(Be warned, this review will contain minor spoilers, but nothing too serious.)
Wow. That’s about all I can say at this point. After seeing this movie, I must say I am very impressed. Going into this movie, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. I decided to take the approach of cautious optimism, knowing full-well that something was going to happen, or in this case not happen, that would make me feel frustrated with the film director, but I hoped that with this being not only the last book in the series, but the first part of the last movie in the series, they would go all out and make this one of the best adaptations in the series. They didn’t disappoint. Let me break down the process that I went through in the months building up to this movie, to give you a better understanding of how exactly I came to the conclusion I have arrived at today.
2009:
The decision is made to split the final film into two films so as to not leave out any important information. At first I’m ecstatic, thinking that finally they are going to do the book justice, just in time for the series to end. After the, in my opinion, abomination that was Half-Blood Prince, I was looking for anything that would point to this film being so much better than its predecessor.
The first trailer is released, showcasing many scenes from the film, including new footage, which brings questions about new additions. For the most part, it creates an enthusiastic buzz that the film is going to be all right.
2010:
Several more trailers, TV spots, and clips are released throughout the year, stirring the hornet’s nest of enthusiasm of fellow fans and myself.
The composer is announced: Alexandre Desplat, the man who composed music for Twilight. Immediately my hopes plummet, as no one can do the film’s score justice like John Williams, and for him to not return for the final movie just seems like a ridiculous decision on all parts. But, like with everything else, I decide to be cautiously optimistic that it will be at least bearable, especially after the composer says “John Williams’ themes haven’t been used enough in the past films, and I look forward to bringing them back into the film a lot more.” I begin hoping that John Williams will return for Part 2, and anxiously await the announcement.
I purchase my tickets for the premiere, and my excitement builds.
One day before the release of the film, I find out that a key scene for the aftermath of the film is left out, the fight between Harry and Lupin at Grimmauld Place. This infuriates me, as I feel like the filmmakers have betrayed us on their promise to make these films extremely faithful to the source material. This leaves me going into the film with a somewhat biased judgment against the film.
And that brings us back to now, 3:32 AM, November 19th, 2010. After seeing the movie, I cannot express how happy I am about how well it was done. While there were scenes that were shortened, rearranged, or cut out, or in the case of the mirror shard, items that were unexplained, I feel as though the overall feeling of the story was perfect. I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite adaptations of the books in this series, and it leaves me eagerly anticipating next July when the latter half of the film is released, concluding one of the most epic series in my life. I will be absolutely certain to be first in line to buy my tickets to the final chapter of this saga, and without a doubt, I will be fully prepared to be blown away by how spectacularly this series is going to end.
5 out of 5 Stars for me.
SW Collector
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