Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +1 Content: -3

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Miranda Richardson, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, Bonnie Wright. Fantasy/adventure. Written by Steve Kloves. Directed by David Yates.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final adventure in the Harry Potter film series, is a much-anticipated motion picture event to be told in two full-length parts. Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction—the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort’s Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. The Chosen One has become the hunted one as the Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort…alive. Harry’s only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. But as he searches for clues, he uncovers an old and almost forgotten tale—the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. Little does Harry know that his future has already been decided by his past when, on that fateful day, he became “the Boy Who Lived.” No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the task for which he has been preparing since the day he first stepped into Hogwarts: the ultimate battle with Voldemort. (Blah, blah, blah.)

PREVIEW REVIEW: My complaint with this series has always been the unpronounceable names, the detailed plot points that somehow we are to understand though we haven’t read the books, and the fact that each of the three leads mumbles a dialect best understood in a cockney pub. (The world’s in major trouble when even the English can’t pronounce their syllables.) But I’ve been fair. In my critique of a previous episode, I called it “a masterpiece of technical craftsmanship and a brilliant example of rudimentary storytelling.” So, if I say to you that this is the most tedious time-taker I’ve watched this year, understand my reaction is not solely based on a Christian-bound prejudice towards the series’ witchery premise. Because this episode is laden with sluggish pacing, a lack of comprehensible narrative drive, and a cast that has grown less charismatic as they’ve matured, I think Episode 7, Part 1 will test even the most zealous of Harry zealots.

As to the film’s witchcraft element, while disbelievers in the powers of the Occult roll their eyes at any warning concerning children playing with ethereal matters they as yet do not comprehend, I would remind them that Wicca has become a fast-growing religion – a cult that denies the power of the Trinity. A secular worldview never considers demonic forces as a reality, let alone associates Satanic misguiding with stores aimed at gullible children. How about you? It’s fairly easy to investigate biblical admonitions. I just hope you’re not too busy taking the little ones to the movies to research God’s Word.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Warner Bros.