Review: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Oh-Crap-It’s-Only-Part 1”

No spoilers (in the post; comments may include some spoilage).

This is a good movie.  It is, arguably, the best of the series.  And, in many ways, that’s because it’s the culmination of the series (movies and books), where all the people and places and set pieces suddenly pay off. While new stuff is added in, we know enough about this world to suddenly get what’s going on — no need for new spells or transportation systems to take the center of attention, because what we have is adequate.

It’s also the best because the kids are, at long last, no longer kids.  Not only have their acting skills developed, but they are now emotionally suited (and emotionally accepted by the audience) as people who we’re willing to see go through hell and back, and not do so happily.  The cheap jokes and bug-eyed boggling at the wonders of magic are gone.  Things are now deadly serious, if not angsty.

The movie itself is relentlessly oppressive.  Scene by scene, everything that Harry & Co. have come to rely upon gets stripped away.  Allies are killed, taken prisoner, flee, or betray them.  Institutions of normalcy — Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic — become the seats of a new magic fascist regime, complete with racist witch hunts (literally).  All the familiar haunts become potential killing grounds.  Things go from bad  to worse, and, just when you think they might be brightening up, something even more awful happens.

It struck me, while watching, as the Harry Potter equivalent of The Two Towers — especially the Frodo/Sam arc, slogging through the countryside from danger to danger, bearing (and suffering from) a major artifact of the main bad guy. Harry’s got only the vaguest ideas of what to do, and even less how to do them, but he keeps slogging on, depending on Hermione and Ron to back him up or advise him otherwise — and neither is always up to the task.

But that’s all a good thing.  It’s a crucible through which the characters are being melted down and recast.  There’s no easy out, no Dumbledore to offer a deus ex machina, or Professor McGonagall to turn a worried blind eye to the kids’ antics, or a Hagrid to pour them some hot chocolate. They are on their own, and even when they need help, seeking it means a danger both to those they approach and to themselves.

There is no happy ending in this movie — only weary sorrow and an escalated threat level.  It’s probably not a Potter film to bring your five-year-old to (PG-13 means something this time).

It’s not all cinematic perfection, of course.  Even with splitting the book across two lengthy movies, there’s still a huge flow of characters — known and new — across the screen, often only for a line or two, in dizzying array. Not only does this create disappointment when some key characters (Snape and Ginny come to mind) get majorly short shrift, but it creates confusion.  The long journey of the main trio feels coherent; everything else feels rushed, a minimum amount just to get some faces in front of the camera or to set up the other things going on for the next flick. Along with the people, the questing goal posts keep moving — Horcruxes give way to swords give way to the titular “Deathly Hallows” (introduced in a truly lovely scene, mind you).

A few other thoughts:

• While it’s been some time since I read the book, the movie rang very true. There is doubtless stuff that got cut, but what’s here feels right.
• I actually ended up feeling a bit bad for the Malfoys.  Lucius’ aristocratic career plans have certainly not gone as intended, but, more importantly, I actually feel for poor Draco, who (as in the book) discovers he is in way over his head, and that his own pride and arrogance are far surpassed by the evil he’s been sucked into.
• The FX in this movie are relatively subdued, but those we get are lovingly crafted.  A comparison, for example, between the Dobby here and the one in 2002’s Chamber of Secrets is stunning.
• The music is great, by being unobtrusive and supportive.  There’s a lot of silence.  That works well. Apparently John Williams (who did the first three films) was interested in returning for this one, but I’m glad they went with Alexandre Desplat instead.
• Even though it’s 140-odd minutes, I won’t mind seeing a director’s cut if it gives us a bit more of the supporting cast …

The next (and final) movie comes out 15 July next year.  Honestly?  It’s going to be hard to wait.