Film: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

I'm sure I'm not the only ardent Potter fan who found the screen adaptation of the sixth instalment a horrendous disappointment. After a roaring and action packed fifth film, the sixth seemed sloppy, with a story-board that was apparently hastily hacked together, an infuriating and nonsensical fight half-way through and an ending in the form of one fat anti-climax which screamed "we ran out of money!" In short, they ruined what is, in my opinion anyway, the best book of the series.

In light of this, it was with trepidation that I set out to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You may wonder why I bothered, what with holding the preceding film in such contempt, but the truth is I sobbed like a baby when I closed the seventh book some twenty-four hours after its release in 2007, and I'm not ready to let my favourite franchise go just yet. In any case, I am happy to report that the penultimate Potter is well and truly a return to fifth-film form, and my doubts evaporated almost as soon as Bill Nighy in his role as Minister for Magic uttered his opening lines.

This is the only story in the Harry Potter series that is not set within the confines of Hogwarts. Instead Harry, along with his unshakeable best friends Ron and Hermione are on a quest, a quest to capture the Horcruxes, scattered pieces of evil Lord Voldemort´s soul, in order to destroy them and ultimately bring about an end to him and his reign of terror. That is, if the Death Eaters, Dementors, rogue bands of  "Snatchers" and the enormous snake don't manage to kill them first. Armed with nothing except their wits, wands and some cryptic gifts left to them by the deceased Albus Dumbledore, Harry and his two friends set about discovering not only the whereabouts of the Horcruxes, but also a new mystery in the form of the tale of the Deathly Hallows, undertaking the most important and terrifying adventure of their lives.

And it is terrifying. This film is much darker and more brutal than any of those that have predeeded it, scenes of torture and death pushing the young actors to new emotional depths. There are scenes when even the most unshockable adult will jump backwards in their seat. However, that isn't to say that there is none of the usual trade-mark Potter joviality in places; Ron still has his humorous moments, whilst the return of Dobby the house elf should raise a smile or two. The Deathly Hollows is also particularly moving in parts, most noteably when Harry and Hermione, alone in the wilderness, share a dance to Nick Cave´s "O' Children", finding a brief moment of happiness amongst a world of fear and hurt.

Whilst the focus of the film is undobtedly on the main three characters and their battle against their nemesis, there is, as ever, a great network of supporting actors, with the likes of Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Helena Bonham-Carter as evil and twisted Bellatrix Lestrange and Rhys Ifans as the eccentric Xenophilius Lovegood adding a vibrancy to an already excellent film.

For once, the people responsible for whittling down over 600 pages of novel into two two-and-a-half-hour cinematic chunks have turned in a stunning performance. They've succeeded in cutting down dramatically the vast expanse of plot given over in the book to Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting around the countryside whinging, and concentrate instead on the action scenes, allowing the film to roll along at such a pace that you'll be wondering how the end managed to come around so soon. There are perhaps a few too many scenes involving Daniel Radcliffe sitting moodily about in forests, but not so many as to make the audience switch off. In any case, there's always another battle just around the corner and the action never stays dormant for long.
 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is undoubtedly the best film in the series so far and for the first time, I can say that avid fans such as myself will be able to feel that the book has been done justice. It just seems a shame to have to wait until next year before finding out if Part 2 is just as good as its predecessor.