Harry Potter 7-I

It's disturbing to feel disappointed by a movie that friends and millions of other people admired, turning Part I of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HP7) into another blockbuster, earning more than US$900 million globally at the box office (with DVD rentals and sales yet to start). As only 51 out of 237 reviewers in the Rotten Tomatoes lists (22%) agreed with me, let's note some positive aspects first.

Director David Yates continues where he left off in HP6, showcasing the development of the saga's dark side in line with JK Rowling's story, with the screenplay again written by Steve Kloves. The Texan has worked on nothing else for a decade, and can now start doing his own things again (with a track record including the adaptation of Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys in 2000, and writing and directing Flesh and Bone, 1993, and The Fabulous Baker Boys, 1989). In terms of transferring the best bare bones from the seven books, he's pleased everyone (most importantly, Rowling).

The cast regulars do their usual thing well too, though the core trio often look ill at ease away from Hogwarts for the first time, cast into mournful settings that appear to be menacing colour-washed landscapes a la Scottish or Viking ghost tales rather than The Lord of the Rings. All other surviving regular cast members have brief walk-on parts to play, other than Ralph Fiennes, whose Voldemort has gained vigour and fuller facial features.

In past episodes, one of the pleasures lay in watching new-to-the-plot characters gaining credence from British acting stars. The only major one this time is Welsh Rhys Ifans as kooky Irish Luna's father. Unfortunately, his role is one slim thread in Rowling's increasingly complex patchwork plot of symbolic artifacts, magic potions, Latin incantations and evil powers (which soon eliminated Bill Nighy as a new po-faced, short-lived Minister of Magic).

More successful was the trio of middle-aged character actors whose identities were commandeered by the three youngsters in order to enter the Ministry's secret underground halls (sporting hosts of actors and deliciously Kafaesque set designs). All three were well cast for the tricky task of representing the young stars' body language: TV and movie character actor (The Departed and 49 other title credits) David O'Hara is Scottish, UK TV series regular Steffan Rhodri (Gavin & Stacey) is Welsh, and Sophie Thompson is Emma's younger sister, an award-winner on stage (Into the Woods) and film (Gosford Park), and English.

The overall mumbo-jumbo of Horcruxes, magic swords, figures from ancient children's fables, and agents of death reached a mind-numbing, multi-level in Rowling's final volume. She also had the tough narrative task of keeping romantic feelings simmering among her three leads, which the actors do their best to represent in some of the film series' cheapest-looking and least-ornamented settings (a secretly-big tent from Hermione's bottomless bag). Hermione's piano lesson for Ron, the dance to a radio pop tune by Harry and Hermione, and Ron's departure in a huff, are all almost cringe-making, especially as the audience knows that Ron will return, still burning with inexpressible desire for Hermione.

Even the SFX were mostly unsurprising, as seen in 2D. Maybe Voldemort's carnivorous snake and his racing black clouds of evil were more exciting in 3D. Maybe the screened version I saw was badly truncated (running around 8 minutes shorter than the official version). Whatever the reasons, HP7-I didn't excite me as story, movie experience or penultimate HP film.