Nov 22, 2010 10:26 PM
2446 Views
(Updated Nov 22, 2010 10:28 PM)
Last weekend I had to choose between Guzaarish & Harry Potter and I ended up choosing the latter, much to my disappointment.
If the producers think we all go to a Potter movie to watch mainly Harry & Hermoine, they couldnt be more wrong. The Gothic charm of Hogwarts, the schoolboy pranks, the grandfatherly vibes of Dumbledore, Nearly Headless Nick (especially when its played by John Cleese), etc all made the Potter experience on celluloid lovely. Sadly none of that is there in this movie.
After the death of Dumbledore and change in guard at Hogwarts, Potter and friends hardly have any option left but to run for dear lives. The entire movie is a wild goose chase with Lord Voldemort seeking to find and destroy Potter & friends; and get to the Horcruxes & the Deathly Hallows which are supposed to make him all powerful and death-proof. Not much in the movie by way of storyline/plot except a few confrontational scenes and previously unreleased footage of Lord Voldemort (if you are a Voldemort fan :-P) Other than this the appearance of the elf Dobby who gives us something to smile about.
That said, I realise I may well be in a minority as overall feedback on the film seems to be positive. Whats more, my show was screened to capacity crowd, something not easily observed these days. However, I would still call it a waste of time/money especially when you'll likely watch this movie once again before watching Part 2.
To cut a long story short, you should watch the movie only if :-
(1) you are a diehard Potter freak
(2) you know the Potter stories like the back of your hand
(3) you dont mind watching half the story now and the rest after 8 months.
(4) you love English/Welsh locales (some great backdrops to be seen)
(5) you are a confirmed romantic and are eager to explore the idea of a Potter-Hermoine-Weasly triangle. You get to see a sweet (but entirely out of place) dance sequence involving Harry & Hermoine
(6) you like to take a Jingoistic pride in anything and everything that could possibly be remotely connected to India. Lord Voldemort's pet constrictor is named Nagini !
You could skip the movie if :-
(1) you dont know/remember the basic Potter plots/characters and dont want to read up before watching the movie
(2) you dont like the idea of watching half the story now and half months later
(3) you arent interested in watching 22 year olds play 16 year olds
(4) You are tired of paying endless royalties to JK Rowling and instead want to pay some to Indian literary giants like Dr S R Saha :-P
The producers would have been better off making Deathly Hallows as a single epic3.5 hours movie (like the Lord of the Rings series) instead of splitting it into two just to rake in the moolah.
If this looks tad too short a Review, don’t be surprised. Its meant to be that way. There isn’t much to write about. Check out for yourself if you like !
