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ALBEDO ONE - Film & TV Reviews |
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Albedo One's issue 38 |
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I’ve long been a fan of the Harry Potter series, both the books by J.K. Rowling and the movies. Rowling is an exceptional author who knows how to write simple but elegant prose, who tells intriguing tales the equal of any thriller writer, and who comes up with a whole host of believable characters, all of whom have past experiences and secrets so that the reader can’t help but want to know more about them. I say this for almost every single character, even the briefest appearing ones. Rowling’s narrative skills have been translated well into film, delivering a very faithful adaptation of her series. I’m thankful, like the James Bond series, there was never any thought of making Harry Potter an American on the screen, as has happened to so many fictional adaptations in the past, thereby ruining them (Constantine is a good example of this). I did feel, however, with both the books and the films, that the middle installments were the best. By the third book and film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the characters had found their feet, the stories had become more intelligent and thought-provoking, and particularly for the movies, the setting had become more magical and wondrous (whereas the first two films, while very good, had an almost squeaky-clean not-quiet-real feel that the later movies did away with). The next two films, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were exceptional, each better than its predecessor. Unfortunately by the time the sixth film was released, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry’s world no longer seemed that magical any more, but only because we’d all been amazed by the creative imagination of Rowling for so long, we knew her style too well, her modus operandi was understood, and we’d been immersed in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for so long we might have well been students there ourselves. This unfortunately happens to any series, and so often it is better to quit while ahead. However, for the Harry Potter series, Rowling had always planned on seven books and there was an arc developing across all her stories that needed to be concluded. The second problem with the sixth book was that it just didn’t seem to have direction like all the other five books before it, as it felt like merely a prequel to the final chapter. The film suffered more so because the story was condensed, and without having read the novel first, I’m sure elements of the plot would have been confusing to me, or missed altogether. I still think this film was fantastic, better than almost all other speculative fiction films that came out in the same year, only disappointing in comparison to the others in the series. So with the release of the movie version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, my expectations weren’t as high. However, I was relieved to find that my concerns were unfounded, and I believe this has to do with the approach adopted by the producers of doing the film in two parts. Thus, instead of an eight hundred page novel being condensed into two hours (which happened to the last three novels), the director, David Yates, then had twice as long to tell his story. As a result, the second-final film becomes the most introspective, with the best character development of all the films and a real emotional involvement that I hadn’t expected. The Deathly Hallows Part 1 also impressed me with just how many brilliant British actors appeared in the movie in extremely brief roles, such as David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson return as we all expected them to, with exceptional portrayals of the characters that will stay with them for the rest of their careers, as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I won’t reproduce the plot here, because I’m certain almost all readers of this review know what to expect, except to say that Harry, Ron and Hermione decide not to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is refreshing in itself because it turns everything on its head. Instead the three wizards-in-training set off on a challenging quest taking them across England to destroy several items of power which hold the segmented soul of their arch-nemesis, Lord Voldemort. For the first time since the series began, the three heroes are truly alone, there are no teachers protecting them anymore. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I, is an exceptional movie, and along with Inception (also reviewed online at Albedo One), are the best films I’ve seen in 2010. Do yourself a favour and see it on the big screen for the fully immersed experience, and feel Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s pain like you never thought possible. Then go see the second half out later in 2011, for the finale I think that pretty much all of us have been waiting to see for so very long. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010) Review by David Conyers |
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