Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Review
If you’ve not yet read the Harry Potter series, shame on you! This review is written with fans in mind, mostly, and is liable to contain a spoiler or two. Don’t read on if you don’t know what happens during the first 500 pages of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
I have a confession to make. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is doubtlessly my least favorite Harry Potter book. Between a 200 page camping trip, the nearly Deua Ex Machina introduction of “The Deathly Hallows” as the way to defeat Voldemort, the entire Ron Weasley storyline, Draco’s half-finished redemption plot arc, and the fact that the only thing I got for finishing the book the day it was released was a killer headache and a lack of real fulfillment, Deathly Hallows was never even on the same playing field as my favorites Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix.
Despite this, I’ve spent the better part of the last year highly anticipating the film version of Harry Potter and the Epic Camping Trip, the first part of the two-part movie finale to the Harry Potter series. Like tons of others, my tickets were bought weeks in advance, my “Undesirable Number One” shirt was purchased in August, and I masking-taped some 3D-Glasses I poached from Clash of the Titans to make some Harry Potter rims in April. (Coincidentally, those 3D-Glasses were the only thing of value I took away from Clash of the Titans.) With my outfit, my pre-purchased tickets, and my GRE Math Practice Test Book under my arm (seriously, I am such a nerd that I did math while on the line for Harry Potter), I took my place on line for the 12:01AM showing at 10:00PM last night, despite my disdain for the novel.
If my plan was to hate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 because of my feelings for the original novel, I would have been sorely disappointed. There is no doubt in my mind that Part 1 is the best Harry Potter movie so far, bar none. With an opening scene that grabs hold of your soul and tears out your heart strings like it’s trying to make a wand, epic shots of lonely vistas where Hermione and Harry are hiding, incredible fight scenes, and some non-canon but well done witty dialogue interspersed for some comic relief, Part 1 is the first Harry Potter movie I can think of that got everything right.
The breakout character/actor of the movie is definitely Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. There simply isn’t a scene in the movie where Hermione doesn’t shine more than the two other members of her trio. She’s smarter than your average bear (or 17 year old witch), she’s highly skilled at doing everything, she’s damn powerful, and she’s of strong enough moral fiber to (spoiler alert) erase her parent’s memory that she ever existed so that they cannot be targeted by Death Eaters. Coupled with her beautiful I-would-go-straight-for-her looks, and some incredibly heartwrenching acting when being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange near the end of the movie, Emma Watson really just made me fall in love with Hermione all over again.
Beyond Hermione, Helena Bonham Carter reprised her role as Bellatrix Lestrange and left us all with chills. She’s my favorite badass evil witch since the Wizard of Oz. Our diminutive friend Dobby took a heroic stand and gave an excellent speech that Harriet Tubman would have clapped at. Tom Felton left us feeling bad for Draco Malfoy, and the three actors who portrayed Harry, Ron, and Hermione after taking Polyjuice Potion and infiltrating the Ministry of Magic all managed to look exceptionally awkward in their own skin.
Most importantly, there was a distinct flow to the movie. They took a book where a good 200 pages were agonizingly drawn out and turned it into a movie where every scene contributed something to the story. The storyline was presented well, it was cohesive, and it was understandable to someone who had never read the books before. (For shame!)
This isn’t to say Part 1 was a perfect movie; it still had some flaws. Ron’s descent from chipper comedic-relief failure to emo “I hate you Harry” mode was so fast the Flash would have been envious. There was some very strange slight sexual tension between Harry and Hermione. Despite the fact that I totally ship this couple, I was slightly grossed out. Kreacher’s rehabilitation was not touched on- he was just presented as oddly nicer to Harry this movie. Mad Eye Moody’s death was barely an afterthought. And, since the movie was so Harry/Ron/Hermione focused, we got to see very little of a lot of the other awesome characters of the series: One 15-second scene with Neville and gang (where Neville is a badass), no McGonagall or any of the other teachers, limited Snape screentime, etc. While this makes sense from a strict interpretation of the books viewpoint, it would have been nice to have a few scene of life at Hogwarts interspersed.
I can’t stress how much I encourage everyone to go out and watch this movie. I don’t believe that waiting for a dvd release of the film will do the lonely vistas and incredible fight scenes justice- they really have to be viewed on the large screen to do them justice. For Harry Potter fans and readers, this movie will conjure up most of the good of the series with limited amounts of the bad. For new watchers, the storyline is interesting and the plot sad enough that you might just be crying by the end. Regardless of which group you fall under, one thing will be certain: When you leave that theater two hours later, you’ll be thinking how July 15th just can’t come fast enough.
Check this trailer out.
This was the last movie trailer before HP7P1 last night.
When the title finally flashed up on the screen after 2 minutes of watching it, the crowd erupted in a riot of giggling and tears. I’m not sure whether to be excited or just amused.
It Gets Better, from me to you.
There’s been an overwhelming amount of positive feedback towards LGBT youth and other bullied persons in the past few months. Seattle-based advice columnists, celebrities, the President of the United States of America- they’ve all come together to give off a message of hope that has become almost as huge a catchphrase for 2010 as “G.T.L” and “”In Lindsay Lohan news, the 24 year old is in rehab again.” That message is “It Gets Better.” In the wake of all this positivity, I’m here to remind GLBT youth of some of the things in their life that will, unfortunately, Not Get Better.
First off, school lunches. In the past 50 years, school cafeterias have not clued into the fact that Sloppy Joes and spoiled milk are not a balanced part of our daily diet. Forget Spanish quizzes and Math tests, the real reason to hate Friday is that it’s Pizza Day. Luckily for you, High Schools are required to have water fountains located conveniently close to the school cafeteria, so that you might wash away the feeling of impending cardiac arrest after your first deep-fried Tater Tot.
Second, chores. Chores Never Get Better. Believe it or not, cleaning your room never becomes as interesting as watching television. Cleaning up after your dog/cat/canary/python/Ewok never smells like roses. Babysitting your younger siblings will never actually make me go “How cute, I want one of my own someday!” And, believe it or not, you’ll never actually thank your parents one day for making you do them. You’ll just realize when you’re old enough to have kids of your own that they figured out the ultimate escape from the drudgery of housecleaning- having you!
Third, vampire plotlines. Honestly, from Edward to Bill, I’ve not met a single vampire who I didn’t think would better serve society as corpses impaled upon wooden stakes. Sure, we can forget for a moment that their entire point in life is eating people. Maybe we can glance over the part of the plotline where they’re reanimated corpses. Possibly we can forget that they’re paler than a Victorian housewife whose skin temperature is sub 273 degrees Kelvin. But, when they start writing terrible poetry, angsting about girls, or glittering in the sunlight, they need to get staked. Vampire plots never get better.
Fourth, suicide. Suicide is the ultimate form of “It Doesn’t Get Better.” It offers no second chances, no hope, no possibility of change. Being scared, being bullied, being hated- all of these things get better when you’re older. If you choose not to give into bullying, not to allow yourself to be brought down by those who seek to hurt you, your life will get better. If you choose suicide, it won’t. Give yourself a chance to live your life and be loved, because it will happen.
(Much like life, this story will eventually get better as well once I procure a video camera.)