Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One

I put off writing a review of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One movie after I saw it at the premiere because I didn't want to spoil it for the other fans who've been anticipating it. This has been sitting in my Drafts for quite a while now but I haven't gotten around to publishing it, no thanks to how busy the past couple of weeks have been ;D

Anyway, I saw the movie again with my friends/ officemates Mich and Dane during the 5:00 PM screening on the first regular showing day, November 18, at SM North EDSA's IMAX Theater.

I'm sure a million other posts have already been written from fans and critics alike (like everyone has already said that the movie is much darker so I won't say it anymore), so I would just like to add my two cents:

• I cried at least three times. First, during the scene when Harry went to his old room, the cupboard-under-the-stairs, and just stood there for a few seconds. That scene alone has a lot of goodbyes imprinted all over it. Second, when Harry asked Hermione to dance when he saw her looking very sad and dejected in a corner. That was a particularly touching scene (one of my favorites, actually). Third was,  of course, when Dobby died. "Such a beautiful place, to be with friends." Sniff.
• Hedwig! NO!!! Having read the book I was already expecting it, but it still made me *sniff* a bit.
• Ron and Hermione ♥ Rupert Grint and Emma Watson should get married and have beautiful babies together. Or if that fails he can always marry me XD
• I love that the director David Yates really gives focus on the friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione.
• Yates' dementors look really creepy and more scary as compared to Cuaron's.
• Helena Bonham Carter is a very, very good actress. Her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange should win an award for Best Villain of All Time! Every look, every line just reeks of pure evil.
• Fred and George ♥ So charming!
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley is still the best actor among the trio. Kudos goes to Emma Watson too, I think her acting chops have improved so much! And, I read that the scene where they drank Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Harry took about a hundred takes to fully capture each character's quirks. That's a lot of patience, Daniel Radcliffe!
• Fan or not, you cannot argue that it is amazing how the trio has grown right in front of our eyes :)
• I have already noticed Yates' method of directing the movies from the time he made the Order of the Phoenix movie until this latest one.
• I especially liked the animation shown when Hermione read to them The Tale of the Three Brothers. It made the story much more interesting, methinks, as opposed to if she just read it out aloud to them without accompanying visuals. 
• I cannot imagine seeing the movie without reading the books or watching the first films. I personally think that It will be hard  to understand the movie without at least a mini introduction to the Harry Potter universe beforehand.
• I love how they did not waste the chance to be faithful to the book as much as possible. Splitting the movie into two is an excellent idea as they were able to fit plot essentials that might have been easily overlooked if they tried to do just one movie.
• Excellent casting!!!!! Yes, the four extra exclamation points are worth it ;)
• Perfect cliff-hanger ending.

What I wore when I saw the movie for the second time last November 18 :)

Prior to seeing this, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was my favorite HP movie. However, The Deathly Hallows Part One seriously made me to question that choice a bit. I have to watch the OotP DVD and DH again so I can completely decide what my top choice would be! :D Prisoner of Azkaban remains to be my favorite HP book, though.

Such a great movie, and very much well worth the long wait. To David Yates, the production crew, the actors, and basically everyone behind the movie, THANK YOU. Now I am equally looking forward to and dreading July 2011, when the second - and final - part will be shown.

What is your favorite Harry Potter movie? Book? Or are you not a fan? Do share!

*Photo source.

PS: I'm spreading Christmas cheer and sending out cards to everyone who'll want them! Just send me an email at krissyfied[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address.