Friday, January 28, 2011

The Reception Of Harry Potter 7

By Clarence Hart


Harry Potter was a big name back when there were only books, and now that there is an almost-complete movie series, it is an even bigger name. The latest movie, Harry Potter 7, is called The Deathly Hallows Part One, and was released to a US audience in November 2010. Critical and viewer responses were generally positive, though there were the occasional naysayers.

The Potter series starts with a young boy who is just finding his way in the world, and going on some adventures along the way. Without enough information to properly understand the severity of the situation, the first few books and movies are rather light-hearted. They progress along the way into the dark and anguished world of the wizarding war as the series unfolds, though. The Deathly Hallows chronicles the period immediately before the final battles of a war, and as such, is dark and fairly downtrodden.

As would be expected for the seventh movie of any series, this one throws you right in. There is no explanation for much of the goings-on, and viewers without the previous six films or books as background are likely to be hopelessly lost. But not spending time on explanations is both true to the books and a good choice for the films-- there's hardly enough time to tell the complex story in the time allotted even without some kind of recap.

The response to the acting was, unsurprisingly, nearly universally positive. Six previous films have spoken to the quality of the actors and actresses employed in these movies, and the young leads received their usual acclaim. There were few complaints among either critics or viewers about the performances of the youthful but talented Potter cast.

The main complaints among critics and viewers alike have to do with the fact that this is part one of a two part movie. The storyline is unfinished, and this first film contains a lot of set-up. While it is mostly true to the book and necessary for the plot twists of the second part, for some people, it seems to have felt stagnant at times.

The other main issue was with the amount of time spent by the characters pondering and anguishing about their situations. However, this particular movie is the build-up to an epic battle that will end the war once and for all, and the emotionally-fraught moments spent thinking about their mortality and uncertain futures felt appropriate to most viewers. The dark and serious tone of the movie is also very true to the book.

Pacing is always a contentious issue. Some people feel that it is too slow at the same time that others feel it is too fast. Deathly Hallows incorporates an action-packed beginning and end, with a slower, more thoughtful middle portion. Some people applauded this choice, while other found it intolerably fast or slow. More people were concerned with the slowing, than the speed. The pacing is quite authentic to the book, however.

Most people who enjoyed the previous films with like Harry Potter 7. And those that were disappointed with lapses of movie canon away from book canon will be quite happy with this segment. There are always detractors for a film this big, but the overall reception was mostly positive.




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