Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a good start to the final film in the series that started a decade ago and I can only hope it ends in the bang most have promised it would. It’s certainly the darkest of the franchise, though Prisoner of Azkaban is pretty close, but also one of the best especially with the performances of the three leads.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Fantasy, Drama
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 146 min. – $35.99 | April 15, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: David Yates
Writer(s): J.K. Rowling (book); Steve Kloves (screenplay)
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy
Theatrical Release Date: November 19, 2010
DISC INFO:
Features: Maximum Movie Mode, Focus Points, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes, DVD Copy, Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 3
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.40
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
THE MOVIE – 4.5/5
** Please note, this review does contain some spoilers. **
“The beginning of the end” is a tagline cliché I’ve seen all too often but in the case of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, it’s so true. It’s also shaping up to be the best two Potter movies of the series, a series in which has been consistent in being good on the cusp of greatness (for me, it got close with the darker Prisoner of Azkaban).
Plot (from back cover): Harry (DANIEL RADCLIFFE), Ron (RUPERT GRINT) and Hermione (EMMA WATSON) set out to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s (RALPH FIENNES) power – the Horcruxes. On their own and on the run, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever… but Dark Forces threaten to tear them apart.
I’ve never been the biggest Harry Potter fan and in fact have only read a couple passages from one of the books (don’t even remember which one) but I have enjoyed the series as a whole from an outsider’s perspective. I know some fans have qualms with what or was not included in these movies but from a storytelling point of view, they’ve all done a good job from the casting to forwarding an interesting story.
With Deathly Hallows Part 1, it takes the series to a whole new level. For one thing, we don’t even enter into Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is under the guide Professor Severus Snape (ALAN RICKMAN) whom, like our other favorite Potter characters (Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Brendan Gleeson as ‘Mad-Eye’ Mooney – whose demise was understated IMO – and the others in the Order of the Phoenix), we only see early on as a good portion of the second and third acts are centered on Harry, Ron and Hermione.
And even though much of the film has the kids on the run jumping from one part of the land to the next showing their wizard and witch kick assness with the spells they’ve learned to defend themselves, it’s one hell of a ride combining thrilling scenes with some truly crushing dramatic moments (the scene where Harry and Hermione dance to Nick Cave’s song, ‘O Children’ stands out).
It’s the drama and acting by our main characters, more so than the story, where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 excels, however. Director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves split the final book in two not to get more money out of the fans (though I’m sure Warner isn’t complaining) but to tell the full story within a reasonable timeframe rather than cramming it all into a three hour and under feature film. This first part starts the journey and I’m sure the opening and second act continues the quest in Part 2 but from what I’ve been reading, the majority of the film is outright action so Yates and company have set the appropriate tone before cranking things up for the ultimate duel.
As far as the acting goes, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson all have been fairly consistent through the series – save for maybe Sorcerer’s Stone – and here now a decade later, they’ve obviously embodied their characters but rather than sleepwalking through their roles, they’re still adding layers.
Overall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a great film and probably my second favorite behind Prisoner of Azkaban (and Order of the Phoenix is right up there as well) but I certainly hope the second part lives up to the build up because otherwise it will taint an otherwise great movie (see: The Matrix Reloaded).
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.25/5
This three-disc set comes with a glossy slip cover and the discs are housed in a standard Blu-ray case. This release has a Digital Copy download code (expires September 13, 2011).
DISC 1 (BLU-RAY):
Maximum Movie Mode (approx 2:46:00; HD) – Warner’s MMM is a picture-in-picture feature where different members of the crew and cast (minor cast members) show up and talk about different topics that’s going on or in one instance, read passages from the book. I usually enjoy these Maximum Movie Mode’s but this is one of the weaker outings. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Focus Points (TRT 19:21; HD) are a collection of featurettes that delve some into the movie making but not a whole lot as I’m sure anything deeper are or will be contained in the documentaries available in the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” releases. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Featurettes include: The Last Days of Privet Road (2:36), Hagrid’s Motorbike (4:01), Magical Tents (2:18), Death Eaters Attack Café (2:51), Creating Dobby and Kreacher (3:48) and The Return of Griphook (3:45).
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
The Seven Harry’s (5:29; HD) – Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the team show what it took to make all the personalities of the seven Harrys “just right”. Although it’s short, it is interesting to see how it all got put together and the difficulties of the scenes. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
On the Green with Rupert, Tom, Oliver and James (13:38; HD) – A few cast members (Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, and James and Oliver Phelps) hit the links at the famed Celtic Manor and discuss their 10 years of screen comradeship and what lies ahead. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Dan, Rupert and Emma’s Running Competition (2:45; HD) – Here you can witness the competitive spirit while filming the escape scene from the snatchers in Swinley Forest. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Godric’s Hollow/The Harry and Nagini Battle (6:00; HD) is a behind-the-scenes look at these sequences from production design to set design and then filming. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
The Frozen Lake (4:10; HD) takes a closer look at the scene in which Harry finds the Sword of Gryffindor and how preparation went to filming the scene inside a water tank. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Additional Scenes (10:54; HD) – There are eight deleted, and extended, scenes included and while they’re all pretty good and well acted, they weren’t necessary in the final film which needed the focus it did.
There’s also Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: Behind the Soundtrack (3:51; HD) and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Promotional Trailer (6:25; HD).
DISC 3 (DVD):
As with the other combo releases, this disc only contains the movie and a Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
VIDEO – 4.25/5
The film is presented in its original 2.40 aspect ratio and comes on a 50GB disc and MPEG-4 AVC encoding. There’s little doubt that this would be a very dark looking movie from the opening and it only continues until the end even during the daylight scenes. Now, the picture is well defined and I noticed no flaws like pixilation even in the pitch black shots. Again, since this is a dark looking picture, it’s not going to be very pretty in high-def but it’s certainly far better than its DVD counterpart…
AUDIO – 4.25/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio meanwhile isn’t the best lossless track I’ve encountered but there are a few action pieces, especially at the beginning, that allow it to shine. The dialogue primarily uses the center channel with the other action coming from the front and rear speakers. Alexandre Desplat’s score also sounds great going from the softer moments like the Harry Potter theme to the action scenes which provide depth to the track.
OVERALL – 4/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a good start to the final film in the series that started a decade ago and I can only hope it ends in the bang most have promised it would. It’s certainly the darkest of the franchise, though Prisoner of Azkaban is pretty close, but also one of the best especially with the performances of the three leads. As far as the Blu-ray is concerned, the video and audio transfers are good, albeit not the best I’ve seen/heard, while the features are decent enough to tide fans over until the inevitable Ultimate Collector’s Edition (or massive complete set).
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 04/23/2011
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2.