Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1In desperation, we find out what we are truly made of. For Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends, the world they know--that of magic and charms, wizards and wonder--has been turned upside-down, under the thrall of the dark lord, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), leaving Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) in a perpetual state of danger and egress, running for their lives and doing their best to find the source of Voldemort's power--the horcruxes--and destroy them...before they are destroyed by them.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the beginning of the end--for the Harry Potter saga, for the war raging between Harry and Voldemort, and everyone and everything part of it all. The movie carries a significantly different tone and look than the rest of the series; while preceding films have had moments of gloom and danger, this essence runs through almost the entirety of this penultimate entry. There are moments of joviality, but the reality of the threat of the Death Eaters has set in, following the assassination of Hogwarts' headmaster, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and the legacy which Harry Potter must endure in order to bring the evil Voldemort's reign of terror down. And although the newest Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy) tries to assure Harry and the rest of the wizarding world that they will stand up to the vile assault by the likes of the disgraced Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), the traitorous Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and the sadistic and manic Bellatrix Lastrange (Helena Bonham Carter)--all lieutenants in Voldemort's new order--it quickly becomes apparent that no amount of effort on the part of the current manifestation of government is prepared for the raw terror which the Death Eaters bear upon the world. In short time, the Ministry is overwrought by a tyrannical extension of Voldemort's will in Pius Thicknesse (Guy Henry), who warps the Ministry to abduct and interrogate wizards in Gestapo-like fashion and spews the Slytherin-infused brand of intolerance via propaganda vilifying the so-called "mudbloods", wizards born of muggle (human) parents. Eventually, through a combination of deduction, circumstance, and even a bit of luck, Harry and his closest friends discover the whereabouts of one of the remaining horcruxes, and are forced to infiltrate the Ministry to retrieve it. But even when they have the item in their possession--an ominous locket on a chain--their trials grow increasingly complicated as they struggle to cope with not only the gravity of their situation, but with the stress and anxiety tearing away at them, challenging their friendship and their individual resolve.
This is no world for children. As the Death Eater's influence has spread so far and wide, they attack openly and without remorse, with casualties mounting, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Ron stuck to squat in the abandoned lodge of the practically-defunct Order of the Phoenix, and for a long stretch of time, living out of a tent in the woods. They are always on the move, always diligent about putting up wards to camouflage their presence; they live as fugitives, and it takes its toll. The horcrux amulet is an albatross they literally wear around their necks, taking turn after turn with the cursed artifact, which exudes a mind-affecting influence over Harry and Ron--and perhaps Hermione, although it is unnoticeable if it does. In close proximity, the three are deprived the essential distance which is part of ensuring a bond of friendship does not corrupt into vicious in-fighting and jealousy. And while the horcrux is to blame for fanning the flames of spite and envy in the young wizards, one suspects that it is only the catalyst; both Ron and Harry must face their inner demons to overcome this tribulation. The trio is often beset by would-be assassins or kidnappers serving the enemy,--called "snatchers"--and they are forced to exercise caution out of an awakened survival instinct from their previous experiences. In a way, the world of magic has entered an almost apocalyptic state, where underground broadcasts tell of wizards who have "gone missing", which Ron listens to in the hopes that his family--whom he had to abandon at a crucial time--will not be named. The shadow of Dumbledore is ever present in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, but especially in what he leaves behind for his beloved pupils, totems which serve their individual strengths in unlocking a complex riddle, gifts to facilitate the quest for the terrible objects housing the fractions of Voldemort's soul. These totems eventually lead them to a few select individuals possessing key information--all acquaintances of Dumbledore's--who lead the three along their quest, consciously or not, including Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans), writer for the competition of The Daily Prophet, a paper called The Quibbler, as well as the father of Harry's schoolmate, Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). The symbol Xenophilius wears is from a story, which Hermione and Ron are already familiar with, but which tells the story of another three wizards who inadvertently cheated Death. According to the story, they were "rewarded" with three artifacts, collectively known as "The Deathly Hallows". Between these objects and the rampant attacks that take place by the Death Eaters, there is a constant threat of death in the film. The children are forced to take part in a war which they have no desire to embrace, but must endure so that they are not slain by their brutal enemies. The story builds to a climax, where hope is a luxury that seems ever elusive; for Harry Potter, the age of innocence is at an end.
Recommended for: Fans of an intense and perilous tale of young teenage wizards desperately trying to survive in the face of persistent violence and magical terror. It also showcases the evil inherent in social discrimination and the kinds of monsters who espouse it to glorify their own hatred. For fans of Harry Potter, the film sets up the conclusion on a somber note.
This is no world for children. As the Death Eater's influence has spread so far and wide, they attack openly and without remorse, with casualties mounting, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Ron stuck to squat in the abandoned lodge of the practically-defunct Order of the Phoenix, and for a long stretch of time, living out of a tent in the woods. They are always on the move, always diligent about putting up wards to camouflage their presence; they live as fugitives, and it takes its toll. The horcrux amulet is an albatross they literally wear around their necks, taking turn after turn with the cursed artifact, which exudes a mind-affecting influence over Harry and Ron--and perhaps Hermione, although it is unnoticeable if it does. In close proximity, the three are deprived the essential distance which is part of ensuring a bond of friendship does not corrupt into vicious in-fighting and jealousy. And while the horcrux is to blame for fanning the flames of spite and envy in the young wizards, one suspects that it is only the catalyst; both Ron and Harry must face their inner demons to overcome this tribulation. The trio is often beset by would-be assassins or kidnappers serving the enemy,--called "snatchers"--and they are forced to exercise caution out of an awakened survival instinct from their previous experiences. In a way, the world of magic has entered an almost apocalyptic state, where underground broadcasts tell of wizards who have "gone missing", which Ron listens to in the hopes that his family--whom he had to abandon at a crucial time--will not be named. The shadow of Dumbledore is ever present in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, but especially in what he leaves behind for his beloved pupils, totems which serve their individual strengths in unlocking a complex riddle, gifts to facilitate the quest for the terrible objects housing the fractions of Voldemort's soul. These totems eventually lead them to a few select individuals possessing key information--all acquaintances of Dumbledore's--who lead the three along their quest, consciously or not, including Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans), writer for the competition of The Daily Prophet, a paper called The Quibbler, as well as the father of Harry's schoolmate, Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). The symbol Xenophilius wears is from a story, which Hermione and Ron are already familiar with, but which tells the story of another three wizards who inadvertently cheated Death. According to the story, they were "rewarded" with three artifacts, collectively known as "The Deathly Hallows". Between these objects and the rampant attacks that take place by the Death Eaters, there is a constant threat of death in the film. The children are forced to take part in a war which they have no desire to embrace, but must endure so that they are not slain by their brutal enemies. The story builds to a climax, where hope is a luxury that seems ever elusive; for Harry Potter, the age of innocence is at an end.
Recommended for: Fans of an intense and perilous tale of young teenage wizards desperately trying to survive in the face of persistent violence and magical terror. It also showcases the evil inherent in social discrimination and the kinds of monsters who espouse it to glorify their own hatred. For fans of Harry Potter, the film sets up the conclusion on a somber note.