Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

As the first part of a film acting as a capstone to nearly ten years of films and over thirteen years of books which have become one of the most pervasive and important fictional phenomena in recent memory, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 has a great deal to live up to. I'm pleased to report that it does indeed live up to expectations, trimming very little from the book and keeping the same dark and epic visual style as the previous films helmed by David Yates. It could be noted that the plot seems to meander and has little direction beyond some vague instructions, but this only serves to highlight how lost the protagonists are, alone and relatively powerless in an extremely hostile and threatening environment. The acting is very strong throughout, especially with the special emphasis on the main three, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who spend most of the film alone and at the fore. The film has very little in the way of comedy beyond the first half hour, but this is only a very small criticism, and the atmosphere wouldn't lend itself to much comic relief in any case. Of course the conclusion is right in the middle of the drama, which is somewhat frustrating, but does everything to whet the appetite for next years' Part 2, which promises to surpass the first. Indeed, this is to be hoped, as Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the strongest entry in the series, and takes full advantage of its extended running time.


And Dobby joins the ranks of the supreme badasses of all time.