It’s hard to believe that it has been a whole ten years since the release of J.K Rowling’s first part of her cinematic masterpiece conclusion.
There was a lot of weight and ambition placed on the making of this film, with the franchise coming to an end after more than six previous films spanning over nine years.
Upon its release, the film unsurprisingly received mainly very positive reviews from critics and was a huge hit at the box office.
The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 takes place a short time after the events of the previous film – The Half Blood Prince – with the main trio of characters: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) setting out on a quest to obtain and destroy all remaining Horcruxes scattered throughout the world whilst being hunted by the relentless Death Eaters.
This time around, the film takes place entirely outside of the familiar wizarding school of Hogwarts, something fans had grown familiar with over the course of the previous films.
Instead, the environments are mostly based around UK areas such as London, in addition to more rural and green areas such as Swinley Forest.
Whilst it could be argued that the franchise had taken a darker turn from the fourth film, The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 definitely spared no time in presenting a dark and gritty tone that would persist throughout the entirety of the film’s duration.
This is mainly accomplished in part to the phenomenal acting from the stellar cast of actors, in addition to the outstanding score composed by Alexandre Desplat and extremely impressive cinematography delivered by Eduardo Serra.
Who could forget the outstanding camera movement and editing during the iconic forest chase scene in the second half of the film?
Once again, the film includes an ensemble cast of actors including the previously mentioned trio cast, as well as the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, John Hurt and even Helena Bonham Carter who plays the sinister Bellatrix Lestrange.
One notable thing about the film is that it marks the return of well-beloved and despised characters that had made appearances in previous films such as the clumsy – but loveable – Dobby The Elf and the love to hate antagonist of the fifth film, Delores Umbridge.
The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 also marks the third film in the franchise – directed by David Yates – who had directed the previous two in the series and would later go on to direct films in the spinoff franchise, Fantastic Beasts.
Whilst probably not on the same level of impact as The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Part One still has everything there is to love about a Harry Potter film, from the outstanding cast all the way down to the beautifully crafted fantasy score.
Overall, The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 will forever go down in history as one of the best conclusions to one of the best fantasy franchises in the industry.
By Adam Eaton
Feature image: MMM Reviews