Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part One

I went to see Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows last night.

Wow!

If, for some strange and obscure reason you are not sure of going to this...

Go Go Go!

It is absolutely the best in the series so far, in all areas. The character development is delicious. The cinematography is so so clever, enhancing each mood, and flowing with each change of pace.

I only ever read the first two Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling. There are so many other books I wanted to read, and the films seemed to reflect so closely what was in the books, I took the somewhat lazy option and opted just to watch the films. This movie has made me want to go and read all the books, and see what the journey really feels like for Harry and his friends, as Rowling wrote it.

If you haven't seen this film yet, you should perhaps not read any further. I don't want to ruin it for you.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, sees our favourite spell casters (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint) continue on their mission, from the previous film, The Half Blood Prince, following Dumbledore's murder, to discover and destroy horcruxes.

A horcrux, in case you may have forgotten, in this instance, is an item or object which contains part of Voldermort's (the bad guy) soul. These magical devices, while they are intact, allow Voldermort the luxury of immortality. Destroying these horcruxes are therefore key to defeating The Dark Lord.

The film treads skillfully between being the darkest in the series so far, and yet still retaining charm, innocence and humour. It is also notably more "grown up", which is appropriate as the characters are of course now young adults. Issues and events are dealt with as such.

The film is markedly different from the previous offerings. For example, there was no "over explaining" of what was happening, as I have seen in the previous films, and yet the story telling reaches an all time depth and richness. Elements from previous Harry Potter films are brought together and we gain further insight into Harry's world.

A very different film indeed. We don't even visit Hogwarts this time around.

There are some moments which really are magical.

There is a very touching, endearing scene where Harry dances with Hermione. They are on their own, with little hope of how to continue, and the magic of their friendship shines. For that scene, it felt like time had stopped, and then the song came to an end, and the characters and the audience were drawn back into "reality". Wonderful!

I found the death of Dobby very moving, particularly as it followed a short speech where Dobby declared that he was a free Elf, having no master and choosing to help his friend, Harry (where the gift of having such a choice was due to Harry's compassion for Dobby). Such a sweet little character, with a huge heart.

For me, the most interesting character is Hermione. She seems to know herself better than any of the other lead characters, exhibiting maturity and leadership. There is a lesson here. We should try and know ourselves. She emotionally anchors Harry and Ron.

We see Hermione removing herself magically from the memories of her parents, so as to keep them safe in the magical and political climate that pervades her world, as it becomes increasingly dangerous to be associated with magic and to be a muggle. This is just one example of her ability to see the big picture and to make sacrifices. She continues in such a selfless manner throughout the film, and never seeks gratitude or reward.

Ron, indeed, is seen commenting to Harry, that they could not proceed with their mission without Hermione.

She plans ahead and prepares for what is to come. Hermione's insights and pro-active attitude keep her and her friends safe in a time of mortal danger and turmoil.

Then we see Hermione being held down and tortured by Helena Bonham Carter's evil witch Bellatrix. Further sacrifice! Emma Watson's acting is superb,and I couldn't help but believe the screams to be true.

Sharing the cinema screen with such talents as Julie Walters, John Hurt and Imelda Staunton, Emma Watson's Hermione is the true star of The Deathly Hallows, and I look forward to seeing how she further shines in the next, and last, Harry Potter adventure.

Part two can only be bigger and better, now that the stage is set, the characters are in position and the world is humming in anticipation.