter is on the run and on a mission with Ron and Hermione in tow; their quest leading up to what is sure to be an explosive finale in the last film.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One is an excellent entry in the series that leaves you begging for the finale to come sooner rather than later. We all know that something big is coming in 2011, and if the opening weekend of this film is any indication ($125 million in the U.S.) the next one will open even bigger.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One is in theaters worldwide!
Should J.K. Rowling write another Harry Potter novel and continue the series? What did you think of this latest movie? Leave a comment and let us know!