The fire's burning, the cauldron's bubbling in this sixth of seven -- scratch that, eight! -- Harry Potter films (maybe it's better to just call them "movies"). It's refreshing that everyone takes them seriously, but not Too Seriously. Each installment has its pluses:
- The first visualized an enchanting, colorful new world.
- The second showed that new worlds also deserve good editing.
- The third began to feel "crafted," and had the advantage of Rowling's thrilling third act.
- The fourth was oh-so-British (even if I can't remember much of it).
- The fifth was surprisingly apt at streamlining a behemoth of a novel, then painting it all in dreamy crystalline blues.
So what does the penultimate (sort of) year at Hogwarts (again, I should qualify that) offer on the cinema screen? The book is one of J.K. Rowling's more mature entries into the canon; and Dumbledore blessedly plays a large role. I found Michael Gambon, for the first time, effective as the headmaster. He lends a gravitas to The Half-Blood Prince that keeps the film grounded. His leering gaze, slightly sinister, and his lack of warmth are odd but serve him well at this juncture, when his motives seem curious. Flashbacks to young Tim Riddle -- and there should be more -- play up the mystery and menace of their magical world.
Less elegant than The Order of the Phoenix, this sixth film can be choppy. The Ron-Hermione pinings are sweet but take up gratituous amounts of screentime. The entire beginning could be shortened to the eerie Diagon Alley sequence, perhaps to give Dumbledore and Harry's relationship more thrust. As it is, the ending speeds along too quickly, from the faux Horcrux in the cave to the confrontation with Snape.
At least most of the noble Brits get one good scene in The Half-Blood Prince. And some of the child actors are intriguing as always, especially Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. Of the main three? Rupert Grint has been the most consistent. Emma Watson dominated The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone but has fallen into generic teen-girl mode. Happily, Daniel Radcliffe has become something of an actor in the series; Phoenix showcased him better, but he's got loads of grist awaiting in The Deathly Hallows.
If it's not quite a cohesive movie, it's still entertaining. There's an artistry to the technical filmmaking, from the mists off the cliffs to the intoxicating swirls of memories. And coupled with Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince has a welcome The Empire Strikes Back vibe going on.Hogwarts through the Ages
Strongest books: The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire.My wishes for Book Seven on film:
Strongest films: The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Order of the Phoenix.
Best performance: Alan Rickman without contest.
Best character expansion: Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix.
Best cinematography: The Half-Blood Prince.
Box-office for #6 so far: $826 million.
- Excise the Epilogue. Let's not have Radcliffe et al. dressed up like they're forty.
- Add a little somber-ness into the (fairly) happy ending of the novel.
- Only sacrifice characters who make legit appearances in the films. The Muggle Studies professor does not count.
2 comments:
Unfortunately, they are planning on filming the epilogue (I mean...they have to fill those two movies with something!). They'll be using make-up, digital effects, or whatever it is that they do these days to age the kids so that we can keep the actors for it, which hopefully won't look too weird. It's at least better than them hiring random older look-alikes, I think. I'm kind of interested to see what they're going to do with it. It could end up turning out ok...perhaps they'll remove some of the sugariness.
I was going to write a review myself after I first saw the film, but I dropped the ball somehow.
I agree with much of what you said. The ending moved entirely too fast, and I felt that they focused too much on the teen romance stuff.
That being said, I thought the entire film was stunning (like Order of the Phoenix). Yates is the second best thing that happened to the Potter series, behind Cuaron.
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