Released just before Thanksgiving, the new Harry Potter film directed by David Yates has gathered a lot of critical attention. I, for one, went to see it at the first possible opportunity and absolutely loved it. I'm not sure if it was the cathartic release after a final round of mid-term exams or if I was just literally moved to tears by the narrative, but I did manage to thoroughly embarrass myself at the theater. Interestingly, critics were not such big fans of the film as, well, all the die-hard Harry Potter fans.
Anthony Lane wrote in The New Yorker that while the second-to-last installment of the Harry Potter film series has not lost the plot, it is "in danger of losing everything else." He laments the notable absence of the "comic fantasy" that always prevailed at Hogwarts and claims that "the whole thing does seem preternaturally stained with Weltschmerz." While the three main protagonists sit around in a tent, dark apocalyptic forces crowd in around them, which Lane claims are only made worse by "blatant thefts from Tolkein, Orwell, and Arthurian myth." Lane ends his review with a pointed note to viewers: "I hate to remind the millions of fans, but didn't this all begin with a bunch of kids buzzing around on broomsticks?"
Clearly, however, the fans were not as turned off by the changing themes of the Harry Potter series as Lane was. Harry Knowles writes on his blog, Ain't it Cool News, that the new release is "the best of the series to date." Knowles did not miss the "comic fantasy" of Hogwarts, in fact he wrote that "breaking these characters out of Hogwarts has been long overdue."
For those self-proclaimed Harry Potter fanatics, the most important critique of the film is how closely it reflects the book. Critics not quite so attached are less interested in the narrative correspondence and even reflect a bit of nostalgia for the more lighthearted, younger version of Harry. Personally, I'm already counting down the days until Part Two is released.
Rotten Tomatometer Ratings:
All Critics Avg. Rating: 7.2/10, 79% liked it, as of 12/19/2010
Audience Avg. Rating: 4.2/5, 87% liked it, as of 12/19/2010
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