Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I" / Dir. by David Yates / Rated PG-13 / 146 min. / Warner Bros.

Has there ever been a book series and, by nature, a film series more evolving than the Harry Potter series? Among the many strokes of brilliance executed by J.K. Rowling in creating the series, one of the most impressive is choosing to have the central characters evolve in such a natural way that the shifts in tone from light and wide-eyed to foreboding and unsure seem less like a narrative decision and more like an inevitable fact of life. As we grow older, our problems get more and more complex. So it is for all of us, including those Hogwarts-attending magic-doers. Although, I do admit that as I've matured, my problems have never approached the level of sheer weight as those of Harry Potter.

The new film (part 1 of 2) is the darkest of the lot. Not only is Voldemort, Harry's arch-nemesis, back and in full power, but he's also completely infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, which basically means that the list of people Harry and his friends can trust just got a heck of a lot shorter. With the exception of his stalwart pals Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is more on his own in this edition than any previous installment. For the first time since the story began, he has no mentor. They've all either been killed or otherwise taken out of the picture. The trio are adrift in the real world, having forgone their final year of studies at Hogwart's in order to fulfill a very dangerous and rather cryptic mission given to Harry by Dumbledore. Since Dumbledore is not available to consult, the three are left to figure out how to find and destroy several Horcrux's, magical items that contain pieces of Voldemort's soul. Once the Horcrux's are destroyed, the dark wizard will finally be mortal and tactically vulnerable.

One of the most notable things about "Deathly Hallows" is that it immediately departs from the formula of the other stories (i.e. - Harry goes to school, he and his friend try to solve a mystery while studying for exams and playing Quiddich, they all fall in awkward teenage love, etc.) Taking the characters away from the safety of Hogwart's not only allows the plot to move into new and unforeseen directions, it also seems to give the lead actors permission to really own their parts. The casting for the Harry Potter films has been uniformly excellent (this is the best contribution made by initial director, Christ Columbus). However, up to this point, I wasn't really convinced that the central trio were actually actors, as opposed to children who grew up with the characters for long enough that they instinctively knew how to approach them. No, these performances are sure and masterful. In fact, that's the word that describes the entire film the best. Masterful.

The artistic choices made by the director? Masterful. The screenplay that is a paragon of "show, don't tell" virtues? Masterful. The engaging and virtually seamless special effects? Masterful. The musical score that may not be melodically memorable, but creates a mood perfectly balanced between menace and whimsy? Masterful.

In fact, the story is so masterfully done that the only complaint is that the whole audience would be perfectly happy to sit for another 2 1/2 hours and finish the story. I know that we have to wait until July, but this film is so engaging and beautiful that the months can't fly by fast enough.

Grade: A