Potter Won't Win an Oscar... And it Doesn't Matter

At the moment Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One is the lowest rated Potter movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and has gotten a poor reception from some of the top critics across the globe. Unfortunately for these self-satisfied critics who like nothing more than to hear the sound of their own bickering this movie wasn't made for them. This movie was made for the millions of Harry Potter fans who have reread the books and rewatched the movies dozens of times and who were ready to see the epic story of their hero come to an end. For them this movie is a masterpiece and that is why Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One is the best we've seen from the Potter Franchise to date.

The movie takes more lines verbatim from the book than any of its predecessors. Book fans will be smiling throughout as their favourite line gets its air time. And for the first time in Potter movie history people will not be leaving the theatre bitching about what wasn't in the movie. The decision to split the movie finally gave the filmmakers enough time to do the book justice. The slower moving pace of the movie may bore some, but really allows the characters to get their final payoff.

And of course these characters were the highlight of the film. Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have developed into three of the best young actors of our generation. Our favourite trio really flex their acting muscle during the fight between Harry and Ron, Harry and Hermione's walk through Godric's Hollow, and Hermione 's torture scene. For the first time we are away from Hogwarts and they cannot rely on the adult actors to pick up the slack, but they don't miss the likes of Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane one bit.

Director, David Yates, took a much more "artsy" approach to this film than they've had in the past making for some quite fantastic visuals. The animated "Tale of the Three Brothers" scene is beautifully done and really keeps you captivated throughout quite a long story which yet again is taken almost directly from the book. The panning scenery shots we see in this film add another layer of depth to this visual masterpiece.

Part One of the finale certainly does not pull any punches in the violence department between Bathilda's attack, Ron's splinching and the previously mentioned Hermionie torture scene. All of this leaves us wondering what surprises we could be in for during the much gorier and violent Part Two of the movie.

I couldn't finish this review without mentioning what is undoubtedly the saddest scene in a Harry Potter movie to date. If Dobby's death at the end doesn't have you tearing up you're probably Lord Voldemort... or at least had your soul ripped apart a few times.

Yes the movie leaves you on a hanging point, yes it wasn't 24/7 action, yes it didn't have the charm of the first few. But Deathly Hallows Part One had much more than that and if you're getting hung up on these details go join the critics who are bashing this movie and you can all get your hate on together because for the rest of us this movie is fucking brilliant.

Rating:

S-A-B-R-E +1

Harry Potter and the Prince of Potter Films

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince clearly stands above the rest of the Potter films. Everything from the character representations to the creative camera shots make Half-Blood Prince a smash hit.

For the first time director David Yates along with screenwriter Steve Kloves have captured the character of Harry Potter perfectly. Every aspect of Harry from the sarcastic comedy to the emotional time-bomb to the loyal friend was captured by the film. As opposed to previous films Harry seems like a decent guy instead of being stuck up and arrogant.

The movie was also helped along by Michael Gambon's best portrayal of Dumbledore to date. However the star of the show is undoubtedly Tom Felton. Felton had a very simple role playing Malfoy in the first five films, but in the Half-Blood Prince he brings complex emotion to the character. Especially in the final few scenes of the film, the Malfoy portrayed is incredibly believable.

The sets and camera shots were also very well done. New sets such as the cave, Borgin and Burkes, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes brought some refreshing changes to the series. The cave was especially well done, with the dark, creepy feel portrayed in the book coming off very well. The film used much more handheld shots than previous films, which were used to great effect. The film seemed much more natural, and it felt more like a glimpse into the wizarding world, than a "muggle movie".

The one main negative about the film is some very poor Harry - Ginny scenes. Bonnie Wright (Ginny) is a god-awful actor, there is no other way to put it. Unfortunately she wasn't given any brilliant material to work with either which led to some disastrous flirting scenes between her and Harry. Other than that the romance, though possibly excessive, was for the most part funny and true to the books.

Half-Blood Prince is by far the darkest of any Harry Potter film to date, and these dark scenes are undoubtedly the highlight of the film. The attack on the Burrow, the cave scene, the Sectumsempra and the final sequence at Hogwarts are all very well acted and emotionally fueled. These key scenes are not shoved into the viewers face like in previous Potter films, but they are subtly done adding an element of intensity.

Finally and possibly most importantly the film flowed like a film and unlike the fourth and fifth movies in the Harry Potter series it was not a highlight package. Half-Blood Prince is by far the slowest of the movies which gives the action and dark sequences a more meaningful impact. This slow pace didn't make the movie boring at any point, but gave it a certain balance that had been lacking in the past.

Overall Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a booming success that sets up perfectly for the franchise's two part finale "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".