BY ISAAC HAN

In print | Published December 2, 2010

The series of books that we fervently read as children seems to be finally coming to an end as the penultimate Harry Potter movie enchants our hearts and minds. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” marks the culmination of a long journey across the adaptations to capture the increasing darkness of the books, in which an evil wizard, “He Who Must Not Be Named,” terrorizes the wizarding community. The movie adaptation adequately captures the essence of the novel, presenting a story that is all at once dark, foreboding, terrifying and sad.

The movie, much like the book, starts with a sense of impending doom and danger encompassing England. Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy), warns the masses that “These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has faced no greater threat than it does today” at the beginning of the movie. In an effort to protect her parents, Hermione (Emma Watson) erases their memories of her very existence. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), with the help of a security detail headed by Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), prepares his return from the Muggle world to the Wizarding world, where he will continue his quest to defeat Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

But as in every epic quest, the process comes with intense difficulty. Refreshingly, the movie, quite unlike a normal children’s movie or previous Harry Potter movies, does not take lightly the presence of death: in the first few minutes, Hedwig and Mad-Eyed Moody make their exits, and the movie ends with another heroic death, further setting the grim tone to be picked up in the next part.

The middle of the film drags as Harry, Hermione and Ron (Rupert Grint) struggle to discover a means to complete their task, not knowing how to proceed. Though not much happens during many of these middle scenes to further the plot, this slowness, instead of being a negative, establishes the foreboding tone of the narrative and helps accentuate the tension that their quest engenders between the three. Most notably, friendships are tested, as Ron’s frustration and jealously boils over and he leaves the group, abandoning the mission.

These themes of jealously and hardship are not muddled in this film. This film embodies the growing maturity of the books and of Harry as he grows and is representative of the fact that the “Harry Potter” series is more than just a story for children and has grown up alongside its readers. The darkness of the film takes precedence over the previous joys and wonders of Hogwarts and pushes us toward the series’ inevitable conclusion.

What “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1” has shown is that the filmmakers are finally taking the book seriously and doing their job in adapting the book. A film adaptation need not necessarily be an exact chronological transcription of events of the book but must effectively capture its tone and vision. This film has finally proved that its filmmakers are up to the task. It is in the dark tone and perhaps the creepy nude make-out scene of Ron’s fears between Harry and Hermione, as displayed by the evil powers of the locket horcrux when it is finally opened, that the film shows the maturity of its characters and establishes itself as a legitimate epic drama film.

So what awaits Harry, Hermione, Ron and the wizarding world in Part 2? Those of us who have read the books already know; what remains to be seen is whether the filmmakers will continue to successfully reflect the tone and spirit of the books. And we all must wait until the second part is released in July to discover whether the film can offer a satisfying ending to Harry’s on-screen journey.

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