movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1)

I didn't get my hair colored, but I did end up with a temporary tattoo. This morning's movie was a good one, but there weren't as many people as I expected. I saw only one person who showed up in costume (besides the Harry Potter look-a-like who was hired to be there).

This movie really isn't one for children. I regret saying so, since the other movies have such kid appeal in addition to being good entertainment for adults. This chapter of the movie story, though, is very dark indeed. There's a giggle here and there, but they are quickly stifled by the oppressive nature of the fateful storyline.

I don't expect this movie to appeal to American audiences much either, aside from the usual fans of the series. In American films, there have to be good times, frequent action sequences, and an ending where the hero finally wins. Without giving away much of the film (it's been discussed just about everywhere already), this film isn't such a story.

Deathly Hallows (part 1) is a slow-paced descent into desperation. There is torture, murder, argument, imprisonment, intimidation, despair, and the injury or deaths of many characters traditionally aligned with the "good guys".  There is the long, slow march of escape and bare survival.  The familiar and safe halls of Hogwarts academy are long gone, appearing nowhere in this movie.  Hogwarts is mentioned in passing on a barely audible radio broadcast that tells us Snape (who murdered the previous headmaster in the last movie) is now himself the new headmaster.

Dark movie.  Very well done, I think, but I rather enjoy stories with long passages that lack dialog.  Warn the kids ahead of time that this movie is going to be a "sad" kind of story, and I expect they'll end up enjoying it for what it is too.