Financially, producer David Heyman’s decision to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, into two films was a genius move. After all, the penultimate Potter film grossed an estimated 61 million dollars in the United States its first weekend, more than any other film in the series. If we can expect similar or better box office success for the final installment in July, Heyman will have doubled his money.
That’s not to say Heyman’s decision didn’t offer any advantages for viewers, who can now anticipate spending two more hours with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). It allowed the narrative to adhere more closely to the plot than any of its preceding Potter films. Nonetheless, the lack of dramatic payoff in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 irrevocably ties it to its sequel, diminishing its ability to stand alone as a creative work.
The film’s narrative, though incomprehensible to viewers new to the series, successfully captures the excitement, elation, horror and sadness that characterize our final year with Harry in the J.K. Rowling’s novel. Harry, Ron and Hermione are propelled into a world of danger and uncertainty as they search for Voldemort’s Horcruxes, his anchors to life. As they travel around the magical world, however, the trio is plagued with tension and strife. The screenplay renders the magical action and conflict between Harry and Ron exactly how readers imagined it.
While laudable for its attempt to loyally portray the events of the novel, the film sometimes skirts over critical emotional elements of Harry’s story. Notable elisions include Harry’s touching goodbye to the Dursleys and the deterioration of Harry’s esteem of Albus Dumbledore, both of which were critical to Harry’s character development.
The improvement of Radcliffe, Grint and Watson’s acting skills is especially evident in the film. The three have matured in such a way that their emotional dynamic becomes believable in a way it never was before. The success of the acting in the film is not limited to its protagonists, however. James and Oliver Phelps’s (Fred and George Weasley) humor is especially charming. Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour) is as ferociously humorless and intense as Rowling intended for him to be. Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge) is likewise worthy of special mention for making us hate her more than ever.
The special effects in the film are undoubtedly the most dazzling of the Potter series. The film uses a stunning animation, accompanied by Hermione’s narration, to effectively and artistically convey the tale of the Deathly Hallows. Ron’s confrontation with the Horcrux, in which he is taunted by modified Harry and Hermione dopplegangers, is also quite powerful.
Despite its successful screenplay, acting and effects, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, is a flawed film at its core. Potter films should not merely exist to recapitulate the narrative of Rowling’s books, but ought to be able to stand alone as dramatic works, which Part 1 fails to do. The film lacks a climax and resolution, forcing viewers to wait uncomfortably for July’s denouement to the Potter series.