Movie Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’

By Gabriel Stoffa
Ames247 writer

Well, it has finally come around to the penultimate film of the “Harry Potter” franchise.

Despite the late hours of opening showings — anywhere from midnight to 4 a.m. or so — fans stood in line, many in costume, to enjoy the beginning of the final chapter in Potter’s story.

The waiting in line may actually have been the most exciting part of the movie, as the actual film was a bit of a drag when it came to excitement. This isn’t to say the movie was bad or uninteresting — far from it, actually. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was an excellent movie, from acting to sets to effects to plot.

Of all the Harry Potter movies, this may be the best one since “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

The story follows the book very well, leaving out only a few of the popular fan scenes: the wedding scene would have been a lot cooler if it was extended, and more action from the Dursley family would have been nice.

The real problem with the movie was a problem that couldn’t actually be taken care of because the book was being followed so well. The first half of the final book is without much action. It builds the story creating the big confrontation and answering of oh-so-many questions at the very end of the book, which will be in the second part, to be released in summer 2011.

So, by following the story so well and making everyone so happy with the amount of detail, the movie feels very long. Personally, this made me even more excited for the action that should encompass nearly the entire final chapter, but that seems to be so far away.

Basically, I can’t say a whole lot about this movie. It was really good. It is a must-see in theaters. It is a must watch again in the future, but it is a bit of a task — this was especially true at the late-night opening showings — to remain focused and sit patiently through the entire part one and not want to fidget or go get another snack.