Movie: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes
Directed by: David Yates
Rating: 1/2
Well, well, well... Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is dead and the Death-Eaters are rising to power under the leadership of the darkest wizard ever, Lord Voldemort.
Nobody is safe and hence, even Muggles have to pack their bags for somewhere safer. Hermione Granger has to Obliviate her memories from her parents’ mind and the Dursleys have to leave for a safer zone. The plot gets darker and darker while the movie’s unpredictability and the audience’s adrenaline rise higher and higher.
This darkness can only come to an end with the death of the Dark Lord himself. And there’s only one way to do that: destroy all the seven Horcruxes (magical objects containing divisions of Voldemort’s soul). So, the teenage trio, Harry, Ron and Hermione, sets out for finding the locations of the other five Horcruxes (the first, Tom Riddle’s diary, was already destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets and the second in HBP). That means, you have no Hogwarts, no fellow students, no teachers in the movie; only the three of them roaming around in wild forests (breathtaking locations indeed) and fighting their strongest impulses and temptations with their priorities (watch out for such a coming-of-age scene between Harry and Hermione).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is undoubtedly the most different, as well as the scariest, HP installment ever (watching it on IMAX screen can almost quadruple the fear factor). And, it is only the prelude to the mega-finale that releases in July 2011 globally. So, after the end of Deathly Hallows 1, you simply cannot be patient enough to let July 2011 be 8 months away!
The movie has managed to cover most of the aspects mentioned in the book successfully and has excellent histrionics, direction and special effects to add spark to the magic. My favourite scene is the animated story of the Deathly Hallows which simply speaks volumes of the team’s creativity. There are also a couple of laughs infused here and there, like Hermione hitting Ron when he comes back after deserting her and Harry. And, a Muggle woman getting fooled by Ron’s disguise as her hubby (thanks to the Polyjuice Potion) and hence her kissing him! However, there are moments which can either make you jump in your seat or cling to your partner for comfort. Especially, whenever Nagini comes into the picture. Or when Xenophilius Lovegood bangs his fist on the table and suddenly shouts aloud. Also have a tissue in store for a very tragic scene in the end (sorry, can’t reveal).
So, what’s the moral of the story? Book your cinema hall seats for this one. Maybe it’s just the prelim to the finale and nothing much happens in it. But, Harry Potter movies are not about watching them; they are all about the experience and revisiting Pottermania in live form. And that explains the magnanimous crowd that throngs theatres across the country, even though we all know that the real magic is yet to come...