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

Tonight I attended the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. I went to the Regal American Mall Stadium 12 in Lima and attended the 12:01 showing with a few friends from school.

I was rather disappointed by the crowd I saw there - the auditorium where we were seated was less than half full, and though I heard rumors of there being other filled-up auditoriums, I saw no evidence of it. I honestly think that my friends and I were in the only auditorium showing the movie. We showed up an hour early expecting huge lines and people dressed up like I've seen previously at book release parties for the series, but we were sadly disappointed. There were almost no lines and the only noticeable costume we saw was a man disguised (very convincingly) as Dobby the house-elf.

But crowds (or lack thereof) aside, the movie was fantastic. I can't vouch for how well it stuck to the book, as it's been over a year since I've read it and I deliberately tried to recall none of the story line so as to be surprised as much as possible in the movie. I can, however, say that the film was very cinematic - almost overdramatic, but not in a cheesy way like so many films are these days. The drama seemed appropriate, in fact; the plot line and overall dark undertone of the movie justified the constant shadows in corners and ever-present orchestra music. It worked quite well.

One other thing I've really liked about the movie series as a whole is watching the actors grow up. The first in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was released in 2001, when Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) were twelve, thirteen, and eleven, respectively. Now, nine years later, the actors have really changed from their preteen selves shown in the first movie. They have matured, aged, and improved their already stellar acting skills. Though I have not seen all of the movies, I have seen most of them, and it's been really interesting to watch the actors grow up on screen.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was an excellent film and I would definitely recommend that you go see it when you can.