Mel at the Movies: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1

It’s the final countdown! Here, almost two months since I began this journey, I have seen all but one Harry Potter film! Its super exciting to think about how much more I now understand about this franchise, what makes it truly magical, and how filmmaking vs franchise continuation really plays a part in making this a fandom.

Now, as you fine readers who have been keeping up with my very so silly escapades have been reminded of time and again, I had remarkably little knowledge of the Harry Potter universe going into these films. That being said, I had one piece of knowledge that had been relayed to me after the release of the eighth film back in 2011. I guess it is general knowledge that while people may have other favorite films, there is a wide consensus that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & 2” are considered to be the best made films in the franchise.

This information has been squatting on the back of my brain like a squid, because this film also had the most open-to-the-public production issues wrapped around its creation. The final two films were shot at the same time, but the script was pending approval upon the conclusion of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Literally no one could write the second film until the strike was over. Our beloved Harry, at this point in time, was a pretty severe alcoholic which has been publicly noted by Daniel Radcliffe and others who had to work with him drunk on set. Not to mention with the absurdly popular commercial success of “Avatar” in 2009, I also recall there being a huge debate on whether or not the film was to be converted and released in 3D, which is by no means an inexpensive process.  

But even having only seen the first half, I already absolutely agree with this statement. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” reminded me what the standards for cinema are, and not just the standards for fantasy cinema either.

You can almost hear the beating drums behind the trio as each of them are shown packing up their lives and preparing, essentially, to never come home. It’s time to get our shit together, find and destroy the remaining five Horcruxes that we just learned about one book before the end, which is now two movies because it’s almost like that’s a lot to do for one final story.

The Durselys are irritatingly present, but thankfully brief. Ron gets a heroic gaze out over the swamp in front of his house. The most upsetting preparations of course come from Hermione, who despite her parents being basically absent throughout these films, erases the thought that they ever even had a child from their minds. This was probably the purest example of taking a moment from the books and still giving it resonance, showing, rather than telling. I didn’t need to know Hermione’s connection with her parents to know that this was a pretty messed up thing for a kid to have to do. But now, without the ties of parents and teachers to hold them back, they are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. I was emotionally prepared for the saddest of Cohen covers to start playing “And we won’t come back till it’s over, over there”.

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom, Ray Fiennes has called a super special secret probation meeting, specifically for us all to remember that he has a snake and now it has a name.

Actually, he’s called everyone together to discuss his wand problems; not a euphemism by the way. As the somber but wise John Hurt pointed out at the beginning of the series, Harry and the V-Man’s wands are made out of feathers from the same bird, or for you allegorical folk out there, they are literally birds of the same feather. Papa Malfoy makes a disturbing appearance at this time, he has apparently been playing failure baby whipping boy since “Order of the Phoenix” and in another moment that showed rather than told, we see an otherwise undressed important connection that a magical person has to their wand. Not only does Voldemort select Lucius’ to be the device used to kill young Harry, he also breaks off a part of it, snapping away what makes this sacred item individual, turning it into just a tool for destruction. Again, a cool little moment that held a lot of resonance without requiring too much explanation.

There’s also the name drop of yet another evil government guy. Later he becomes the new Minister of Magic right after we are introduced to yet another new Minister of Magic. These guys are to Harry Potter what weird generals are to “Star Wars”, there’s a new one per movie and I have zero investment in any of them.

Also, I just want to say to you, Ray Fiennes, I’m sorry your beautiful voice must continue to come out of a condom made from the flesh of a fetal snake, freshly cracked from the egg. I get that he’s not supposed to have a nose because it’ll make him look more skull like, but if that was the intent, the slits that they landed on were a real swing and a miss considering the borderline sexual baritone that comes forth from that face.

But anyway, we have a lot to cover in this flick, so it’s back to Privet Drive where Steve Kloves has dusted off the quick fire exposition cannon. Speaking of “Star Wars” generals, we have another Weasley brother to kill off now, and he’s marrying the French Barbie doll from “Goblet of Fire”. Also, apparently Nymphadora is neither Lupin’s sister OR his daughter! She’s his wife, who apparently had to be dressed as a teenager at the time of her introduction for maximum confusion up until this point. I suppose in the costumer’s defense, David Thewlis perpetually looks like everyone’s dad.

Polyjuice continues to be a relevant plot point, something I consistently enjoy as it’s a magical device that they keep using in new and different ways. In this particular case, it’s used to create the latest Coney Island attraction.

Yates manages to plug a little humor back into an otherwise astoundingly executed war sequence, because of course the reason for the Polyjuice is to use Harry’s friends and loved ones as decoys to get him out of Privet Drive, which I can only conclude has been magically enhanced to shelter Harry all these years? It’s still wildly unclear as to why no one had just snatched him from this house yet.

What occurs after they leave however is one of the coolest WWII dogfights I have ever seen, and not just because it actually takes place on brooms. The elegant nature of the use of Hagrid’s motorcycle and sidecar to evoke the feel of a real Indiana Jones style fire fight is very effective, and I just got to sit back for 10 minutes as Yates did his awesome thing, landing almost everyone at the Weasley’s house.

Mad Eye Moody does not make it. I’m still not entirely sure he isn’t a bad guy though, so I’m not saying he’s completely out of the picture just yet. Also, Harry’s mail slave owl sacrifices herself for the greater good. She is probably actually permanently dead. Also one of the twins is injured but ultimately not dead…yet.

We have a little awkward segue to establish relationships. They are meeting here at the Borough, a very public place that just screams target, for a wedding. This WWII movie cliché is up there with giving chocolate to children or cigarettes to women, but hey, at least I knew I was going to get a cool fight scene out of it later. Harry proceeds to awkwardly not hug his girlfriend as they really, really try to make up for the fact that no one who didn’t read the books until now got what Lupin and Tonks’ deal was. I also predict that one of them will die, as why else would they be trying so hard to establish this emotional connection now.

The kids thankfully get some re-group time and we have exactly what I wanted coming out of the last film, some good character moments where they really deal with the situation that they are faced with. Ron reminds everyone that not only is all of this bigger than them, but they openly finally admits that none of this could be done without Hermione, who is by far the backbone of this group. It’s very rare to see female characters get that kind of open recognition on screen, so that was a super nice moment.

The day of this wedding arrives, and despite the fact that they have literally worn tuxedo robes to a high school dance in this universe, everyone proceeds to dress like victorian Eastern European circus people on their day off. Also amongst the frivolities, a criminally underutilized Bill Nighy arrives as a Minister of Magic to deliver Albus “Brian” Dumbledore’s Will to the children.

Thankfully the sequence is met with a series of really beautiful gifts with very beautiful messages. I loved the concept of Dumbledore trying to give something of historical significance away that was not his to give. I get that it’s a clue for later, but I also feel like that is the most Dumbledore thing to do as a kind of final “fuck you” to everyone.

Low and behold, this wedding starts nice, a message arrives that Bill Nighy is already dead, and ends in a super Nazi death fire. Thankfully, in the briefest of moments beforehand, we are introduced to Luna Lovegood’s father, a man with no concept of personal space, both in person or in my heart. Again, it’s the smallest bits of humor that pace this film remarkably well.

That is, for the most part. If there is one thing I can say about the consistency between directors, there’s always an act that drags. This one thankfully gets it’s lull out of the way early.

This is the first film, however, to fall victim to what I like to refer to in film adaptations as a chapter story. This was clearly a cool chapter or two in the book with one or two focal points to move the story forward, normally at the beginning of the chapter and/or end, so they just filmed the whole adventure. This was the only time in the film I thought they were really trying to extend the script.

Thankfully, character work is used as the framing for this chapter story. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are separated from everyone at wedding in the muggle world, where they are still being chased by Death Eaters. We have a heart-wrenching moment where Hermione has to use the memory spell she used on her parents. I was not ok. This is also followed by the proverbial theft of one of the coolest “Dungeons and Dragons” items in the history of the game, because I can’t be the only one who noticed that Hermione has a flipping Bag of Holding, you guys.

From here though, the act starts to slip. We have one brief scene of the Hogwarts train where Neville Longbottom has apparently evolved into the SassMaster 5000. I didn’t even realize there was a school for students to go back to at this point in time. I’m not really sure why this scene was needed.

It was also inevitable for me to find this next part useless and remarkably unlikeable because within the same five minutes of air time, we are reintroduced to my most loathed characters in this franchise. Apparently Dobby is back to move along our A plot, as well as Dolores Umbridge to create conflict for our B plot.

Naturally I proceeded to pause the film, pour myself the largest glass of wine civility would allow, down the entire thing, then continue watching in a state of vibrating fury.  

The kids use Polyjuice to get into the Ministry to get a horcrux, while the script writer really tries to clear up some of the missed motivations that have been previously downplayed in the films. They do this specifically by making every war allegory you could possibly imagine all crammed into one sitting. I’m talking propaganda fliers, interrogations, even one of those “Oh, old so-and-so worked here for years, he always wore his jacket and tie” throw away lines. The cherry on top of this less than subtle motivations act is how they literally put Harry Potter in the body of a dude in a long black leather trench coat with a red tie.

Thankfully this is all broken up by the return of the horcrux to the trio, as well as yet another Harry Potter vision quest. Voldemort visits Gregorovitch, a man who had they not said his name I would have assumed was an Ollivander re-cast, and we see that he continues his search for a wand that can actually do some damage to Harry, as Lucius’ proved wanting during the airstrike battle.  

We then click back into the most English war film since the other one with Ralph Fiennes.

They have the horcrux, but it would appear that Albus Dumbledore’s secretive bullshit lingers even after death, like a wet fart. With no real idea on how to destroy the locket, they are stuck in their magical trench, day in and day out, listening to the radio. Radios and radio reports are often a huge symbol points in war films, as they are able to subsequently represent hope and provide an audio breaking point for overwhelmed soldiers. They all share the burden of the locket, a metaphor for time if ever I have seen one, as we get to learn more and more about the trio as the pressure begins to affect them in different ways.

Specifically, our weakest link comes in the form of Ron. This is not a surprise, but I think it’s a bit of a discredit to the character in what they chose to specifically hit upon. The dichotomy of his personality is played very well, much like what we got to see with Draco in the last film. The elements of trying to stay practical, while reminding his, on paper, far more talented friends that he is in fact still there and not to be ignored. He also reminds them that he’s the only one with living family still at risk in this world. These are sadly passing lines though, as what they choose to hit upon more heavily is the idea of adult, romantic jealousy.

Ron, under the pressure of the locket, decides to leave the party with a distressed, at best, reaction from Hermione. For the couple that has been established the most as a couple in these films, I wanted to have a better investment in this moment, but like many of the relationships that have been shoehorned into these stories, we’ve been mostly told how these characters feel about each other, as compared to being shown. Unfortunately this isn’t helped by the fact that after their first night with Ron away, Harry and Hermione receive a remarkably elongated dancing sequence that to unknowing watcher, comes off as very romantic. I would have never seen these two as a romantic pairing throughout these films if this scene had not been added, and it was remarkably confusing as a result. Considering the glossed over look in Radcliffe’s eyes throughout the scene, it would not shock me if the fault lay in the actor’s portrayal for that one.

Thankfully instead of kissing his best friend’s girlfriend, Harry turns to kissing snitches in his moments of soldierly loneliness. It was a weird plot point, but I was still weirdly on board. This coupled with a discovery that the Gryffindor sword is probably imbedded with Basilisk blood, thanks to movie two, the now duo has at least a semblance of an idea on how to start taking care of business. They decide to go to Godrick’s Hollow based on a symbol that the gang keeps seeing in various iterations in various places.This is where they believe the Gryffindor sword is most likely to be located, but it also happens to be where Harry Potter’s parents died.

If you wanted a creepy, Dickensian Christmas town, oh boy was this a treat for you. Filled with snowfall and graveyard regret, Harry and Hermione pay their respects to James and Lily before noticing that they are being watched. Basically three discoveries come out of them visiting the hollow. One, Albus used to be friends with a dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald, because these names had to get more and more German as we progressed. Two, apparently snakes can disguise themselves as people, which is terror inducing in its own right. Nagini has at no point in time been designated as anything other than a regular snake who responds to people who speak parseltongue. This was a huge leap in my suspension of disbelief. And finally, three, Rita Skeeter has written the most accurately titled book of all time.

They narrowly escape from snake attack, only to end up in yet another, possibly the same, forest, this time with the discovery that Harry’s wand has been broken. At this point in time, the logic got a little muddy for me. This somehow mysteriously leads to him following his own Patronus to a frozen lake where the Gryffindor sword happens to be. Instead of calling for Hermione to hold the locket while he retrieves the frozen lake sword, it’s time for Harry Potter to get naked with yet another magical object. I shudder to think how this boy reacts if he can’t find the magical remote.

That’s kind of his MO when he doesn’t understand how something works. In an attempt to save itself from a stranger-danger situation, the locket tries to strangle Harry. And then, boom, Ron’s back for some reason because his magical Galadriel lighter apparently also tells him where his friends are.

In a scene that was almost as cool as Ron vs. Wizard chess, we get to see this character kind of come full circle within himself. He gets to not only save Harry, but also be the one who retrieves the sword. It’s an undeserved moment, but because we got some of that serious character work from Ron earlier, you find yourself rooting for him way more. Harry and Ron have a nice little bro moment, before deciding to open the locket and see if this sword idea actually works.

The locket also does something cool, and then gross. A lot of how Ron has been defined throughout these films has been shown through his relationships with women and how he interacts with them. In an attempt to defend itself and isolate Harry, Salazar’s locket projects to Ron the idea that all of the women in his life have always preferred Harry. The cool thing that this idea plays upon is the idea of his Mother having yet another important, big deal son, something that Ron as a middle child has constantly struggled with since the first film. It gave nice dimension to a developing point that I hadn’t even thought of.

The gross part though is when someone decided that the way of showing this with Hermione was through a ghostly portrayal of her and the barely legal Harry, naked in a lip locked embrace. Considering that sex, not to be confused with romance, has been a distinctly avoided subject in these films, this computer generated sequence came from a strong left field and really rips you out of the moment. I don’t think they would have lost any viewers from not having it, so I’m not entirely sure what the point of them being naked was. Normally I’d claim this was a fan service, but I’m not sure who the target audience is.

Thankfully this was countered by Ron destroying the locket, as well as saving the day by making me forget briefly about the previous CG by reconnection with Hermione in what is essentially an actor’s masterclass session of talking. It results in a really sweet, almost fairy-tale sequence about how, while Ron doesn’t understand how the device Dumbledore gave him works, love is ultimately what helped him find his way back to them. It was very sweet and brought a single tear to my cold, unfeeling face.

Now that the gang’s all back and no one’s under the influence of cursed jewelry with Hitler’s soul inside, Hermione conveniently remembers that the cool symbol they keep seeing everywhere might actually have something to do with Papa Lovegood, since we saw him wearing a necklace with the symbol at the elder Weasley’s wedding in Act I.

The home of my favorite Ravenclaw lady does not disappoint. Apart from bringing the charm and humor back into the otherwise bleaker later half of the film, Papa Lovegood as a character brings a layer of depth to Luna that is particularly heartbreaking. This is a remarkably fragile man. Luna to her classmates might seem a little odd or unhinged, but this man clearly has good days and bad and as a result is very dependent on his daughter. Like I mentioned when Luna was first introduced, magic certainly takes its toll on those who wield it in very different ways.

Upon their visit to his cottage, Mr. Lovegood also gives me something that as a fantasy nerd I have been craving since film one, a good old fashioned legend. In a huge departure from anything else we have previously seen in these movies, a silhouetted story is played before us, telling the tale of three brothers who overcame death, if only for a while. The result is that the Deathly Hallows, three specific items, now exist and when brought together, the facilitator then becomes the Master of Death.  

As silly as the construct might seem, a good legend is important in a fantasy story, as for those being introduced for the first time to a new world, the legend adds a sense of not only history, but urgency. The stories of Voldemort at the beginning of the film held substance, but struggled to develop weight. The story of the Deathly Hallows really acted as an anchor for this series, showing a magical history that even many wizards were unsure of. It’s that extra layer to the world that breathes the mystery back in.

That being said, and I cannot stress this enough, I have to wonder why of all the things that Dumbledore could have left to these kids, his wand and a thoughtful note might have been the most useful.

Sadly, Daddy L-dog summons a series of Dementors to come and capture the trio, as the Death Eaters have kidnapped Luna and that was their demanded ransom. They are taken to Malfoy Manor, as Ray Fiennes has a penchant for being shitty about how nice the Nazi homes he is staying in are in his World War II films.

The gang is tortured, with an extra dollop of torture being dealt out to Hermione because she has already proven to be the most competent of the group. Draco continues to be super conflicted about the entire “being a Nazi” thing. It also seems that his mother is kind of along for the ride, both kind of dragged into this by a dominating patriarchal figure. Also Draco hasn’t technically killed anyone yet, so that I figure is worth noting. Also Ollivander is there! I’m wildly unsure as to why, but it was a treat nonetheless!

Through the use of a mirror that I cannot for the life of me remember where it is from, Dobby is summoned to, I begrudgingly admit, save the day. I wish they had shown a little earlier in the films how important apparating would become, as it’s cool but I keep forgetting that it’s an option and is clearly used as a major plot point now. He saves Luna and Ollivander while I got to sit back and watch a series of super cool wizard duels, at the conclusion of which he is killed.

I would say that I had a somber and dignified response to that death, but I think we all know that would be a hideous lie. I can at least assure you my cackling was kept at a minimum.

The whole group treats his death far more tastefully than I after escaping through his efforts by having a small funeral. In traditional war movie fashion, we get a shot of the general having to dig the grave of his private.

As if this movie needed a “The End…?” we are granted in the last few moments, a shot of Voldemort breaking into Dumbledore’s grave and grabbing his wand, which is the wand mentioned in the Deathly Hallows legend. Presumably this is one that can actually do some damage to Harry Potter.

In the wake of a summer of remakes and book adaptations, both graphic and literary, I think I had forgotten what real movies look like. With such a huge surge of success coming out of the 2000s for being able to market geek culture to the masses, we’re at a point of almost lulled laziness that after being mired in the malaise of it all season, this film was visually a breath of fresh air. I can say with all genuineness, the other films are fine enough adaptations. This is a flipping good movie. It’s fun, it’s engaging, it tugs at your heartstrings.

Now, as a LotR snob, I think I have been pretty good to moderate about keeping my comparisons to “The Lord of the Rings” film franchise at bay. Even my editor noted that I was surprisingly good, considering that this was the film where the emotionally manipulating jewlery needed to be destroyed. But there is something to be said when looking a comparative rate from great fantasy film making, as “The Return of the King” is currently tied with “Titanic” and the original “Ben-Hur” for the most academy awards of all flipping time. As odd as it is to say, fantasy is actually a genre for film with a standards level now. It doesn’t have to be these little B movies with men in robes throwing strobe lights, but nor does it have to be a rushed task of having a story told at me.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” reminds me that by comparison, those other 6 films weren’t up to the standard. Now, this is in part because the standard was still being developed. Because the Harry Potter franchise came to visual light in the stark, yet quick wake of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, there was going to be some catch up time for us to visually see where we were at. But as the other films came out, there was an opportunity to bring it up to that standard and it’ a bit of a shame that they didn’t because the character work they have allowed themselves to do in these past two films is way cooler to me than any textbook that can also bite. Having a story told at you vs being immersed in the story was retrospectively unsatisfying, and the characters took a real shift that I think it works better overall for the film making perspective.

That being said, what’s cool is that now that they’re here, that opens up a waterfall of opportunities for all future Harry Potter franchise films.

Also it was cool to see Hermione finally doing some serious damage in this film. She’s pretty consistently the backbone of these adventures, but to see recognition and a chance for the actress to really stretch her acting chops was really nice.

Only one more to go folks! I can’t believe it! So going into my final Harry Potter film, these are my last thoughts.

1. Weasley Twins: One of you is going to die in the next movie. I will stake ten dollars to the entire internet on this fact.
2. Shirts: They miss you, Harry Potter. Please keep them on more often.
3. House Elves: May the idea of them stay buried in that vault where they hid the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders.
4. Dumbledore: Even in death, you had to make it complicated, didn’t you dude.
5. Voldemort: Hi, yes, to whom do I speak about getting you a nose, sir?
6. Always: I see this word associated with the deathly hallows symbol and it is the only thing that continues to elude me in this franchise. Is it a thing that happens in the next film? Did I just miss it in this one?

It’s all about to come to an end, friends! Join me next week for the final chapter of “Mel at the Movies: A Harry Potter Experience” as I talk about finally seeing the whole Harry Potter series!