The UK 's '' Daily Telegraph '' also gave the film a positive review , remarking , " For the most part the action romps along , spurred by some impressive special effects , " adding , " It 's just slightly disappointing that , with the momentum having been established so effectively , we now have to wait until next year to enjoy the rest of the ride . " Roger Ebert awarded the first part three out of four stars , praising the cast and calling it " a handsome and sometimes harrowing film . . . completely unintelligible for anyone coming to the series for the first time " . Scott Bowles of '' USA Today '' called it , " Menacing and meditative , '' Hallows '' is arguably the best instalment of the planned eight-film franchise , though audiences who have n't kept up with previous chapters will be hopelessly lost " , while Lisa Schwarzbaum of '' Entertainment Weekly '' likewise praised the film as " the most cinematically rewarding chapter yet . " In a review for the '' Orlando Sentinel '' , Roger Moore proclaimed Part I as " Alternately funny and touching , it 's the best film in the series , an '' Empire Strikes Back '' for these wizards and their wizarding world . And those effects ? They 're so special you do n't notice them . " Ramin Setoodeh of '' Newsweek '' gave a negative review , writing , " They 've taken one of the most enchanting series in contemporary fiction and sucked out all the magic . . . while Rowling 's stories are endlessly inventive , '' Potter '' onscreen just gives you a headache . " Lou Lumenick of the '' New York Post '' found the film to be " Beautifully shot but a soulless cash machine ... that delivers no dramatic payoff , no resolution and not much fun . " '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 '' was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects at the 83rd Academy Awards . It is the second film in the '' Harry Potter '' film series to be nominated for a Visual Effects Oscar ( the previous one being '' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban '' ) . The film was long-listed for eight different categories , including Best Cinematography , Production Design , and Original Score , at the 64th BAFTA awards , and ultimately was nominated for Best Special Visual Effects and Make-up
64th BAFTA awards
64th British Academy Film Awards
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1