Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010. Directed by David Yates
I was surprised how faithful Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was to its source material. Yates clearly wants to bring this series back to its roots. As the film slowly and surely ticked through the many plot points of J. K. Rowling’s 7th and last Harry Potter novel, I was reminded of the first two films in the series, faithfully adapted by director Chris Columbus and deemed slow and boring by many critics and viewers. This film is anything but boring, and it’s slow-burn pace only builds suspense, complimented by occasional furious scenes of action.
The story is complex yet told in a fairly straightforward manner. Harry and his pals are on the run from “He Who Must Not Be Named” and his Nazi-like army of “pure” wizards. All that once protected Harry is gone, and he, Hermione and Ron must fend for themselves while solving a baffling mystery left behind by their late mentor, the wizard Dumbledore. The solving of this mystery and the recovery of a series of hidden relics is their only hope to save themselves, their loved ones, and the entire wizarding world. They are on the run for most of the running time, hiding in highland plains and deep forests. These scenes are gloriously photographed and the visual hallmark of the film. It’s refreshing to get outside of the magical grounds of Hogwarts and realize that the wizards live in the same world we muggles do. One sequence in particular, of the three wandering through vast empty spaces and hiding in a barn from black streaks of enemies in the sky, all while the wizard resistance radio Ron carries blares the names of fallen friends, is particularly haunting. Occasionally our heroes use their teleportation power–called apparating–to stage daring raids on strongholds of evil. These are fast paced and thrilling scenes. Taken all together, it’s a fun ride, but viewers beware: Hallows Part 1 is for the serious fan only. If you haven’t read the books or at least watched the other films, you’ll be utterly in the dark.
Speaking of the dark, my one problem with this film is just that: it’s too dark, both visually and in tone. Rowling’s books never descended to the shadowy gloom that this series has gradually taken on. Her magical world, even when ruled by the Death Eaters, is still a colorful place. The dark hues of Malfoy Manor make it seem more like a soundstage than an actual place, and the overall low saturation of the film drains the magic from most of its scenes. The film’s tone is also overly dark. There are few laughs here, whereas I remember quite a few in the book. Rowling’s world has a humorous quirkiness to it. Earlier films in the series, particularly Alfonso Cuarón’s Prisoner of Azkaban, captured this quirkiness well, but lately, especially under Yates’s direction, it’s been replaced by attempts at dark realism. I understand the sentiment. By giving the films a real world feel, the viewer is drawn in and feels more like they share the world and its stakes with the characters. The best example of this realism is the choice to dress the main characters in modern apparel rather than the wizard clothes described in the books. It’s a nice touch, but it will definitely date these films in just a few years. And the darkness does raise the stakes, making for more dramatic fare, but I’m not sure that’s what Rowling wanted. At the core, her books are about community and familial love, not the overpowering presence of evil.
That all said, these flaws can be forgiven. This film is probably the most faithfully adapted of the series, and a welcome reward to those who have already read it. Speaking of the book, I never particularly liked it. It’s better than the 4th in the series, and has an exciting pace to it, but the fact that Rowling suddenly created so much new wizard lore at the last minute always bothered me. The other books go well together, but Hallows sticks out like a sore thumb. The quest that Potter must go on is far too complicated and too many coincidences and random characters pop up. Rowling leaves the reader mostly in the dark to all this backstory, so understanding it all can be challenging. I think she bit off more than she could chew. That being said, the climax is amazing and an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the series. As Part 1 ended, I was reminded of another two-parter I watched in the theater: Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Just as that film ended unsatisfactorily, so did this. The truth is, both Pirates 2 and 3 and Hallows Part 1 and 2 are meant to be watched back to back. Hallows Part 1 is an incomplete film and left me feeling unsatisfied. All I can do is hold my breath and wait until next July. Considering how satisfying the climax of Hallows is, It’s gonna be a tough seven months.