Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)

The Harry Potter films have had a much rougher time than the Harry Potter books. While the books kept getting better and better for me, the movies have been spotty and often cringe-worthy. The first two were merely watch-able, good but marked by absurd attempts to make early hints at Ron and Hermoine. (Remember that hug in #1?) Prisoner of Azkaban gave us hope that the rest of the movies would be sterling, only for Goblet of Fire to seem more cut up than a string of paper snowflakes. Though #4 was an obvious low point, I enjoyed Order of the Pheonix, and Half-Blood prince was generally speaking a high-quality movie. But what about Deathly Hallows?

As much as I applaud the idea of filming virtually everything that appears in the book, I was more than a little afraid that this feature would translate into slow, plodding scenes that should've been over much more quickly. I'm glad to say that this wasn't the case at all, or at least not more so than any other movie. I did write in my notebook that the scene of the minister of magic visiting our three heroes at the Weasley house dragged, but I really can't say any fault left a lasting impression. The pacing of the film was swift, even if it became too swift at a crucial point, which I'll get to soon.

Because it's so true to the book, the film's weak point is the same as the book's. The story is almost entirely about Harry, Ron, and Hermoine's groping about for clues concerning the horcruxes, and so it does have an aimless feel that often irks me. I like movies to have strong directions. I want them to know what they're doing and be making progress, and an absence of that conjures a voice in my head that says: "Get on with it!" Scenes like Harry and Hermoine dancing and Ron's destruction of the locket kept me interested though. The acting job of all involved should be commended.

But cutting the book in half did leave a scar on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1), and that came at the climax in Malfoy Manor. While a normal film would've done so much to dramatize a crucial threat to Harry's mission, this film treated their capture as just another turn in the plot. We never even actually learn they've been taken to Malfoy Manor. We're just shown a picture of a big house. Inside, we only see the hall and a small section of the basement. No time was taken to amplify the significance or the feeling of danger whatsoever, and that is something I feel is worthy of being called a fault.

Of all the details in the book, I can't understand why they chose to leave out the one explaining why Dobby was able to get into the Dungeon. In the book, he is able to apparate because the Malfoys foolishly abstained from creating enchantments against elves, their snobbery causing their downfall. It was a brilliant move on Rowling's part, but in the movie, Dobby just appears and does his thing without anyone questioning it. Do I have this right? Someone please tell me I missed something about this. If someone hadn't read the book, they would just think Dobby was way more awesome than everyone else. There's no luck or irony about it, and it looks like the others in the dungeon could've escaped at any time. That part disappointed me.

The movie, overall, was a great experience, and I can't wait until the summer to watch the exciting ending! What did you think?