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- Review count2
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- First reviewMay 29, 2010
- Last reviewDecember 6, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.5
EleventhBox's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
Potter grows up...in style
PostedDecember 6, 2010
EleventhBox
from Fort Worth, TX
Beyond the familiar stone walls of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger find themselves coming of age in a splintered world- very much in danger, and very much on their own.
Deathly Hallows, Part 1 does not disappoint. This is a legitimately adult movie, wrought with tragedy, humor, romance, and action of a more sophisticated breed.
Like the film's raw and rugged heros, Deathly Hallows sheds itself of silliness and mediocrity common amongst its graceless and pubescent previous films, and finds itself re-emerged as a matured and rather dashing piece of work. This franchise, as close to the final bow as Harry himself, has filled out nicely.
Subtle nuance and well-choreographed editing offer the audience fluidity and expectancy, and through emotional poignancy delivers an endearing and enthralling first act to the conclusion of the simple story about a boy with a lightening-shaped scar.
There will be no more Scooby-Dooesque mysteries to be solved in this hapless place. Urgency and circumstance, nail-biting anxiety, glorious suspense, and toe-curling anticipation enhance an eager pace as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) come into their own within the grim suburbs of the Wizarding World.
With eloquence and refreshing grit the film tears from scene to scene, making an enjoyable emotional juggle between laughter and bitter sadness, trudging forward to the inevitable and exciting climax awaiting in its finale. Instead of being burdened by tediousness or sagging beneath its own self-awareness, Deathly Hallows marches onward with a charming disposition even when the plot turns dismally sour, adding bite to a gloomy tale.
Death and grief consequently add an odd sense of reality to the fantastical plot, breathing new life into this contemporary magical legend. You begin to see and feel and understand their struggles from a new and surreal perspective, where events and characters pass before you as if you were witnessing the pages of a quirky, vivid, and altogether familiar mythology turn ever-closer to an end.
A kaleidoscope of well-known characters offers a colorful cast of students with whom we've grown up since they were first years. In a way, the absurd happiness of youth takes good riddance as Harry's young game of cat-and-mouse becomes an awful, winding maze of tangible peril; in a way the heightened risk marks a sense of exhileration and daring for Harry and the gang.
But no matter how playful a situation in which he finds himself, Harry can't help but realize that the inconsequential, dear moments are fleeting, that solace and peace can never again be found on the horizon, until he finally comes face-to-face with the wickedly formidable Voldemort.
Yes, this movie is long. Two and a half hours long, to be exact- and if you are neither willing nor physically capable of sitting in a theatre seat for this amount of time, save your money.
Yes, this movie is also depressing. If you don't like it, then you've clearly never read the books. Deathly Hallows employs a long, intricate, and involved storyline, and the movie does not water it down merely for the whims of a few who find the plot exhausting. Doing so would annihilate the integrity of the original novel- the idea that not all is good and easy and simple in the world, that there is struggle, and that it is real and absolute. Complain to J.K Rowling if you have such an aversion to this intolerable notion.
If you are not a true fan, or even just a casual fair-weather fan, then do the rest of us a great big fat favor and don't watch Deathly Hallows. And if you, semi-interested moviegoer, do indeed decide to watch this film, critique this film, and loathe this film...then keep it to yourself.
Because let's face it: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the beginning of the end for millions of dedicated, sentimental Potter-lovers who've stuck loyally with this series since 1997, and your inane babel about tedium and film length is only petty and useless griping.
...A rotten cherry on top of a beautifully crafted cake.
So for those of you who have qualms, you’ll be relieved and utterly delighted to know that these filmmakers hadn’t the slightest bit of interest in pleasing you. This Harry Potter film, like the eagerly awaited Part 2, is a beast fashioned with its die-hard fans in mind.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
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5
Prince of Persia- The Sands of Time
PostedMay 29, 2010
EleventhBox
I went in expecting very little of this movie, and indeed received very little. Not that Gyllenhaal was in bad form- he was actually the best part of the flick, and the only reason I didn't walk out. Bruckheimer unfortunately decided to pair with Disney on yet another epic adventure, and as expected, attempted to create another Pirates of the Carribean smash. (There's even a comic relief character that uncannily resembles our beloved Jack Sparrow, if you can believe it!). In a nutshell, the plot was oversimplified and predictable to the point of distraction, the dialogue is anything but engaging, and the only well-thought out scenes involved sword handling. If you're looking for a character flick as well as a decent action/adventure, step away from this movie.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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