Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Part 4

We're heading towards the end of the first half of the Deathly Hallows pair of films. I remember seeing this one in the cinema and feeling devastated that there would be only one more after it. At least there have been other film series since then to keep me going, though rarely do I get the same buzz that I had seeing the Harry Potter films for the first time.

In the last part the trio took on the Ministry which nearly ended in disaster and did end with Ron getting splinched, they did get a Horcrux of course but it made Ron all moody so he left. This made Harry and Hermione kind of sad.

80. I quite like this next bit. Hermione is all sad and miserable listening to the radio, so Harry gets up and makes her dance with him. On the one hand it’s really grown up and mature and on the other it’s kind of childish. Also I suspect that this one scene fuelled about a hundred Harry/Hermione fan fictions. When the music stops, the moment is over as quickly as it started.

81. Next up, both Harry and Hermione consider their gifts from Dumbledore. For Harry this means having a quiet little kiss with his snitch… which sounds a lot dirtier than it really is. This reveals the words ‘I open at the close’.

82. It’s a big day for discoveries. Hermione’s found a little symbol in her book from Dumbledore. Harry reminds us that Xenophilius was wearing that exact same symbol.

83. I love Harry’s little ‘yes’ as Hermione agrees that they have to go to Godric’s Hollow. Then she tells him not to let her give him a haircut again, hehe.

84. Unlike the book, they don’t polyjuice themselves to visit Godric’s Hollow. Also, it’s Christmas Eve (aww, my anniversary. When we watch films and it’s Christmas Eve in them, Mr Click and I always say Happy Anniversary, because we’re dorks like that).

85. Harry and Hermione pay a visit to the graveyard to check if Harry’s parents are buried there. I used to spend a lot of time playing in graveyards as a child so don’t find this nearly as creepy as some people I know do.

86. Hermione finds the same symbol as is in her book, while Harry finds his parents. It’s sweet the way she makes the little flower wreath for them. What is creepy about this scene is the creepy old lady who is standing in the background staring at them. Hermione agrees with me about the creep factor. Creepy old ladies who don’t say anything are way scarier than graveyards at night time, just saying.

87. And look, it’s the ruin of Harry’s old home, which earns us another flashback, this time to Harry’s parents being killed.

88. There’s a little clue as they stand outside with Bathilda. A buzzing noise. Told you the old lady was creepy. Harry’s not at all creeped out by her, so leaves Hermione downstairs and follows Bathilda.

89. Hermione finds a copy of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter, while Bathilda is upstairs finding the locket and speaking in Parseltongue. We don’t actually get to hear what she’s saying to Harry and a moment later Hermione has found a room full of flies and Bathilda’s turned into a giant snake. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

90. It’s really jarring the way that Harry and Nagini sort of crash through a wall into a bright blue baby’s bedroom, after all the darkness inside Bathilda’s house. I also hate the way it all goes still and quiet for a second before the snake bursts out again. Things bursting out of places in films is guaranteed to make me jump!

91. And now we’re in a snowy forest. The Forest of Dean to be exact.

92. This leads Hermione into contemplating how the forest looks exactly the same as it did when she came with her parents, but actually everything is different now. It’s all very deep.

93. She explains who the boy in the picture is, Gellert Grindelwald, and oh, by the way, Harry’s wand is broken in two. Harry takes it very well. If it was me and my wand was broken I’d probably be curled in a crying ball on the floor.

94. It’s dark again now and Harry’s still outside. Luckily for me there’s a doe Patronus in the distance casting a little bit of light on the scene. Doing the logical thing, when the entire Wizarding World including the forces of evil are looking for you, Harry follows it. Not only does he follow it. He wanders out onto a frozen lake.

95. He does at this point spy the sword beneath the water, but then, proving that really he needs to keep Hermione around at all times to be the logical thinking, he takes his clothes off and hops into the freezing cold water.

96. This plan backfires because the locket decides that this would be the perfect time to drown him. I think this just goes to show how hopeless Voldemort is. He can’t kill him, but a necklace almost succeeds. In fact, it probably would’ve if Ron hadn’t shown up just at that moment.

97. I know that Ron’s shown up because I can hear his voice, but as all this is taking place outside in the dark I’m just guessing at what’s happening on the screen.

98. Harry thinks that seeing as Ron just saved his life a fair reward is to let him kill the Horcrux. Ron does not deal with this very well. Maybe it’s the spidery shapes on the floor, or the voice telling him that his mother doesn’t really love him, or maybe it’s the fact that a fake Harry and Hermione pops up out of the locket, tell Ron how much they hate him and start having a naked make out session. Actually this last one seems to do the trick. I suspect that Ron was aiming for fake Harry, but along the way he hits the Horcrux and kills it. Well done Ron.

99. Harry wakes up Hermione to show her who’s come back. Hermione responds much as I would and starts beating Ron up; first hitting him, then throwing leaves at him, then grabbing his bag and hitting him with that. She’s obviously a little bit annoyed at not really knowing what’s going on, how the horcrux got destroyed and why Ron’s got the sword.

100. Then Ron gets all gooey, telling Hermione about how he heard her voice coming from the deluminator and the light that came out of it led it back to her. Aww. Harry looks quite touched. Hermione’s trying not to.

101. I love Harry and Ron having grown up talks together. Then Ron pulls out a convenient wand for Harry. Hehe I love ‘Engorgio. Reducio!’ with the little flame in the jar.

And that's where we'll leave things for now, since everyone is happy and the very last bit of this film gets very, very dark.

In the final installment we'll see the trio pay a visit to Xenophilius Lovegood, learn just what the hell the Deathly Hallows actually are, and have a rendezvous with some Death Eaters. Good times.