Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  Simply one of the best Potter movies so far. I have to say David Yates as director has grown with each movie and in this one he brings the love of the subject to the screen. Like it says its part 1 . . so much to cover that well many other characters have very bit parts but overall… More
  Simply one of the best Potter movies so far. I have to say David Yates as director has grown with each movie and in this one he brings the love of the subject to the screen. Like it says its part 1 . . so much to cover that well many other characters have very bit parts but overall its a great film.

• Thomas B

  
  Chock full of plot which often goes nowhere, as well as a painfully slow mid-section, this really is just marking time until the big showdown. Full review later.

• Josh L

  
  Every complaint raised against this movie is exactly why I loved it and consider it the high for the series. The three leads are absolutely fantastic, but especially Emma Watson who gives her best performance for the series yet. This is a dark and emotional movie that follows the book… More
  Every complaint raised against this movie is exactly why I loved it and consider it the high for the series. The three leads are absolutely fantastic, but especially Emma Watson who gives her best performance for the series yet. This is a dark and emotional movie that follows the book very well and sets up the finale nicely, even if it ends in a cliffhanger for those who haven't read the books (low percentage of audience at this point, in my opinion). Everyone said there was too much build up and not enough pay off, but the pay off is Part 2 and sometimes the journey is just as good or better than the end. I thought the pacing was fantastic in this one and much better than the job David Yates did on the previous film. He switches the tones and atmosphere better here than he has in any of the others. I looked forward to these final two forever after reading the books, and Yates and his crew have done them more than justice. The change in scenery and style after six books is a bit jarring at first, but this is a gritty and compelling story and has the emotional pull that some of the earlier installments did not have. We all knew going into this film that they would end on a cliffhanger, and yet some still complained. I've never understood this and don't agree with it. For my money, this is the best installment of the series. It breaks the mold and established Harry Potter as one of the fantasy greats.

• Eugene B

  
  Dark and edgy, Part I presents an ominous rise into its climatic finale. Though may lack in the expected action, the film does make a great set-up for its grand conclusion to come. 4/5

• Matthew Samuel M

  
  A well filmed part one of the saga's last installment. It isn't perfect, though, but sets the stage for the next, and arguably strongest end to a franchise we have seen since The Return of the King.

• Emil K

  
  I would never ever in my life guessed that director David Yates had this much talent in him. With his two previous entries into J.K. Rowling's realm i felt that he made superficial and hollow work as a director and offered absolutely nothing but completely forgettable… More
  I would never ever in my life guessed that director David Yates had this much talent in him. With his two previous entries into J.K. Rowling's realm i felt that he made superficial and hollow work as a director and offered absolutely nothing but completely forgettable blockbusters. But instead of making the same flaw again, Yates has made one of the best fantasy-films in past ten years and certainly the best Harry Potter film of them all. This is an epic adventure that has moments of true filmmaking magic at it's very best. This is not only a edge of your seat entertainment, it is sophisticated and deeply touching work of art. This is also emotional story that is not afraid to give enough time to it's characters and the chemistry between them. For the first time in Harry Potter film there is moments when we actually go deeper into these characters and learn something more about them. And for the first time time i cared about the fate of Harry, Ron and Hermione. I felt that they are deeply wounded humans who are confused and angry in the world gone upside down. There are wonderful and beautiful moments between these characters here. Actually i think that the film truly benefits from the fact that it stays mostly away from the typical setting of other Potter films. This time there is no ordinary or cliched story structure here. It is also first film in the series that is not built around the wizard school of Hogwarts. Instead we get complex story with rich characters and beautiful locations. At times the story even reminds me of a well made road-movie where close friends has to get along and learn something important from each other. Writer Steve Kloves perfectly captures the desperate feel of the story and how to balance action set-pieces with more character driven moments. With fantastic support from the gifted photographer Eduardo Serra, director David Yates uses autumnal and wintry locations into the great effect here. These calm and beautiful locations has rare kind of beauty and has atmosphere that none of other Potter films has achieved to reach before. One of the film's great highlights comes when two of the main characters share a dance together into Nick Cave & Bad Seeds brilliant O Children. It is a tender moment and has the quality of best possible drama. But it is not only the quiet moments that makes this a winner. There are edge of seat set-pieces along the way and you will notice when they come. With Deathly Hollows Part 1, director David Yates has created a masterful film. This is film that can be compared to the best films of Steven Spielberg. It has action, suspense, adventure, drama and romance, all of these in a one wonderfully constructed film. This truly is a brilliant film.

• Scott G

  
  People say that harry potter is amazing but others beg to differ but im with the people who thinks this saga is amazing! It presents all the points to make it good: action, some humour, drama and the energetic scenes that daniel radcliffe can sustain.

• Albert K

  
  I have never read ANY of the Harry Potter books nor have I seen any other Harry Potter book so for me to jump into the series on its near finale is a big smack in the face of all those following this series religiously. But I couldn't help but find that "Harry Potter and the… More
  I have never read ANY of the Harry Potter books nor have I seen any other Harry Potter book so for me to jump into the series on its near finale is a big smack in the face of all those following this series religiously. But I couldn't help but find that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" was expertly crafted. I can't recall an adaptation that has been created with so much production value and skill. The cinematography, acting, and pacing (even though I didn't know what the hell was going on) was spot on. A great movie. I'm sure it must've been even greater for those who have been following the series till now.

• Alexander D

  
  Let me make it clear that splitting J.K. Rowling's final book into two parts was a phenomenal decision. Book seven wasn't the longest, but it had by far the most events, the majority of which controlled the way the entire saga would end. But don't think that means… More
  Let me make it clear that splitting J.K. Rowling's final book into two parts was a phenomenal decision. Book seven wasn't the longest, but it had by far the most events, the majority of which controlled the way the entire saga would end. But don't think that means that DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART I is at all great. Sure, it's fairly decent, but as far as Harry Potter has gone, Radcliffe, Watson, Grint, Fiennes, AND Yates could have all done much better. At this point, we are jumbled on how this is going to end, and anyone who watches this without any background knowledge from the previous six films (particularly HALF-BLOOD PRINCE) will be lost on the plot. We're all perplexed by the mumbo-jumbo of whether or not Harry is going to find those Horcruxes (AND the Deathly Hallows--sigh!) and destroy the one who killed both his parents (how about that for seven years of planning revenge, eh?). More than anything, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART I is a road film. The whole series is for sure a fantasy saga, but the fact that this marks the only Potter film not to take place at Hogwarts stands out beyond every other genre and sub-genre. That said, number seven part one is a good improvement from number six. Both fans and newcomers will enjoy it, for sure, but it is quite imperfect.

• Tyler R

  
  The beginning of the end...and the end begins well. David Yates returns to direct his third Potter film and like he did with the previous two, failed to dissapoint. The once prepubescent trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on a quest to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all.… More
  The beginning of the end...and the end begins well. David Yates returns to direct his third Potter film and like he did with the previous two, failed to dissapoint. The once prepubescent trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on a quest to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all. They're out of the safety of hogwarts (Then again, it's probably debatable as to whether a place filled three-headed dogs, ghosts, hidden chambers and Robert Pattinson can be considered safe.) and they're on their own. The film starts off with a scene not in the books, but it sets the tone of the movie perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better opening scene. The journey soon begins and the vibe of the book is captured immediatley. The feeling of little to no hope and rising adversity is present and done really well. There are some slow scenes that tend to drag on and some scenes in particular I felt should've stayed the same as in the book. Besides that though, this movie was extremely faithful to the book. The slow parts are overshadowed by exciting action scenes, very well written dialogue, (Steve Kloves knows about writing dialogue, he's a very underrated screenwriter.) and some very good acting. My favorite thing about this movie is that it's self aware. The writers realize that there is a part 2 and this is the ultimate build-up to the final battle. The build-up was great and for a movie that doesn't really have an end, it has an exciting climax that will leave Potter fans wanting to see much more. The end of the film is played out perfectly and does a great job of creating a cliff-hanger. If you're a Harry Potter fan, I would highly recommend it, but if you're new to the series and this is the first film you see, you'll be as lost as Harry when he was in the maze in Goblet of Fire....that comparison probably made you just as lost.

• Emily A

  
  Hey look, Gordo from Session 9 is a Death Eater! One of the (many, many) pleasures of watching this movie is playing spot the famous British actor, but it is far from the least. I love watching the chemistry of the three main actors as they play off each other. They've worked… More
  Hey look, Gordo from Session 9 is a Death Eater! One of the (many, many) pleasures of watching this movie is playing spot the famous British actor, but it is far from the least. I love watching the chemistry of the three main actors as they play off each other. They've worked together for so long that they have a poetic and intuitive understanding of each others' timing and mannerisms. It's wonderful to watch. "Where's my wand?" Adunno-" "Give it to me!" No!" It also seems very organic the way Harry, Hermione and Ron have grown into people that can capably rise to the challenge of annihilating Voldemort and taking on his acolytes. I'm really looking forward to the second half, because I really want to see Snape. The ending is a rather natural split in the story too, and this movie stands on its own really quite well.

• Anthony L

  
  The cynic in me can't help but think they cut the book into two films to make a bit more cash but my sister (a huge Harry Potter fan) informs me that it was necessary and to be fair, the book does book pretty thick. That said, a lot of the film is spent with the three key… More
  The cynic in me can't help but think they cut the book into two films to make a bit more cash but my sister (a huge Harry Potter fan) informs me that it was necessary and to be fair, the book does book pretty thick. That said, a lot of the film is spent with the three key characters aimlessly walking through hills and countryside achieving very little. Still, for all the slow pacing and annoying teenage angst, it does get pretty dark! The opening scene was pretty shocking too, killing of one of the nicest characters of the franchise was disturbing but brilliant. It's just a shame that after such a great start it gets boring very quickly and never really recovers. It does look good though and I'm looking forward to the last instalment. Maybe I'd like it better if, and I'm surprised no one seems to have said this before, Daniel Radcliffe could act. There, I've said it.

• familiar s

  
  As visually captivating and as significant it might have been to lead towards the grand finale & for the series on the whole, I found this installment as "much ado about nothing" considering it individually. Hope the final one makes up for it if I ever get to watch it.

• Idrees K

  
  It was decent, yet I can't help but feel like they could've done more..

• Adam K

  
  'The Deathly Hallows' shuns previous Potter films and becomes a lot more darker and better. As the story develops the films picks up in pace and despite the sometimes poor acting, the script very good and overall the film, perhaps not the best in the world is very… More
  'The Deathly Hallows' shuns previous Potter films and becomes a lot more darker and better. As the story develops the films picks up in pace and despite the sometimes poor acting, the script very good and overall the film, perhaps not the best in the world is very entertaining. *** 3 Star

• Sophie B

  
  Good as a movie in itself however to leave a proper review I'd need to watch the series back to back as I'm not up to date on what's going on.

• Daniel L

  
  Best entry in the series.

• Louis R

  
  Cinematically and generally, it is one of the best, but the problem, and it is a big one, is that it is very much PART ONE. It doesn't have enough to stand alone as its own film, no big enough arc. It means the film feels very strangely paced and is always building slowly. It is… More
  Cinematically and generally, it is one of the best, but the problem, and it is a big one, is that it is very much PART ONE. It doesn't have enough to stand alone as its own film, no big enough arc. It means the film feels very strangely paced and is always building slowly. It is enjoyable to watch but it just trots along and then that's it. In contrast, the last part is all ending, so I would be very interested to see how they work cut together. It would be long, but possibly the best of the series. Who knows. Anyway, like Half Blood Prince, this is much better and more stylistically filmed- something we haven't really seen since Cuaron's handling of Azkaban, but Yates takes it further still, to satisfying effect. It's all blues and greys and sweeping shots. Lovely, and moody. This is where the central three characters have soom room to breath and a chance do some 'proper acting', expand their characters a little, and maybe prove their critics wrong. The results are mixed. Radcliffe is still a little self aware and although not appalling, can get a little dull. Partly this is due to the occasional but pronounced mis-step in Steve Kloves' usually smooth enough script. The odd line sounds a bit peculiar or slightly archaic or unnatural. Emma Watson is fine, as usual, nothing exceptional or disappointing. This is also a chance for Ron to do a little more than use mild profanities and crack jokes, and I suppose that goes okay. I wasn't blown away, but admittedly, Grint handles his darker scenes confidently. Good for him. It's pretty much as good as could be expected for an adaptation of this half, but the key problem is the funny pacing and story development. It leaves it feeling episodic and although we want more, it is more out of not having had our fill than having loved what we have seen.

• Tim S

  
  The money-making machine keeps turning, and now we come to the next to last film in the Harry Potter series - The Deathly Hallows Part 1. Instead of having a straightforward final part to close out the series, the filmmakers instead decided to divide the huge final novel into two… More
  The money-making machine keeps turning, and now we come to the next to last film in the Harry Potter series - The Deathly Hallows Part 1. Instead of having a straightforward final part to close out the series, the filmmakers instead decided to divide the huge final novel into two parts for the film adaptation. Again, I haven't read these books so I can't talk about how well-adapted they are, but I will say this: even though there are a lot of complicated and much-needed character dynamics going on this one, even more than the previous films, this definitely isn't the most jam-packed film story-wise. There are great gaps where hardly anything happens at all and the story has no momentum. I assume all of the great action set pieces are being saved for the final film, but if so, this film suffers for it. It's executed and shot well, and there are some nice moments peppered in there, albeit sparingly, but I'm really starting to feel that most of this could have been trimmed down and combined with the other to form a grand three hour finale. However, that's just my two cents. Now that I'm a bit more versed in these films and how they work, I await seeing the final part and epic conclusion to the series with anticipation. I just hope it has more going on in it than this one.

• Zach B

  
  Watching this film, two things went through my mind. The first was that, in terms of dark overtones and the aging of the series, this film finally shows how it needs to be, thus putting Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix rightfully to shame. With that film, it went from… More
  Watching this film, two things went through my mind. The first was that, in terms of dark overtones and the aging of the series, this film finally shows how it needs to be, thus putting Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix rightfully to shame. With that film, it went from darkness entering to series to just plain dark. But then restored some light with Half Blood Prince. Now the series has maturely aged into the darkness that this film is. The second thing that went through my mind was the same feeling I had when I first saw Kill Bill Vol. 1. The reason for that, other then this being the penultimate edition to the series, is due to how the film felt. Now, in terms of action, that is not what I am hinting at. It is just the feel that we are being teased and the great payoff will be coming up next. Now, with me watching this film, my overall reaction was just that: It done itâ(TM)s job by wetting our taste buds. Plus, it does the one thing that I have been wanting this entire film series to do: showcase the acting of the three main actors and show us how they have grown over the years. Now, are they able to pull that off? Well, letâ(TM)s see. First off though, we need to talk about direction. Ever sense his debut with O.o.P., I will admit that David Yates is now showing his talent for being behind the camera with this film. One thing, according to one director, that is hard to do would be filming for about an hour a card game (like War) and make it interesting. Due to most of this film taking place with them camping with them going to some locations here and there, it would be difficult to keep peopleâ(TM)s attention for even the longest of times. But, Yates shows he can direct a film to keep our attention and he deserves acclaim for this. He does not have the pacing go fast, but he does not have it slow. Besides, anyone that can make a film where we have our three main characters in a tent hunting small objects and make THAT interesting needs to have some talent. Now the acting. Due to this being a showcase of the talent of our three main kids (now adults), I will not waste your time by going into detail with each of them, but I will say this at least: They all shown that, in terms of talent and maturity, that they have grown. Seeing their chemistry together, and the way how Emma Watson (Hermonie) makes her character strong and tough plus focuses when Ron (Rupert Grint) leaves them to go out on his own. Yeah, that is what we need more in films: Strong female characters. And that is exactly what Emma Watson is in this film. Next the script. Taking the final book, and splitting it into two separate films, is the best thing this entire series as ever done. Now, the reason why is simple: there is so much development with the characters plus a crap load of revelations that have to be addressed that one film (unless it was going to be four hours long) would not be enough. So, this film is mostly just the exposition. But, what exposition it is! This shows exactly how I like to see a film: you get the plot, but it builds on itself, expanding what we know. It does not just support the plot. Too many films do that, but Steve Kloves just writes the screenplay that it expands on itself. Now, I know that this is an adaptation of a novel, but making the plot weak and not have it expanded can happen in an adaptation. But, luckily Kloves does this with justice. Finally the score. By now with the series, I just forget about the score. With the exception of Prisoner Of Azkaban, the score has always been the same and, for me, it is just not worth even talking about it. Overall, this is the best way to start off the finally, and the ending will leave you in tears. Bring tissues.

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