MyRating: YYY1/2Director: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Bill Nighy, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images and brief sensuality
The mega franchise of Harry Potter finally comes near the end of its wizarding tale. This phenomenal series based on the hugely successful novels by J.K. Rowling is unarguably the biggest movie franchise in the movie history, as its first sixth installment movies have collected a total of US$ 5.4 Billion worldwide (US$ 1.7 Billion in the U.S.). And the release of its each previous installment has always been surrounded by big hypes, not only created by the hard-core fans of the novels, but also by the fans of the movie series itself, and definitely by the fans of both. Even though if you are not really a fan, most probably you will still be carried over by the hype. It's simply because we have followed the story of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and their Wizarding World since they were kids, therefore, we surely do not want to miss the very end of their fates.
This first film of the two parts from the seventh and final installment of Harry Potter series follows the story of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) on his quest to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) to attain immortality. Together with his best friends, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Harry has to move fast before Voldemort, as his longstanding enemy is getting stronger and stronger, and has gained control over the Ministry of Magic and the School of Hogwarts. They have to defeat Voldemort once and for all, before the Dark Lord gains his full power over their Wizarding World and kills Harry Potter.
This is a good beginning of the end, as the story gets more intense, before rounding up to the finale next Summer, when Part 2 is to be released in July 2011. Harry, Ron and Hermione have to take their adventure out of Hogwarts now, into the woods and wilderness in order to find the Horcruxes, and running and fighting the Death Eaters. And this time, they were alone. It was interesting to see their adventure with the settings outside Hogwarts. The cinematography was excellent. Actually the movie itself in overall looked very beautiful due to its wonderful settings, solid and colorful visuals, and cool special effects. The movie was packed with more actions than before, and the story was getting darker. The story did not always move fast, as it took its time to develop (no need to rush as they have two movies to execute everything). The result is one enjoyable Harry Potter movie and one of the best in the series.
There were also enough character developments with more emotions involved. The trio Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint showed good performances, with interesting friendship and love attractions between the three. And they have grown up into young adults. This movie was also the most matured one from the series. There was one provocative scene, which was the nude kissing scene between Daniel and Emma, with their bodies covered by fog. Of course it was CGI made up, but this sensual scene at the same time, once again, proclaimed that our heroes have grown up. It was an unimaginable scene when we first watched them in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone around 9 years ago. It's amazing to see how they've grown in this 10 years time period.
This movie will surely satisfy the fans. For non fans, you will most probably still feel entertained as this was a good one, unless if you are a Harry Potter hater. It will be interesting to see how it all ends next year. (MJ)
