Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

I'm going to start this off with a very slight spoiler to anyone who hasn't read the books yet because it's pretty difficult to talk about a Harry Potter movie without mentioning any spoilers, much less the penultimate one. If you've read the book, you would know that Harry and gang don't return to Hogwarts for school at all. Instead, they set out to find the seven Horcruxes upon Dumbledore's instructions. This brings a whole different aspect to the movie, giving it a James Bond feel, somewhat. If you haven't read the book but this all seems familiar to you, that's because this movie starts off right from where the last one ended.

Splitting the last book into two movies was a smart move from Warner Bros. Good for the fans and good for the studio too. Win-win situation. Part 1 is a very good movie. It covers all the important stuff and creates a great platform for what's going to be an epic finale to the movie franchise next July.

This movie just sets everything up. The audience is filled in with the necessary information like the Horcruxes and Deathly Hallows, which will allow the action and pure awesome-ness to flow in Part 2. But as a result, some of the scenes in the middle part of the movie got a little repetitive and dragged out. The general audience may find it a little dull as compared to a Potterhead.

I really enjoyed the way this film was shot. There are a few scenes that are simply awe-inspiring, one of which, very Tim Burton-esque when telling the story of The Three Brothers. The chase scenes through the forest as seen in the trailer is equally as awesome. The action and informational detail in this movie is so captivating that I didn't miss Hogwarts and all the magical exploration the first couple movies brought. As I walked out of the movie hall the feeling sunk in. We don't see Professor McGonagall, there are no classes, no Quidditch and no banter between Harry and Draco. I even missed Snape who had one scene in the entire movie. I know I'm writing this as if I didn't read the book. I know all of this happens but it's just so different when you get to see it all on the big screen.

To be honest, I liked the last movie more compared to this one but only because a lot of important stuff happened in Half-Blood Prince whereas The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is more of a build up, the quiet before the storm if you will. Because trust me when I say that shit is gonna hit the fan in Part 2.

There's no denying this. You MUST watch this movie. There's no two ways about it. This has been the movie franchise of the decade. People will be talking about Harry Potter when we enter the next century. Bring on Part 2 I say.