21 November 2010

HP 7.1, A Review of Sorts

went and saw 'deathly hallows, part 1' on friday...

photo TM & © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

not bad...not bad. there might be spoilers, so proceed with caution!





i have no problem admitting that i'm a big, harry potter dork. i own and have read all the books. i've seen all of the films in the theatre on opening day. i've even dressed up as harry potter for halloween on more than one occasion. so, to say i was eagerly anticipating the latest installment in the potter canon would be an understatement. i practically ran out of the building when my shift was over at work so i could buy a ticket for the 1150am showing at the theatre nearest to my apartment. 3 hours later, i was sitting in the auditorium with a huge, shit-eating grin on my face ready for the magic (literal & figurative) to happen. after seeing the film and taking some time to think about it, i'm not totally sure how i feel about it. it might take another trip to the theatre, a repeat viewing or two on dvd or possibly even a re-reading of the book to sway me one way or the other. or all it could take is for me to finish typing this thing and see where i stand then.





anyways, for an 800 page book that was split into two films, the story itself seemed awfully rushed despite the 2.5 hour length and parts of the film that seemed to drag in places. it was visually stunning and the special effects were top notch. the trio of young stars (daniel radcliffe, rupert grint & emma watson) were also quite good, which should be a given since they've been inhabiting these roles for ten years. as for the adaptation, it had its good and not so good moments as well as some additions & subtractions that weren't necessary given the fact that the source material was split into 2 films and the length of the those films will, in the end, exceed 5 hours.

first the good:

* as i already mentioned, the cinematography (by eduardo serra) was excellent. the colors were vibrant and  eye-popping. the scenery was, at once, both hauntingly bleak and intensely beautiful.

* the special effects and the sound were exceptional. there really isn't more to say about these. the cgi was rarely, overtly obvious. the sound effects and music never overshadowed the dialogue. the audio mix was nearly perfect (the theatre's sound didn't need to be cranked up to 11 for the dialogue to be loud enough to be heard while at the same time making the sound effects and music unbearably loud).

* the acting was strong and the dialogue never seemed terribly stilted or forced, which is a credit to the actors, young and old, that have both embraced and over the course of the films become those characters. helena bonham carter is most definitely the standout in the cast. she truly has captured the essence of bellatrix lestrange and has been nothing short of fantastic in that role.

* the mood, tone and demeanor of the film was also presented correctly. it is a dark book with horrible events, save for the final act of the book, and the film captured that essence. it was dark, foreboding and death was omnipresent. the death scene of dobby the elf was particularly well-handled, despite the elimination of many key persons and elements from the book.

now to the bad:

* a lot of the exposition from the book was omitted. back stories and encounters with characters that play larger roles later in the story were either glossed over, reduced to a line or two of dialogue or chopped completely. i understand the time constraints film presents but the book has been split into 2 films with each film clocking in at 2.5 hours apiece. i don't understand some of these, chief among them the wedding scene. in the book, as a means of protection and so as not to disclose his whereabouts, harry is given a polyjuice potion to render his appearance to that of a 'weasley cousin' (barny weasley). that way no one attending the wedding, outside of the order of the phoenix and the immediate weasley clan, would know that he is present. in the film, his appearance is not changed and some of the early exposition regarding the deathly hallows, the relationship between dumbledore and grindelwald and the appearance of viktor krum at the reception are eliminated completely. cuts from the books have always been a major issue with the films but many of the cuts can be somewhat justified in that they are ancillary stories that play little, if any, part in the main story.

* surprisingly, despite the running time and the split into 2 films, there were some parts where things slowed considerably. these were most of the scenes where our protagonist characters were teleporting across the united kingdom. the scenery was amazing but it seemed to linger a bit too long in places. there was also the unnecessary dance scene that was a new addition. perhaps instead of cutting exposition they could have trimmed some of this stuff.


overall, i found it to be pretty solid, if unspectacular addition to the canon. all, i can say is 'part 2' had better come strong.

final score (out of 5):

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