Review of film: “HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1”

Review of film:  “HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1”

So many CHARACTERS, so little time to get a “program” & a “scorecard”!...

…  The latest “HARRY POTTER” film (# 7) is the 1^st of a 2-part story whose ending is set for release in the summer of 2011.  This film is a “SET-UP” for that movie.

…  In Part 1, Lord Voldemort (RALPH FIENNES) is holding a congregation of the “BAD guys” in the story (including Professor Severus Snape = ALAN RICKMAN) & Draco Malfoy = TOM FELTON) to discuss the best ways to find and get RID of Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFF)…

…  Harry is surrounded by his usual friends, including Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT) & other members of his family, and their dear and talented wizard companion Hermione Granger (EMILY WATSON), Rubeus Hagrid (ROBBIE COLTRANE) and others.  They devise a way to try to help him arrive at a “SAFE” house…

…  These are not “happy” times for Harry & his compatriots.  They have to expend huge efforts to try to find and destroy the remaining deadly Horcruxes--  only to find that there are even MORE DANGEROUS objects around in the form of three “DEATHLY HALLOWS”, which necessitates also seeking out them…

…  This film has the usual exceptionally creative & well-done SPECIAL EFFECTS, with changing images, scary creatures, multiple-direction “elevators” (involving having to confront Dolores Umbridge = IMELDA STAUNTON), numerous pursuits by Deatheaters, etc….

…  A good deal of time is spent by the 3 main “Harry Faction” friends spending time “escaping” & “searching” for various items in forests and rocky areas & the like.  At one point, “JEALOUSY” rears its head to complicate matters…

…  As you can tell, I am purposely NOT going into a lot of definitive “details” of the movie, because it’s those particulars that really make-up the “ESSENCE” of the film, which tends to include more “EMOTIONAL” involvements than previous entries in the series…

…  I found some of the film SLOW-going, mainly in the scenes of the 3 out in the “countryside”.  But, as unimpressive as the “pacing” was there, the SPECIAL-EFFECTS tend to “make-up” for that shortcoming…

…  Thus, I’m giving the film 8.25 stars (& being more on the lookout for its SEQUEL -- which I assume will “tie-up” the maddeningly-numerous “loose-ends”)…