HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (REVIEW)
Rated
M 146 mins
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Clemence
Poesy, Ralph Feinnes, Miranda Richardson, Helena Bonham Carter
The
long goodbye begins with part one of the seventh instalment of the well liked
fantasy epic, Harry Potter. Thankfully NOT in 3D, this beginning of the end odyssey
has a very different feel from any of the earlier films and is not only the darkest;
it's horrific at times which may rule out younger viewers. Any sense of joy and
youth established in its predecessors is dourly missing here.
The
phenomenal series which has accompanied the best-selling books by author J.K.
Rowling have captured the imaginations of generations around the world. Like many
of the fans who have followed from the start, the three young students of magic
have also grown up right before our eyes. Times are changing for Harry, Hermonie
and Ron, they need to complete a mission to determine the fate of the world. This
is the darkest and least characteristic of the film adaptations so far.
Most
of the grim events are conducted away from Hogwarts school, leaving the trio largely
left to their own devices on often forbidding terrain in a road trip of sorts.
The opening scene with new cast member Bill Nighy sums it up when he announces
in extreme close up, 'These are dark times, there's no denying'. Lord Voldemort,
is still the personification of evil and now in control of Hogwarts and the Ministry
of Magic. Now turning his attention to dispatching Harry as he did with Dumbledore
in the previous film, the sinister shadow of hell and his death eaters will stop
at nothing to rule the world in darkness.
There are frequent
stretches of despair and cumulative sadness, be warned this is bleak. Instead
of being abridged as the other versions were, dividing the final book may have
been for financial rather than artistic gain, but fans shouldn't care. Only non
Potter aficionados may find this sedate, nothing happens quite a lot. I hoped
Harry would just wave his wand around to hurry things up. An engaging moment does
actually occur when the trio sneak around incognito at the Ministry of Magic,
while in an offbeat scene Hermonie turns into Mary Poppins, dancing around to
some radio tunes with Harry. For the uninitiated, a clever animated sequence explains
exactly what the deathly hallows are.
All the cast are spot
on as usual, especially Jessie Cave (soon to be seen in the wondrous 'Science
of Cool'), as the vapid Lavender Brown, her limited scenes are an inspiring highlight.
Audiences may anticipate a big cliff-hanger before the end to think about before
the July 2011 release of the next instalment. All I will say is that the firecrackers
are yet to be lit.
Shane A. Bassett
