It has been over a week since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was publicly released, but it has taken me this long to fully process the movie. As I have mentioned before, as well as a large majority, I was personally counting down the days until the imminent arrival of 'Part 1 of the Epic Finale', and it was more than worth the wait. David Yates, who has directed three out of the seven films, uses the darker dynamic shooting style that was previously selected in The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and lays the groundwork for the final chapter of the series which is released in July 2011.
This is the first film in the series where the infamous trio, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, are not inhabited in the safety of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or under the watchful eye of Albus Dumbledore, who was murdered at the end of the previous film. Instead, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, are let lose among the chaotic streets of London, and other far off places, in order to flee from the evil wrath of Lord Voldemort, whose main purpose is to kill The Boy Who Lived. This harshness of their loneliness is emphasised in the scene where Hermione erases the thoughts of her muggle-parents of any memories they have ever had of her.
Bringing back the familiar faces of Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, among many others, there are new additions to the cast; Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour, and Rhys Ifans as Xenophilius Lovegood. It cannot go unnoticed that there is the return of the unforgettable house-elves Kreacher and Dobby, who are essential in the plot of part 1. All of the cast play the characters magnificently entwined within a plot full of darkness; at a time when the dark forces command and are taking over the wizarding world.
Personally, in the film, I believe that Helena Bonham Carter (pictured above) excelled as the dangerous and sadistic death eater, Bellatrix Lestrange. When reading the novels from Rowling's description, and before the films were even released, in my imagination Carter was the epitome of Bellatrix; thus, the casting of this character, in my opinion, is perfect. She has an air of mystery about her; she is endearing, yet frightful; she knows what she wants, and she will fight for it. Regardless of the fact that she has a keen obsession with The Dark Lord and is a member of the dark side, Carter as Bellatrix still manages to captivate.
I do not want to ruin the plot or give away too much of the most fantastic film that I have seen in 2010, so therefore, I strongly advice everyone to see the film for themselves in order to understand just how spectacular this movie actually is. Personally, I feel that this film is undeniably the most dramatic, horrifying, and captivating of the series yet, and indeed stays true to Rowling's original words as much as possible. With epic flying-battle scenes, new magic that has not been demonstrated before, and a few teary-moments too; Yates certain leaves the audience thirsty for more with a cliff-hanger like no other.
Now, is the heart-wrenching wait for the final part of the film, where the battle commences, and finally, there will only be one wizard left.
Will Harry manage to find, and destroy, all of the Horcruxes?
Who will survive?
Who will be the last one standing, the The Chosen One, or The Dark Lord?
I cannot wait to see how Yates transforms Rowling's mesmerising words onto the big screen, in July 2011!
