NB: It is the review to first part of the film adaptation to the final instalment of the Harry Potter series. The review to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. For those who have not watched the film, skip this blog entry. It may contain spoilers for some.
These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today. But I say this to our citizenry: We, ever your servants, will continue to defend your liberty and repel the forces that seek to take it from you! Your Ministry remains, strong.
Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore has died. The Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy) addresses the wider wizarding world at the Ministry of Magic, on Lord Voldermort's return of power.
Meanwhile, Hermione Granger saw her parents were in the living room. Standing behind her parents without them noticing her and with a heavy heart, the Muggle-born talented witch began wiping away her parents' memories and erasing her from all of the family portraits which also included her childhood days. It is to remove her parents of any knowledge of having any memories of the existence of their only child. As for Harry Potter, he saw from his bedroom window as he sees his relatives pack up the car and leaving him behind. For Ron Weasley, he stood outside the family home of the Burrow, thinking about the task which lies ahead for him and his two friends.
Severus Snape has arrived at the Malfoy Manor where Lord Voldermort is holding a meeting between himself and his Death Eaters (which also now includes Draco Malfoy). After Snape takes his place, he began to inform the date and time Harry Potter will be moved from his home. Not only that, Snape also added that the Ministry has been infiltrated. Voldermort then said that he must be the one to kill Harry, but he cannot do so as due to the connection shared between the cores of his wand and Harry's. It would be Lucius Malfoy's wand Voldermort uses and kills his hostage in the Muggle Studies professor Charity Burbage (Carolyn Pickles) and later feeds the body to his pet snake Nagini with the Death Eaters looking on.
At Harry Potter's residence, members of the Order of the Phoenix (which now includes engaged couple Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour) arrived to bring Harry to the Burrow. But there is a problem. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody explained that since Harry still has the trace in him (as he has not 17 yet, which in the wizarding world is under aged); they can't apparate or use the Floo Network without being watched by the Ministry of Magic, so flying to the Burrow is the only way. But before everyone can go to the Burrow, they have to all disguise themselves as Harry first by taking the Polyjuice Potion. The plan is that if the Death Eaters attacked them while they are on the move, they will not know which the real Harry Potter is. The real Harry took off with Hagrid on Sirius Black's flying motorcycle, as before that with Harry releases his owl Hedwig to fly and meet them at the Burrow. As everyone takes off, they are being attacked by the Death Eaters almost immediately. Soon there was a chase, which even Hedwig is being involved but eventually got killed in the process. Harry then found himself being pursued by Lord Voldermort, and his wand acts on its own accord and defends Harry from Voldermort, destroying Lucius Malfoy's wand in the process.
After Harry and Hagrid landed at the Burrow, the rest of the Order arrives, with everyone shaken of the attack and the betrayal. When George Weasley and Remus Lupin show up, it would be George having his left ear being cursed off. After George's older brother Bill arrives at the Burrow, he informs everyone that Mad-Eye Moody has been killed and that Mundungus Fletcher (Andy Linden) has escaped in fear. When everyone is asleep, Harry attempted to leave, with the guilt that people are either getting injured or died for him. Ron stopped Harry from leaving and convinces him of what he has to do, and that he should stay longer for Bill (Domhall Gleeson) and Fleur's wedding. But Harry had a dream of Voldemort raging at an imprisoned Ollivander, the wandmaker, about Lucius's wand not working to defeat Harry.
While everyone is preparing for the wedding, the Minister of Magic in Rufus Scrimgeour arrives and specifically meets Harry, Ron and Hermione. Scrimgeour then revealed that Albus Dumbledore has left them possessions in his will. For Ron, it is a Deluminator. For Hermione, it is a copy of a series of wizarding children's stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. For Harry, it is the Golden Snitch which Harry had caught it in his first Quidditch match. But that is not it as Scrimgeour added that Dumbledore has also left him the sword of Godric Gryffindor, but since it was not Dumbledore's to give away and that the sword is missing currently, Harry cannot receive it.
At the wedding, Harry talked to Elphias Dodge (Peter Cartwright), who had known Dumbledore and wrote the obituary in The Daily Prophet. Their conversation was cut short by Ron's Aunt Muriel (Matyelok Gibbs) who filled them with various stories of Dumbledore's past. Just then, the wedding was interrupted with by Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus arriving and informing that the Ministry has fallen, Rufus Scrimgeour is dead and the Death Eaters are on their way.
Thus the uncertain times really begins in the wizarding world, with no one is sure of whom to trust and even the friendship of Harry, Ron and Hermione being tested in their search for the Horcruxes. The film is certainly not one for the faint-hearted, but watch it for why the title of the film adaptation takes after the seventh and final book of the famous series in terms of being called 'The Deathly Hallows'.
On a personal scale, what stands out are the scenes of Hermione removing the memories of her parents and herself from the family portraits, where the meeting of Voldermort and his followers is close to what I expected after initially reading the book, the 'Seven Harry Potters' scene which does provide some comic relief in a film which is surely not sunny given of the direction being taken as we are reaching near the climax of the series which will be revealed in the second part.
