Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
I went to see this on opening day. I've already seen it a second time. I really enjoyed the movie and think it is one of the stronger movies in the series. The adaptation is better, though there are still a few explanations that are missing. I do wonder how some things are going to work in the last movie since they haven't been set up properly.
This is the seventh movie in a planned eight movie series. This one definitely builds on things that happened in the previous movies, so people really should see the previous movies first. People who have read the books but not seen the first movies could still follow what is going on in this one I think. Read the books..see the first movies..then see this movie.
A lot happens over the course of the movie. I don't think it would have worked right as a shorter movie. I definitely think it was a good idea to split the final book into two movies. There is just too much in the final book to squish it into one movie and do the story justice. Action does turn up in some scenes, though I wouldn't call this one action packed. That doesn't bother me, though I have seen and heard some reviews from people - who haven't read the books - who felt that nothing happened in the movie. Several things are dealt with in the movie. Magic stuff is in the movie again, though at times, it does seem that some of the magic stuff has been removed. There are no talking and movie pictures shown in this one. Hogwarts isn't shown and really isn't even heard about. In the book, a few things about it are at least mentioned.
The characters have grown a lot over the course of the series, and that continues in this movie. They face new challenges while trying to find the horcruxes. Ron really goes through a lot, and Rupert Grint gets a bit more to do than he has in previous movies. Ron is more than just comic relief which is nice. I'm so glad that the cast has stayed the same for all the movies. Some characters are only briefly seen or are missing, though some of them should be around a bit more in the final movie. Doby is finally back and he looks wonderful.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I'll be seeing the final movie in the theater as well, though I do wonder how a few things will be dealt with.
I did get a longer review posted on Epinions. The review doesn't have any spoilers.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
