Dark and mature, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ is the best of the series
Dark and mature, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ is the best of the series
4 out of 5 stars
After five installments, one might believe that the Harry Potter series couldn’t possibly muster enough intrigue to keep it from dropping into the ether of ho-hum special-effects laden movies. Instead, the boy wizard’s sixth entry of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is exciting and vivid without relying on cheap theatrics (see Transformers 2 for details).
Brooding, dark and decidedly mature, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is not only the best of the series, it’s also one of the best films of the year. Filled to the brim with a surprising amount of intrigue, stunning visuals and a decidedly dark tone, this visit to Hogwarts is reminiscent of another chapter in arguably the most popular series in cinema: The Empire Strikes Back.
Angst
My, have these kids grown up. Returning to school are Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). When our trio is involved in Quidditch matches, they are battling hormones and the increasing reach of series villain, the Dark Lord himself, Voldemort (you can read his name, just don’t say it). As the evil Death Eaters ransack Muggle-riddled London, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) enlists Harry as they travel to visit and entice former professor of potions Horace Slughorn (Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, fantastic) to return to Hogwarts. Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) finally reveals his true self and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) continues to dabble with the dark side.
The story, by and large, remains the same. Harry deals with his status as the Chosen One, flicks his wand a few times and rides on a broom. What’s different is director David Yates’ focus on the three key characters and their own inner turmoil. Harry’s struggle with destiny and fame, Ron’s insecurities and Hermione’s crush on Ron. Yates does a magnificent job on making the characters central to the story, not the magic, setting up, with Hagrid-size anticipation, the climactic battle between Harry and Voldemort in the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, due out in 2010 and 2011.
The growth of this cast, not just in height but as performers, is striking. Radcliffe and Grint have moved beyond just faces on a poster to owning their respective characters. Sadly, Watson is still stiff while not offering much in the way of palpable emotion, which is disappointing since it’s her Hermione that is tasked with the only expressiveness of the trio beyond grinning.
Director David Yates finds sure-footing in Half-Blood Prince, having directed the last installment Order of the Phoenix. Taking the childlike mirth of the first two films (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets) and the increasingly brooding tone from Alfonso Cuaron’s Prisoner of Azkaban, Yates creates and a fantastical, yet beautifully scary world for audiences to behold.
Originally, Half-Blood Prince was originally due to arrive in theaters this past winter, but was delayed due to better positioning in the summer. What better time? With snowy images, candle-lit rooms and the film’s just-thawed ambiance, Half-Blood Prince will make viewers look forward to next winter…and Deathly Hallows release date of November 19th.
Rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
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