Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 review

by Shannon Lintott

It’s a pretty big year ahead for movies, especially with anticipated films like the final Harry Potter, part 1 of Breaking Dawn, the 3^rd Transformers movie, the next Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hangover 2, X-Men First Class, Cowboys and Aliens and the list goes on and on.

But before you move on and get cozy with 2011 here are a few films from 2010 that were so fantastic that you really shouldn’t let them slip past you:

Buried

(Starring Ryan Reynolds, and only Ryan Reynolds)

A man is buried alive and he has no idea why.

And that’s all you should really know about this film. Best performance by Ryan to date, that and it is the best suspense/thriller of 2010. Hands down. I had a nervous breakdown while watching this movie. I cried because I was so anxious that I had no other option but to sweat and cry. It’s strangely one of the best action movies of 2010 too – you’ll understand when you watch it. You really should watch it. Really, you should. Really.

The King’s Speech

(Starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush)

The true story about King George VI and his battle against his speech impediment. Best performance by Mr. Firth to date! Yes, even compared to A Single Man which is also fantastic but from 2009. The story is fantastic. I really had no idea it was going to be as inspirational as it was. I generally couldn’t care less about anything concerning Royalty but this movie wasn’t about that at all. It was about one man that over comes his life long struggle, one day at a time. Stunning film. Very emotional and very funny at the same time. Geoffrey Rush was a nice bonus.

127 Hours

(Starring James Franco)

One of the most anticipated and discussed movies of the year. This film will test you. It’s not as gory as everyone makes it out to be…well, it sort of is, but only for a few minutes. The rest is watching someone summing up their lifetime and getting the most intense wake up call of life. Fantastic and mind blowing performance by James Franco. Really something you must see. This movie got me thinking really hard about my own life and how each choice I make has an effect on who I become. Anything that can make me do that and not feel emo about it gets a high five. This one gets a high five and, uh, a sundae. Win! The gross scene is worth it, if you stick in there and find the courage I guarantee you’ll find something you like.

Inception

(Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

Out of all the movies on this list I truly believe that this one was the biggest hit. It was built up and built up and then it came out and blew all expectations out of the water. Think of the best thing you can and then magnify it by 10 and you’ll get Inception. Action, thrill, humour, imagination, amazing characters, stunts you’ve never seen before and a concept that will make you over think everything in your life for days. Definitely an ultimate favourite, Leonardo was great but Ellen and Joseph really shine in this film. And that ending…if you don’t make some kind of noise seconds before the credits than you must have watched another movie. Fantastic. Best ending to a movie ever. Such an intense and original script. See it!

Black Swan

(Starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis)

This movie seemed to come from nowhere and then swoop down and dominate all film discussion, websites and festivals, and rightly so. This is definitely something you’ve never seen before and probably won’t ever see again. It really is a horror/thriller film. You wouldn’t think so at first, it starts off and you’re a bit confused as to why it got so much hype. Then…Bam! It hits you across the face and you cannot look away until the credits roll. Portman is stunning. I actually loved Mila Kunis in this role, she was fantastic. It’s messed up, dark, beautiful and might give you nightmares. What a great combo! It’s as good as everyone told you it was, maybe even a little bit better than you thought.

TRON: Legacy

(Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde)

Nerds unite! The first time I heard of this movie was over two years ago and I have been giddy waiting for it to get here. I had really high hopes and dreams for this film and was kind of expecting it to disappoint. Don’t ask me why, I just wasn’t sure with the Disney aspect and all the hype if it would be good…ohhh boy. Did it ever complete my life! The story was awesome, acting was great, action was flawless and it had one of the best soundtracks ever (Daft Punk!). I’m not a 3D fan but this movie made me okay with the switch to 3D. It was awesome. Such a wild ride, so beautiful and so much better than I ever thought it could be. This is one that is worth going to see in theatres.

The Social Network

(Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake)

I hate Facebook. As soon as I heard this movie was coming out I let out a loud and obnoxious grown of disapproval to my unfortunate friend and yammered about how a movie like that could never be good. How deliciously wrong was I! This film is fantastic. Jesse was amazing, heck, even Timberlake was amazing. The story was way better and far more engrossing than I ever expected. I was unable to even talk about it afterwards because I was so shocked by how good it was. A must see for everyone. Even if you don’t like Facebook you will love it. It isn’t even about Facebook really, it’s about everything else.

Kick Ass

(Starring Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz)

I wasn’t even going to see this movie because it looked cheesy and lame. After a friend suggested I go and I did, this is what happened…Story: Awesome. N. Cage: Rocket awesome. Aaron: hot and awesome. Chloe: movie stopper of awesomeness. Action: Melt your face and your mind into lime Jell-O that is awesome. This movie is kick ass. I know, hold the eye rolling and the sighs of “did she just say that?!” because it’s true, it really is true. This is one of my new favourite action movies. It’s not your classic super hero flick, it’s hilarious and real and Chloe is enough reason alone to watch this film. She will rock that little nerd/action heart of yours. Some scenes in this movie are too epic and amazing to sum up in words so I shall just say this: see it!

Toy Story 3

(Starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen)

So good! This movie is flawless in every way. It made me feel just as good, if not better, than the first time I watched the first Toy Story years ago as a child. That should be saying something.

It may have even been more of an adventure and more hilarious to me now than the first one did to me then. There isn’t much else I need to say here, this film is fantastic for everyone. I love these toys!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

(Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin)

This is a fun movie. I haven’t been a Michael Cera fan in a long time and I was really hoping this movie would make me like him again and it did! Woohoo! He was great in this role. Really awesome. Kieran Culkin was pretty hilarious.

I just liked how different it was compared to other comic book to film type movies. It was quirky and weird but also hilarious but with really good fight scenes. I hope this turns into a cult classic, if it hasn’t already. It’s so much fun to watch.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

(Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson)

I was really glad when they announced the movie would be in two parts because it would’ve sucked if they tried to cram everything into one film. This may in fact be my favourite Harry Potter movie to date. I wasn’t sure at first but the more I thought about it the more I loved it. It’s dark, it’s emotional, it’s intense and all three actors really shine in this film, especially Rupert. Fantastic job. I was kind of shocked by how amazing he was this time around. It was great to see the characters you’ve loved and thought you knew change before your eyes. This movie really made them seem real, more than ever before. I felt so connected to them all throughout the movie. Cannot wait for Part 2!

How to Train Your Dragon

(Starring Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler and Christopher Mintz-Plasse)

This is one of the best animated kids movies I have ever seen! It’s even one of my new favourite over all movies of all time. The story is amazing. The characters are weird and hilarious. Also, come on, it’s about dragons! Who doesn’t like dragons? I was completely engorged in this movie from start to finish and when it was over I wanted to watch it again right away. It made me feel like a kid again…I really want a pet dragon.

Shutter Island

(Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Emily Mortimer)

This movie had a ton of hype around it for what seemed like forever. I remember when it finally came out in February and everyone was talking about it. For me the big shock at the end was not so shocking, I sort of had a good idea of what was going on about half way through. With that being said it didn’t stop me from being glued to the screen during its entirety or still loving when the big climax came around. Leonardo was the perfect choice for this role and it was so good seeing Mark Ruffalo by his side. I’ve always liked that guy. It’s suspenseful and mysterious and just a really good story. It’s a movie that will stick with you.

So, check these movies out before watching the upcoming Golden Globes and Academy Awards!

Shannon Lintott works in production at a professional theatre company in Toronto. A recent graduate of the Ryerson Performance Production BFA program, she spends her free time exploring the internet, taking photographs, reading or writing on one of her numerous and addictive websites. The majority of her time is spent watching movies and reviewing them on her movie review blog I Like (good) Movies. Follow Shannon on Twitter.

by Shannon Lintott

The epic story continues as Harry, Hermione and Ron begin the search for the Horcruxes. In a race against Voldermort’s rapidly increasing army, Harry and all wizards must begin to make sacrifices, take life or death chances and in some cases walk away from those they love. The discovery of an old legend of the Deathly Hallows, the most powerful artifacts in the wizarding world, may change the outcome for both sides.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I’ve grown up with these characters so I feel an extra intense connection to everyone and everything they go through. I am one of those people who was glad when they announced it would be in two parts. The book covered so much, not only action and plot wise, but so much character development and interaction takes place, especially within the first half of the novel. Therefore, I knew this wasn’t going to be a fast action and rapid paced film and going in knowing that made the conversations and little character developments all the more delicious.

All actors involved have been absorbed into this world completely and you can see how intense their connections to their characters are. The most beautiful scenes were ones filled with behind-the-back faces and quick looks to one another. The built-up tension and a truly believable past between all characters made this film so personal and amazing.

An interesting note, at least for me, was I found myself paying more attention to Rupert (Ron) a lot more than in any other of the movies. I’m not sure why but he seems to really be blossoming as an actor these days and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Dan (Harry) continues to give 100% and watching him change and grow as the character only strengthens this already strong and dark story. I could tell he dove a little deeper in each film but this one he seemed to let himself go which made it all the more enjoyable of an experience watching him on the screen.

And actually Emma (Hermione) was the least amount of annoying since the beginning of time so that was good for me too. Definite plus! No offense to her, maybe it was just the way she played Hermione, but it’s taken me awhile to warm up to her but I have no complaints this time.

Ralph Fiennes continues to amaze me as Voldermort. I never have and never will have a single bad thing to say about his performance. He blows me away every single time.

The movie had a pretty constant, moderate pace throughout but when the action started to happen, I was on the edge of my seat or bunched into a seat ball of anxiety. It was all really well done. The directing, script and score were all so amazing. There was a perfect balance between the story and the characters.

The only down side was that some of the scenes dragged on a little too long. They weren’t boring. No, no, not at all. But they did need to have a more even pace when it came to scene changes and flow from a personal scene to an action shot. It was so minor though that it didn’t even matter.

Needless to say I loved this movie. I cannot wait for the next one! It is going to rock me to the core. I liked where they ended it. I was worried about that, but they picked the perfect spot. Hat tip for that!

Most memorable scenes: the dance scene, when the Horcrux opens, the story telling animation of the Deathly Hallows tale and, of course, Dobby and the end.

Sit back. Enjoy the characters. Get to know them even more and love the interactions that take place. Don’t mistake carefully thought out and planned dialogue/conversations for bad edits. You could easily allow yourself to get bored if you don’t understand the importance of every scene. Just listen and you’ll get how every word spoken is important.

Loved it!! See it. Even if you aren’t a Harry Potter fan you will appreciate this movie.

Rating: 4.5/5