Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (2010)

I'm sure that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I is an adrenaline rush of a movie for dyed-in-the-wool Harry Potter fans who have read every book and seen every movie thus far. For someone who is not a "fan" but has seen every previous movie save one, it pales just short of a thrill ride but suitably holds one's attention from start to finish. As the first of two parts, this movie addresses the mortal pursuit of Harry Potter (and his friends and their families) by Voldemort and his evil league of traitors and assassins. The pursuit starts off with a bang and continues quite steadily through to the end of part 1. (Truth be told, much of the mid-flight tumult and mid-fight mayhem flings itself across the screen too fast for the naked eye to perceive. As a result, I felt cheated by special effects wizardry that was too sophisticated for its own good -- or slapdash since how am I to tell? -- and I wished for slow-motion views of the fight scenes so we could tell what is going on. Truth also be told, neither has it escaped me that the wizards' ability to instantly and frequently zap themselves from place to place on a moment's notice is a bit too deus-ex-machina: If anything can happen at any time, what happens to drama?) From an owl's-eye perspective, Harry Potter 7 part 1 becomes a string of aerial "chase" scenes interspersed by a spate of wand-zap "fight" scenes as Harry and his friends try to find and magically destroy the first of four "horcruxes" (crystal pendants) and discover the meaning of the sign of the "deathly hallows" (think of a folk tale with wizards standing in for the Billy Goats Gruff). In fact, the animated segment where the three wizards confront Death was very well done (because it amounted to a story rather than a blur). However, aside from the bare story arc of chase scenes and the window-dressing of special effects, the real drama and story should have been found in the friendship and loyalty held fast between Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Here we have a mixed bag that only each individual movie viewer can discern. Speaking for myself, I was suitably pleased with Hermione's maturity and commitment to cover Harry's back but disappointed with Ron's perfunctory performance. Even so, if you are inclined to see this movie, you are quite likely to enjoy it! 4 stars. (11-29-2010, posted 3-3-2016)