Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1



I feel I must preface this by saying that I hated the Deathly Hallows as a book. I've only read it the once and quickly at that so that I didn't have to endure the degradation of writing quality that I perceived there to be. I didn't like all these new rules with wands that didn't make sense to me given what I had read in the previous books and I didn't much care about Dumbledore after he was dead and his life kept popping up everywhere. I don't like Ginny and Harry as a couple and I don't particularly care for Hermione at all, so her relationship with Ron didn't appeal to me at all. I didn't like how Snape suddenly became the single most lame character I had ever read and I didn't like how Rowling suddenly dropped all the potential she had with the Malfoys.

So I went into this movie ready to not like it at all. I mean, I loved the first four books and I really enjoyed those movies, depite their faults and changes, and I didn't like the last three books, with the exception of the Snape and Malfoy bits in Half Blood Prince, and I didn't enjoy the previous two movies at all. It only made sense that I wouldn't like this one.

To be honest, I think I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 more than any of the other movies on the first viewing. I think I went in there with such low expectations and such a limited recollection of the book because I hated it so much that I walked out of there pleased at actually having enjoyed myself.

From what my mother and my sister say, this movie followed the events of the books very closely, if that's something you are worried about. Given that I thought the book read like a movie rather than a book (which doesn't work for me personally), I'd have to agree and it makes a rather brilliant movie.

One thing that stuck out to me with this movie was the cinematography, which makes this movie worth seeing alone. I don't know why, but the imagery and the framing of scenes and the transitions of the scenes and the general look and feel of the images was incredibly picturesque and striking. This film is a goldmine of still images. I was astonished. No other Harry Potter movie has looked that good. I will probably end up seeing this one again just to have another look at the scenes.

Overall, well worth seeing. If you are already a fan of Harry Potter, either the books or the movies, this is a must see. You will be amazed by it.