The Deathly Hallows: Harry Potter comes of age

The decision to split the film adaptation of the final book in to two parts proves to be correct.

Jza Rizvi February 22, 2011
The Harry Potter series has come a long way since the first book. The film adaptations have managed to stay true to J K Rowling's books and the latest film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the  seventh in the series - tells the darker side of the that story audiences world over have come to love.

The film takes us into the mind of Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all time whom Harry must defeat by the end of his quest. Unlike previous films, there is no attempt to tone down the dark cruelty of the Death Eaters, (Voldemort's followers) ; we see Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) torture Hermione Granger and Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) dominate the first few minutes of the film as an undercover Death Eater.

Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione are no longer at Hogwarts. Their relationships mature on their journey. We see differences creep in to Harry and Ron’s friendship and witness internal battles the friends have fought since the start. Romance also blooms in the film as Harry and Ginny grow closer.

It is the simplicity of the film that makes it so good. As far as adaptations go, it isn't always necessary to follow every line of the book you're filming as long as the director is confident that he can do it better. In this case no fancy alterations are made to an already great story; the original punch lines have been retained but director David Yates has brought a special flavour The Deathly Hallows - as he does with all his films.

Some of the best scenes are the scariest. For example the scene where Harry goes back to his childhood home to meet the famous historian witch Bathilda Bagshot, author of A History of Magic. Wreathed in a backdrop of darkness, Bathilda’s appearance brings forth a frightening outcome in the film. Her house, her strangled whispers and the discovery of the serpent Nagini are frightening sequences. This particular scene had some kids in the cinema hiding under their seats in fear - now that is true success!

Another memorable scene is the broom chase in the beginning of the film. The chase included Death Eaters chasing Harry and Hagrid and did not disappoint.

The Deathly Hallows has been appreciated by critics. The decision to split the film adaptation of the final book in to two parts proves to be correct.

A disappointing part of the film were Dobby's last words in the final scenes. Loyal house-elf Dobby's comes to a singularly unpleasant end in one of saddest scenes of the series. As Harry, the 'boy who lived' digs a grave for another one of his friends he decides which course to take in the future and the film comes to a grim close.
WRITTEN BY:
Jza Rizvi A copywriter at an advertising firm in Lahore. She is a graduate in Economics and is interested in sci-fi, fantasy and history
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (5)

Wasio Ali Khan Abbasi | 13 years ago | Reply I just saw HP 7 part one. Though it was a Cam print and a good one at that, I must say I was impressed by the energy of the movie. I believe that after Prisoner of Azkaban (also my favorite book of the series), this is the first movie that actually brought the magic to life. A few additions that suited the movie, much more dynamic acting (the trio this time really feel like characters from the book), excellent locations and wonderful storyline. The game though was disappointing. Weird controls, shoddy spell work and redundant fighting sequence making it boring to play.
Ron | 13 years ago | Reply Harry Potter is un-Islamic and there is lot of blasphemy in it. I would request my brothers and sisters on this forum to avoid it
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