Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Movie Review

Saw the most recent addition to the Harry Potter movies a few weeks back, and wow was I impressed! Visually stunning, superb acting, as always, and such an exciting first part to the ending of the series. I was thrilled about the animated sequence, the story of "The Three Brothers". I thought it was very well done, and visually speaking, it was easily my favorite part. The layering of the animation was enchanting, and the stark contrast of the whimsical, fairy tale-esque "storytelling" with the dark, brooding, live action plot line really made it stand out to me. It was done by Ben Hibon, a Swiss born artist and graphic designer whose previous work was mainly - but not limited to - designing animated video game sequences. He is now signed with Nexus Productions, an indie animation production company, thanks in part (no doubt) to his beautifully animated 5 minute HP sequence.


Moving on, while the movies are made in such a way that audiences of all ages can enjoy them, I loved how much more adult this one was. Some sequences were pretty intense! I couldn't help but laugh as I imagined all the little kids that must have poured into the seats dressed in little wizard robes and fake glasses, only to be scared out of their mind, leaving the theater in tears.
I must confess, this was the first HP movie I had seen in theaters due to the fact that I refused to get into the Harry hype until "The Half Blood Prince" was circulating, simply because there was so much hype over it. I guess you could say I didn't want to "sell out". Very lame, because I had no idea what I was missing, until a close friend of mine brought over the DVDs and convinced (ok, it was more like forced) me to watch just one. I was interested, so I thought I'd give the second one a go. After that, there was no stopping me from finishing the saga.
I am now (proudly) reading the books, and am on book four, "The Goblet of Fire". What a complicated and well written series! Its astounding how Rowling had the patience to weave such an intricate plot. I wonder what her brainstorming sheets looked like. I imagine mind maps scrawled over ten or more pieces of paper, and character development notes that could fill up a composition notebook.
Needless to say, I can't get enough, and am only too sad that there is only one final movie to look forward to. But I still have three books! And the DVD's to collect, with all their special features. Muhaha.
And yes, I know I'm a nerd.

Oh and P.S., Xeno Lovegood's artsy decor=amazing!
(Better pics when the movie comes out on DVD)


-Vixen