Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 by Jessica Cree

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010)
Director: David Yates
Duration: 146mins
Rating: ****

This, the penultimate episode to the Harry Potter volume, is scarier, darker and more magical than any of the preceding films; a needed boost from the perhaps somewhat duller Half-Blood Prince.
This edition sees Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their challenge to find and destroy the four remaining Horcruxes - which each contain a part of the Dark Lord’s soul - to be able to diminish his increasing power and ultimately rid the wizarding world of his evil. A large part of the film is spent with the trio on the run from danger after Bill and Fleur’s wedding, which was dramatically gatecrashed by Death Eaters searching for Harry. Whilst this part does seem slightly dragged out, as none of them have any idea where they are headed, I agree with Yates’ decision not to cut any parts as despite being slightly padded out, they were beautifully shot, in great locations and helped to add to the brewing tension in the group.
The film, as well as being the spookiest volume to date, does have some rather touching moments including a dance between Harry and Hermione, which was not in the original book, and the untimely death of one of Harry’s sweetest friends. The viewers were left gasping by the cliff-hanger ending and on leaving the cinema I heard one fan declare that they couldn’t believe that they had to wait until July next year for the final chapter.
Before the film began, staff at the MetroCentre IMAX gave a special announcement explaining why we were not given our fetching 3D glasses. Warner Bros, despite having a reported budget of $250 million, decided to cut filming in 3D part way through, as they didn’t believe the quality was good enough. This is something that I personally hope will be rectified for the final instalment, as there were some scenes, which had evidently been intended for a 3D screen and would have caused extra shocked screams from the audience!
3D or not, this film is the best yet in the series and a must see for Harry Potter geeks like myself or for those wanting a magical night at the cinema.