DVD Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Apr 15, 2011, 14:18 GMT

Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction – the Horcruxes. On their own and on the run, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever…but Dark Forces in their midst threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile the wizarding world has become a dangerous place. The long-feared war has begun and the ...more

The beginning of the end for Harry Potter arrives in high definition. It’s a good film but be aware that it’s only half a film. Though it is well put together and features some nice features, but reviewers didn’t get some of them. They must think we mudbloods.

Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned to power, but Ministry of Magic leader Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy) says that the institution will fight this new threat. Times are dark.

After the death of Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Snape (Alan Rickman) has been appointed headmaster of Hogwarts. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) are all also grieving over the loss of their friend and mentor.

As the villainous Death Eaters try and make sure that Harry is killed, ending with the death of some of his protectors. Scrimgeour arrives to distribute the items that Dumbledore has willed to the three, but when the Weasley wedding party is crashed by an attack the three decide to set out on their own to find a way to destroy Voldemort before he can succeed in killing Harry.

You should know going into the film that it’s not going to be complete - if the “Part one” after the title wasn’t hint enough. Warner Brothers decided to divide up the final film in the series and the final film will be appearing in theaters this summer.

Potter’s adventures have certainly gotten darker and darker as the series has and many characters don’t survive so this movie sees several not making it. As the films have gone on the cast has gotten older. For fun, after this dark chapter, you may want to spin the first one to see how young everyone is. But the actors have also matured into their roles, grown into them, and play them splendidly.

We focus on our heroic trio for most of the film. Don’t expect much if you want to see Hogwarts since we go into the wilderness with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. This film is more of a setup for what comes in part two, not that what is set up isn’t compelling or well made. I still feel like I should be holding out till I see the conclusion before fully discussing it, but I found the film well made.

It is very dark and some beloved characters do die (you should know who if you read the books) so you may want to keep the younger kids back. If you loved the books then you might not like the film since it cuts out much.

I was excited that Nighy was stepping into the Potter universe but Scrimgeour’s part is cut down much from what happens in the book. It does set up that battle royale between “you know who” and Harry. I can’t wait.

The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.40:1). Special features start on disc one and are all in high definition. The film is given a picture-in-picture Maximum Movie Mode that is hosted by Jason Issacs and has interviews, book excerpts, and behind-the-scenes videos. In that mode there are “focus point” featurettes (about 80 minutes worth) that can be watch separately or in one “play all” lump via a separate link.

The disc is also BD-Live enhanced so more goodies might pop up online. Disc two is a little different for me that what you’ll get. First off it is specially made for reviewers (sans disc art and just a gold disc, I put it in upside down at first) to exclude the sneak peek at the second film to keep it from being widely disseminated on the web.

That’s all that is missing though as the following is what you’ll get: 32 minutes of behind the scenes featurettes, 11 minutes of additional scenes, a 6 minute look at the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, and a 4 minute focus on the soundtrack. Disc three is a DVD/digital copy.

Deathly Hallows is only half a film and I was tempted to divide my rating by two, but I did like what I saw. I’d like to see both parts before passing judgment since it does stop in the middle, but I found it a well put together film that covers the highlights of the Potter saga. You will just have to wait till summer to see how it turns out.