Film Review | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The closing chapters of the Potter saga are particularly hard for non-fans. Strung along for the experience as the young actors are rippling into adolescence and the cosy escapism of oh-so-British wizard romance gives way to a gritty climax, it’s only the purists who’ll be quavering and sniffling with the appropriate emotional resonance, while the rest of us sit in baffled silence, jolted out of our stupor by the occasional CGI-rich set piece.

But perhaps I’m just too old. I’m pretty sure a lot of people felt the same way while the Lord of the Rings saga was burning away at the multiplexes, and I was just as wide-eyed and, eventually, teary eyed by the time the curtains were drawn on that particular neo-epic.

And almost as if to usher in her younger fans into the murky and uncertain terrain of adolescence (the most hardcore of fans would have more or less aged in parallel to the protagonists), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (splitting the final novel into two), begins on a downbeat note, as the forces of evil close in on the now scattered Hogwarts alumni and the Ministry of Magic, run by Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy), who in the very first frame informs us unequivocally that “these are dark times, there is no denying.”

Rowling’s nose-less, serpentine epitome of evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has achieved immortality by storing parts of his soul in ‘Horcruxes’ and scattering them across the globe. Time is running out for the Hogwarts masterclass – Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) – because with a now-immortal body, Voldemort will cease full control of the magical world in no time. With no Dumbledore to guide them, the trio have no choice but to undergo a perilous journey for the Horcruxes, while Voldemort’s spies watch closely ever step of the way.

One thing is for sure – for all it’s grittiness, Deathly Hallows sure beats The Half Blood Prince. True, both are annoyingly transitional and ultimately unsatisfying unless you’re fully attuned to Potter lore, but this time around there’s simply far more action and dazzle, albeit on the gloomy side. Voldemort’s machinations always have a gothic panache, and Fiennes gives the role the necessary menace. I’ve always preferred him doing bad guys, as opposed to Oscar-baiting, broody cry babies. But maybe it’s just the lack of a nose that makes him appear less pretentious.

And for all the sagginess of the script (fans would argue that it’s a necessity), director David Yates has a firm, consistent grip on the atmosphere of the thing.

But, and especially with author J.K. Rowling on board as producer, it’s practically impossible to bypass a problem that afflicts all fantasy sagas, including (especially) Lord of the Rings: the scourge of the ‘walking around’ trope. In another Tolkenian borrowing, our heroes take turns to wear the Horcrux, which renders them weak and stressed out, resulting in a lot of moping that takes ages to become actual angst, and even longer to turn into a satisfying outburst (though Ron’s defeat of his jealous insecurities is given a rather dazzling embodiment). Ultimately it’s the climax that has to deliver the real goods… but for now, it’s only the fans that can be swept along. 

 
The most pleasant surprise, and the crowning piece of the entire film, comes in the form of an animated sequence which tells the origin of the titular ‘deathly hallows’, through a fairy tale narrative about the three brothers who acquired them. Put together by Swiss animator Ben Hibon, it recalls the quiet magic of shadow puppets and, coming two thirds into the film when all hope appears to be lost, encapsulates the overall mood wonderfully.