Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

I love Harry Potter and have been hooked on the series since I read the first book in November of 2001.  I was a little late starting the books, but I was quickly hooked on them and read them all several times since.  I have all of the movies on DVD and I even picked up the Ultimate Editions of the first four movies on Blu-ray.  While I have felt the movies have had issues, I still go see them.  I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 1 on opening day.

This is not the movie to start with.  This movies - like the books - really build on what has been established earlier in the series.  The movies should be watched in order.  I also think that people should read the books since they are much better.

I’ve had issues with some of the previous Harry Potter movies because of things that have been left out.  I really had problems with the last two movies because of explanations being left out that really are needed for things to be set up properly.  There are still a few things left out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 1, but I do think the adaptation is pretty good.  This movie does seem to be aimed more at fans of the books.  Things that were left out of previous movies are mentioned or even shown.  I could see people who haven’t read the books being confused about a few things.

The plot has Harry, Ron, and Hermione going off to try to track down the horcruxes while Voldemort and his followers take over the magical world.  This is one of the longer movies, but that was necessary to deal with everything properly.  A lot happens in the book, and it would have been a huge mess if it had been cut down into one movie.  I do think the pace moves along fairly quick, though it slows down every so often when certain things happen.  There is a decent amount of action, mostly provided by magical fights.  It does seem like some of the little magical things that have been done in the previous movies are missing, and that is disappointing for me.  I like those things.

The characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione have really grown and developed over the course of the series.  They face very different things in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.  They are older now and facing more danger.  Their friendship is strained in ways it never has been before.  I really like these characters and am very happy with how things have been handled for them.  I love that the cast has stayed the same for all the movies.  They just wouldn’t have worked as well if the parts had been recast.  Rupert Grint gets a bit more to do in this one which is nice. 

I am wondering how a few things will be handled in the last movie, but overall, I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.  Fans of the movies and books should give it a chance.

I did get a review posted on Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1