The time has finally come: the adventures of the most famous wizard student in the world, Harry Potter, are heading for their grand finale. And to celebrate the end of the saga imagined by J.K. Rowling in a fitting manner and to make it a little easier for fans to say goodbye, the final volume of the novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", has been split into two films, the first of which is now coming to our cinemas.
After the death of Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) faces his most difficult task yet. In order to finally destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Harry must find and destroy all seven Horcruxes in which Voldemort has compartmentalized his soul. But Voldemort's Death Eaters are always on his tail, which makes the undertaking extremely difficult and dangerous not only for Harry, but also for his helpers. Together with Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) he nevertheless faces his destiny and comes across the old legend of the Deathly Hallows. But with each new insight comes the certainty that defeating Voldemort seems impossible...
Given the discussions that followed the press screening of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1", I've decided to make this review a little more personal than usual. After all, the film is going to divide not only the press, but fans of the series as well. And so it's perhaps not entirely unimportant for you to know that this review is written by someone who has enjoyed reading the books and thoroughly enjoyed the films from Part 3 onwards (my personal favourite so far is "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"). What I did have a problem with in the last two films, however, was director David Yates' apparent inability to deliver big emotions. Craft-wise, both of his "Harry Potter" films were good, even very good at some moments. However, the death of Sirius Black in particular, and to an extent that of Dumbledore (although there was a quite wonderful goosebump moment here) fell far short of their potential and didn't really live up to their importance within the story. Given this, I was very excited to see how Yates would deliver what is arguably the most emotional volume in the series.
From the very beginning, it does indeed seem that Yates has learned quite a bit. For example, in the very first minutes there is a scene between Hermione and her Muggle parents, written especially for the film, which makes clear the development Hermione has gone through and the sacrifices she is willing to make for Harry. We see him in his first scene roaming the Dursley house alone. Here, where the adventure once began, the finale also begins. A very beautiful and also moving way to start this last section.
As successful as these scenes are and as beautiful as the small gestures and moments between Ron and Hermione are, which say more about their feelings for each other than words could, other emotional moments are disappointing. For example, the very first big action sequence brings two victims, with one only mentioned in passing - which truly doesn't do the dearly loved character justice. And so it really seems that the small emotional moments work very well, while the big sacrifices that the fight against Voldemort demands are once again dealt with a bit too quickly. Let's hope that this will change in the final finale.
What some of my colleagues have really struggled with, however, and what will also certainly not appeal much to many fans of the saga, is the fact that Part 1 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", despite some action sequences and its good arc of suspense, is a rather quiet film in which the development of the characters of Harry, Ron and Hermione is the main focus. Like the book, the film takes its time to show that the three of them are well aware of the gravity and importance of their task and that they have to grow up to defeat Voldemort, but that on the other hand they are still children who need to be able to dance around the tent or indulge in their adolescent crushes.
Of course, some of these scenes are a little tough. But in my eyes, this part of the film is not a cultivated bore, but an important development that is tremendously important to the impact of the finale. Moreover, Yates allows his three actors, who have embodied these characters for over ten years, to show once again here that they have also made significant strides in their acting and can hold their own beyond big special effects.
"Harry Potter", whether as book or film, may have started out as a series for children. But with each installment, the story has also grown darker and more adult. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" is now truly no longer kid's stuff. This seventh film is markedly different from its predecessors, as evidenced by the fact that not a single scene takes place at Hogwarts. Except for a brief moment on the Hogwarts Express, the school is only mentioned in radio and newspaper reports. And with Hogwarts, the colorful, lighthearted moments are also absent. Humor is absent here, which becomes totally appropriate to the story. Only in the scene where Harry's friends, in order to confuse the Death Eaters, turn into Harry lookalikes with the help of the Polyjuice Potion, there are some nice laughs. And at a few other moments, the action is briefly livened up with amusing interludes. But overall, the whole thing remains dominated by a gloom and heaviness that works perfectly well as a harbinger of the events that will dominate Part 2.
Visually, the film holds some quite great strengths, but also arguably its most obvious weakness. The set and visual effects are great. For example, the house elves Dobby and Creature look better than ever, the Lovegoods' house is full of wonderful detail, and even the Ministry of Magic is a feast for the eyes. In addition, the fairy tale of the three brothers told in the film is quite magically realized. But unfortunately, for a reason that isn't really understood, Yates has chosen to stage the action sequences as shaky and quickly edited as possible, and to use the choppy handheld camera in other moments as well. Surely, the fact that the story leaves the world of magic more and more into reality is conveyed quite well this way. However, much of the magic that made the Harry Potter films so wonderful and magical is lost. Let's hope Yates doesn't have this style ready in the final finale, because since this will also be presented in 3D, the whole thing could quickly degenerate into a means for an incredible headache instead of a great viewing experience.
Besides that, the film manages to impress with great acting (Ralph Fiennes has never been as good as he is here as Voldemort), a continuous arc of suspense, some surprisingly gruesome scenes and effective scare moments (children under 12 should definitely not watch this film!) and a great cliffhanger. The last scene is almost perfect and makes the wait for the second part, which will be released in July 2011, almost unbearable. It may not be a typical "Harry Potter" movie, no pure effects fireworks, but better, more emotional, more intense and more worthy the beginning of the end actually could hardly be staged. Absolutely worth seeing!
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
