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Harry Potter grows up

By Katy Wagner

Published Dec. 10, 2010

It's odd to think the Harry Potter films started hitting screens nearly a decade ago. For millions of Potter fans just like me, that means a near-yearly trek to a theater at midnight.

Sometimes this journey ends with glee and sometimes with disappointment. The Harry Potter films have had a hard track record, and the big screen installments have been more than uneven. The hardest hitch is often the inevitable comparison to the impossibly rich source material.

As you could tell from the handy "Part 1" in the title, it is clear the filmmakers decided to divvy up "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into two separate films. It's a decision that serves the film well, as it nipped screenwriter Steve Kloves' penchant for detrimental arc-consolidation in the bud. Everything in "Part 1" fits into the puzzle quite nicely, and anything that seems like a rough edge will be addressed in the next film.

Naturally, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint return once again as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. This, of course, marks their best performance to date, milking their chemistry for everything it's worth. And this time it's Grint's turn to stand out, allowing the cowardly Ron we usually see to twist into a growling ball of anger in the face of impending war.

The veritable menagerie of background characters has been deftly downsized for "Part 1." The late addition of Bill Nighy as the new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour was short-lived, but delectable. Most of the characters are barely seen, but don't fret. The entire stable will be out for "Part 2."

The unflagging focus on Harry makes this the first Potter film that is mostly about him. It was a great decision by director David Yates, who injected enough artistry into this film to elevate it above and beyond the franchise's usual fare.

Many film critics loudly complain that this Potter film is devoid of action and generally feels more like a prelude to a battle than an actual film. To this, I would like to offer up my favorite quotes from the incomparable Roger Ebert: "It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it."

If "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" is a preface to the final chapter, then it is a damn good one. How can you fault a film for being what it is?

Full disclosure: I have, at the time of writing this article, seen this film twice. For the life of me, I cannot find the plodding nature that naysayers are pointing toward. Are there big battles, a chorus of characters or a Quidditch match? No. But that is not what this entry is about. This entry is about Harry Potter out on his own, hopeless, yet forced by fate to press forward. This isn't the Harry Potter we are used to. This is Harry Potter growing up.