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Film Review: Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
Posted by: Ian – Jul 15, 2009
Personally, I thought the Harry Potter fad was finished. The novels have been over with for a couple of years now, and the final book seemed to split the audience over whether it was wonderful or disappointing. The most recent previous movie came out around the same time as the last book, and it was not very well received. Now, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sequel to a sub-par film, leading up to the story of a disappointing book. Imagine my surprise, then, when I walked up to the theater for the midnight showing to see something I have not seen for any other movie this summer. There were signs posted on the doors reporting that all the midnight screenings were sold out. Fortunately, I bought my tickets in advance.
To end the suspense of anyone waiting on bated breath, this new Harry Potter film is vastly superior to the last. In fact, it is the best one in the series thus far. Earlier, this series only improved when new directors took over, but this time David Yates, the director of the lackluster Order of the Phoenix, recovers from that misstep to deliver a much more satisfying experience.
For starters, this film is much tighter. It moves at a quick pace, but not so much so that the story becomes confusing. Many who had not previously read the books complained of the prior film that they did not understand what was happening at key points of the story. I doubt any will complain of that for Half-Blood Prince. It is only unclear when it wants to be in order to create intrigue, and all is explained before the end of the movie. Another major improvement is the visual style. The colors are dark and muted and there seems to be constant rain and fog. It is exceptionally appropriate, and a welcome change from the brightness of all the previous movies. These wizards are at war. The film finally reflects that visually.
For those who do not know the story, do be aware that though this film is superior to the others, it is still a middle stepping stone. The climax is certainly impactful on the overall narrative, but the plot of this film still lacks a real beginning or end. Harry returns to Hogwarts and, on Dumbledore’s instructions, attempts to learn more about Voldemort’s past by befriending one of his old professors. Harry also discovers an old textbook with a note claiming it as the property of “The Half-Blood Prince.” Harry learns powerful spells from the book, so he also attempts to figure out who the titular character is. Needless to say, seeing as how this is part six, this is not the place to try and jump in if you have not seen the previous movies or read the books.
As has been the case for most of these films, fans of the novels will likely be disappointed in how much is cut from the book in order to work as a film. Strict editing is necessary, of course, in order to turn a novel into a two hour movie. Fortunately, the filmmakers do not repeat the mistake of the last film in which many essential scenes from the book were cut. Unless my memory betrays me, this film equips the audience with all of the information they will need when it is time for the final film (or final two films as they are apparently splitting the final book into two movies).
The Harry Potter series has been quite a roller coaster in terms of quality. The first two films of the series were quite bad. They were overlong and boring, and the children had not yet learned to act well enough to carry a movie. The third film saw a slight improvement as the actors grew and the filmmakers became more discriminating in the editing room, and it cleared the way for the fourth film which continued those trends and was actually very enjoyable. The fifth film was the major disappointment. One of the better books had yielded one of the worst movies. Now, with Half-Blood Prince, we have reached the highest point so far. We will just have to wait patiently to see if the final film will remain at this level, or if it will be another freefall.
By Gareth Mussen
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