5/5 Stars

Movies are likely to either carbon copy the books they are based on (possibly doing those books justice) or miss completely. The Harry Potter movie series does justice to the books, and with the latest release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, fans are given one of the best film adaptations of the series.

Deathly Hallows: Part 1 properly portrays the grim darkness of the seventh book with a decent-length film that never loses its pace. Although it might be missing important scenes from the source, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 builds on the book by including serene settings not found within J.K. Rowling’s pages. Some of the changes made help embrace the same cinematic flavor of the books, which is something not easily done in adaptations.

Deathly Hallows Part 1 is also a beautiful film, playing smoothly from scene to scene at the pinnacle of Potter CGI. All of the other Harry Potter movies have built up to this level of artistic detail. None of the effects feel out of place or unnecessary, only adding to the movie (if not making the movie).

The best part of it all is Deathly Hallows has been divided into two parts. If Deathly Hallows had been condensed into one movie, this adaptation could have missed too much source material or simply been too long. But if Part 1 is any indication, Part 2 will only be equally as stunning and — I hope — provide a great end to a great series.