Anticipated Harry Potter Part 1 Releases Midnight Thursday
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Part I (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The two-and-a-half-hour Part 1 follows Harry, Hermione and Ron on a road trip to find the Horcruxes, magical objects that must be destroyed before Voldemort can die, while avoiding impending doom.
Part 2, which illustrates the final battle between good and evil, will follow in July 2011.
Warner Bros. decided to divide the seventh book into two film installments to ensure the book was done true justice and the film made sense, said producer David Heyman.
The series has grossed $5.4 billion so far, and the high expectations for the final films are sure to fill theater seats.
Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live has show times ranging from the cult, traditional 12:01 a.m. timeslot to an unheard of 1:00 a.m. showing.
Avid Potter readers might spot deviations or cuts from the novel.
Harry’s birthday party was cut from the film and a spontaneous dancing scene in the forest with Harry and Hermione was added, according to New York Times writer Sarah Lyall.
Part 1 is darker, more complex and may not be for everyone, said movie critic Michael Phillips. Harry and the fans first introduced to the books have matured, and the films along with them.
“By conventional 'wow' standards it offers the least magic and conventional energy of the films so far,” said Phillips about Part 1.
The film is directed by David Yates, who has directed the last two Potter movies, and written by Steve Kloves, who has written all but one (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) of the screenplays.
The Deathly Hallows movies mark the end of countless dollar signs for movie executives and drawing a crooked, forehead scar in preparation for waiting in Barnes & Noble for the newest book to be released.
But Harry Potter will never end.
The books with tattered covers and tear-stained pages can be passed down, the movies can be re-watched and the adventures at Harry Potter World can be expanded.
To read more on Neon Tommy's extensive Harry Potter coverage, click here, here, here, here and here.
Comments
I saw a screening of the movie on Monday and it was great! There seemed to be a lot of action and graphics and less dialog. And my one of my favorite aspects of Harry Potter in general is Hogwarts, and not once were they at the school! I felt like the movie did a great job of setting up for Part 2.