Review published by Boydesy on 25th Jul 2009. 0 Comments.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)
Director: David Yates
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling.
Producers: David Barron, David Heyman
Cast:
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley
Emma Watson - Hermione Granger
Michael Gambon - Professor Albus Dumbledore
Jim Broadbent - Professor Horace Slughorn
Alan Rickman - Professor Severus Snape
Helena Bonham Carter - Bellatrix Lestrange
Bonnie Wright - Ginny Weasely
Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy
Content Rating: PG (MPAA), 12A (BBFC)
Running Time: 153 Minutes
Ben Barrett 07/25/2009:
It's strange how a relationship, whether successful or not, can sometimes yield unexpected benefits. Three years ago, my then girlfriend told me point blank that I had to read all six existing books of the Harry Potter saga in order to understand her proper excitement when she plucked book seven fresh from the shelf. She insisted I do this ... or else! What she meant by 'or else', I'll leave up to your imagination. Nonetheless, here I sit writing a review for a movie, based on a novel, that I was practically forced to read under lock and key. That being the case, writing this is going to be a lot easier. As I said, unexpected benefits...
Potter fans are finally getting what they've been anticipating since the release date of Half Blood Prince was postponed from November of 2008, to July of 2009. While it seemed as though ardent fans were getting ready to storm the Warner Brothers lot with torches and pitchforks over the delay, the studio actually had a very sound reason for this decision. The entertainment industry was recently recovering from the crippling 2007-2008 writer's strike, and Warner Brothers made the call to push the release date to the middle of the prime summer movie season in order to compensate for revenue lost during the strike. The wild success of their last summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight, most likely also served as an example for the merits of a summer release. It seems to have payed off as the film has remained at the top of the box office for ten days, and shows no signs of losing ground.
Half Blood Prince, the sixth installment in the Potter franchise, is once again helmed by director David Yates. Yates, who was also responsible for the film's predecessor, the relatively drab and underwhelming Order of the Phoenix (2007), seems to have learned from his mistakes and is getting a handle on how to make the Potter universe come alive. The movie opens in spectacular fashion with a breakneck sequence in which a group of Death Eaters (For the uninitiated, these are the bad guys.), swoop down on London, wreacking havoc which ultimately culminates in the destruction of the Millennium Bridge. This serves as an ominous sign that evil in the magical world, has now become powerful enough to cross over and terrorize the ordinary world unencumbered. When we meet Harry he is obviously in full adolescense. He is sitting in an regular diner and actually flirting with a waitress. This is right before he is surreptitously whisked away by Dumbledore to meet an old colleague and series newcomer, Horace Slughorn. It turns out that Slughorn has something vital to the defeat of ultimate baddie Lord Voldemort and, of course, it's up to Harry to get it.
It's when the plot finally reaches Hogwarts, that Yates' improvement in the director's chair becomes readily apparent. Hogwart's has a seemingly more gothic quality, and overall more gloomy atmosphere. He strays from textbook cinematography and plays with the camera more, seeking out angles and techniques that creates a more surreal feel of the world of magic, as well as an air of foreboding; all indicative of an impending conflict that cannot be avoided. There are also a few truly top notch visuals that are amazing on the screen. In addition to the opening scene I already mentioned, viewers are also treated to the spectacular destruction of the revered Hogwarts Hall at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, in a fit of gleeful spite. And then of course there is the cavern scene. Harry and Dumbledore stand on a rock surrounded by an angry ocean. As they enter the mouth of a cavern in a menacing looking cliff, Dumbledore remarks that the place has seen magic that is "very dark ... very powerful." With dialogue like that, the audience will be expecting something big and, without giving much away, I'll simply say that Yates most definitely delivers the goods.
Half Blood Prince revolves around three plot lines, and it is in the handling of these plots where the movie falls a bit flat. First there is the obvious efforts of Harry and Dumbledore to find clues to aid in the destruction of Voldemort. The second deals with the burgeoning relationships and love interests between the main characters. The third deals with the plight of Draco Malfoy who, while usually relegated to simply being Harry's playground nemesis, has a much more sinister agenda this time around. The movie leans far too heavily on the romance plot, which, while quite humorous and cleverly written, seems to bog down the movie for far too long. Will Harry finally steal that kiss from Ginny Weasely? Will Ron pull himself away from the overbearing Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) in time to see that Hermione is there waiting for him? Will Romilda Vane's (Anna Shaffer) plot to use love potion laced chocolates in order to drive Ron or Harry insane succeed? These are questions that play out like a mid-adolescent soap opera, causing the middle of the movie to meander about in a bog of typical angst brought about by teenage hormones run amuck. The time spent on this takes much away from plot lines that would generally be considered more important, such as Harry and Dumbledore's search for the key to destroy Voldemort, or Draco Malfoy's attempt to sabotage Hogwarts. The result is a few gaping plot holes, that don't exist in the novel, and could have been sealed on-screen if just a little more time had been spent on them.
The acting in this film is actually quite good. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson fit comfortably back into their starring roles, as does Rickman in the brooding role of Severus Snape. The brightest roles have to be that of Michael Gambon, who portrays Dumbledore with far more conviction than in the previous films, and Jim Broadbent for his portrayal of the overly pompous, yet secretly remorseful Horace Slughorn. Finally, I believe a tip of the hat is necessary for Tom Felton who shows his character's emotional conflict quite well, especially since he does it mostly through body language and facial expression, rather than dialogue.
In conclusion, there are things that this film could have done better, and fans of the books will certainly have their gripes. The beginning of the movie is nothing like the beginning of the book, parts of the novel that delve further into Voldemort's past are missing, and the climax was changed slightly in a way that took just a very small chunk of the story away. It's even been pointed out by some fans that chronologically, the story took place in 1998 and the Millennium Bridge wasn't constructed until 2000, but that's an inconsistency that any reasonable person will overlook in order to enjoy a movie. As a work unto itself it does gets slow at times, but the humor and dialogue are clever enough to keep the story afloat. That combined with the truly impressive visual effects, makes Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince a film that, while not perfect, one that can genuinely be enjoyed.
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