Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

It's the beginning of the end. The first part of the final installment of the Harry Potter series has been released in cinemas. For many fans of the series, this marks the start of a long rollercoaster leading up to the release of the final film in July of next year.

As with all book-to-film adaptations, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will have divided many fans' opinions. Some will be disappointed, however others, such as myself, will be very pleased with the way it was translated from J.K. Rowling's novels.

Highlights

For me, the highlight of the film has to be the outstanding sequence telling The Tale of the Three Brothers. The ethereal nature of the animation, accompanied by the music and narration by Hermione created the perfect atmosphere, and I loved the way that everything seemed to flow together effortlessly.

However, there were a number of other scenes in the film that I also felt were done very, very well. In particular, I thought that the opening montage of clips worked brilliantly in order to set the tone of the film, which was then continued on into the Seven Potters sequence. During this, I found the arrivals at The Burrow after the battle to be noteworthy, especially the return of Remus and George, in which the shock and horror of the moment was shown very well.

After this, came the wedding. I loved the whole atmosphere this created, and the sudden change with the arrival of Kingsley's patronus was chilling. This brings me on to the next scene: The Ministry. The performances from all actors involved in this were fantastic, and David Yates seems to have brought out the best in every single one of them.

Another scene I have to mention is the one in the Graveyard and Godric's Hollow. This was extremely poignant and moving, with very few words being spoken between Hermione and Harry. A very emotional scene that also cannot go without mention is Ron destroying the locket. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson gave this scene their all, and it shows. The sexual nature of this was also very haunting.

Standout Performances

As mentioned above, almost all of the acting was absolutely amazing. You can tell how much all of the trio have matured throughout their time acting, and the film does them all justice. However, I have to particularly point out Rupert Grint, who showed himself to be a sensitive and versatile actor, particularly at Malfoy Manor and when destroying the locket.

Again, as I also mentioned above, the acting during the scene at The Ministry was of a very high standard. David O'Hara, Steffan Rhodri, Kate Fleetwood, Sophie Thompson (who may be more familiar to British audiences as the abusive Stella from Eastenders) and, of course, the wonderful Imelda Staunton, who seems to have been born to play Umbridge, all were fantastic.

As far as Death Eaters go, Helena Bohnam Carter, Jason Isaacs and Alan Rickman shone through. During the trio's period of captivity in Malfoy Manor, Bonham Carter's sadistic attitude was used in the very best way, and during the earlier scene that took place in the same setting, Isaacs really captured Lucius' hidden distress and anguish, while Rickman's deadpan acting gave nothing away.

The Newcomers

As well as the return of many familiar faces, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has seen a number of new actors join the cast.

The most prominent of these was Bill Nighy, probably best-known for playing Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, who played new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. His performance was extremely convincing; he looked the part, sounded the part and acted the part. However, I feel that Scrimgeour's "toughness" was not emphasised as much as it was in the books, and he seemed slightly weak, especially for someone once head of the Auror office.

Another notable performance came from Rhys Ifans as Xenophilius Lovegood. I enjoyed his performance very much as well, and thought that his portrayl of Xenophilius' quirks and idiosyncrasies was very good. I also liked his Welsh accent, although felt that it didn't seem to fit in with his character, and was a little too prominent, standing out from the rest of the cast. Saying this, his acting was fantastic, particularly the change in his character seen in the Lovegood's kitchen.

For many, a memorable performance was also given by Nick Moran, playing lead snatcher Scabior. I found his threatening performance to be reminiscent of those given by Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape in the earlier movies, and liked this greatly. His character was made to seem intimidating and sinister, and felt that the addition of his character in the film was a good choice by the directors.

Finally, I must also mention two of the actors who played more minor roles within the film. Domnhall Gleeson, son of Brendan Gleeson (otherwise known as Alastor Moody), played the role of the Weasley's eldest son, Bill. I was immediately convinced by his performance as well, which fitted in perfectly with all of the other members of the Weasley family, and I very much look forward to seeing more of him during Part II. The other is Matyelok Gibbs, who took on the role of Auntie Muriel. Her loud, brash performance worked extremely well for the part, which although played a smaller role in the film than in the book, was very accurately written and acted.

Verdict

I was very excited at the news that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would be split into two parts, feeling that it would allow the film crew to do justice to the novel. And I wasn't disappointed.

Although a number of the sub-plots were cut, or significantly reduced, all of the fundamental elements of the book were included in the film. I feel that the standard of acting has never been higher, that the special effects were amazing and that the overall adaptation of the book was very accurate. Many of the original lines were included in the film, which also made me very happy.

The film sets up Part II well, and I, like many other fans, am looking forward greatly to next July, which will see the conclusion of the series that has captured a generation.