Art & Entertainment

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I

As kids grow older, the unconditional affection for them often begins to get tempered by bouts of irritation. It’s much the same with the Harry Potter series

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I
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Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint
Directed by David Yates
Rating: **

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As kids grow older, the unconditional affection for them often begins to get tempered by bouts of irritation. It’s much the same with the Harry Potter series. The successful franchise is not half as likeable now when it’s nearing the end. The audience fondness for the three star kids—Potter (Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Grint)—is also palpably awkward because they are certainly not children any more. On the other hand, nothing much seems to have moved in terms of the basics. Potter continues to fight Voldemort. He has the mission now to find all of the Horcruxes, the secret of Voldemort’s immortality. What’s changed is that there is no Hogwarts around and Potter is on the run, literally; he runs past forests, flies through the skies, chases and gets chased. On the sideline there is some sexual frisson and jealousy at play as Potter and Hermione are left unto themselves with no Ron in sight. The film is built like a series of encounters, making the narrative seem splintered and by the end, it feels too long-drawn-out. The element of fantasy gets embellished with rich helpings of horror. There are some interesting moments—the beguiling scene with multiple Potters, the shadow-play narration of the Tale of Three Brothers, the tearful death of the elf Doby in the arms of Potter or that never-ending stuff coming magically out of Hermione’s small bag. With age Radcliffe seems to be acquiring the proverbial stiff upper lip, Watson looks grumpy and Grint sulks.

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