Two guys, One film (film review sample)

Film reviews for starcityblog.com Written review of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” on Saturday, November 20th, 2010:

How does one review a movie like “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”?

Does it matter what a “film critic” says when it comes to a movie like this? The Harry Potter films have dominated the 2000s, from the “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” released in 2001, to this weekend’s opening, which covers the first half of the seventh book and was directed by David Yates. The “sold out” signs hanging on the front doors of the theater almost a month before Friday’s midnight showing suggest it wouldn’t matter if someone said, “It was a horrible movie” (it wasn’t) or “The acting is weak” (it’s not) or “The script is poorly written,” (it isn’t).

I have to admit that I always thought Daniel Radcliffe was a little twitchy,  a bit awkward. Once upon a time, I would have even said, “He’s a poor actor.” But who cares if he is? He’s become Harry Potter (as sad as that may be for his future acting career), and at this point, I don’t think I could watch a Harry Potter film with somebody less twitchy and awkward.

And the film has great support from the humorous Rupert Grint as Ron and the ever more beautiful Emma Watson as Hermione. The rest of the cast is full of stars, including Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham-Carter, to name a few.

Thank God for the continuity in the series. With only the character of Dumbledore replaced (as well as a couple of changes in direction), the films remain pretty constant and solid, though getting darker and darker with each installment — “The Deathly Hallows, Part 1” is colored with black humor and death throughout (bring your tissues).

The point here is that Harry Potter films can’t be rated or reviewed in the same way as other films. I remember the first time I finished the inaugural Harry Potter book — yeah, I used to read them — and I couldn’t sleep because I wanted to go get the next one. Is it any wonder that grown men and women show up hours early to wait in line, adorned in their cloaks and round glasses, wands in hand?

You’ll always hear someone say, “Well, the movie wasn’t very true to the book.” It’s more than just the following behind the books, however — I know plenty of people who obsess over the Harry Potter films but never read the books. Why does Harry Potter do so well while other classics, like “The Chronicles of Narnia,” don’t have nearly the fan base?

The films themselves have something about them: the atmosphere, the music and the mystery of the Harry Potter universe. On top of all of that, it’s shot well. It’s a good-looking film with a great cast and great music underneath.

There’s one scene in particular, towards the end, that I want to point out: When the story behind the Deathly Hallows is being read, the action shifts to a fully animated scene. It was reminiscent of some sort of Tim Burton-esque story. That scene alone proved to me that this is about more than just crazy Harry Potter fans. The filmmakers and cast succeed at doing something where many of these types of films fail: turning a phenomenon into a movie with real artistic value.