Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceDirected By: David Yates
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 15
Rating: Really liked it
Let me establish two facts. One: I love Harry Potter from the bottom of my heart, and J.K. Rowling is one of the greatest authors of all time. Two: The movies, while they are good, can never, ever fully live up to the books. It’s impossible. The filmmakers did manage to accurately and convincingly portray the feeling of tension in the wizarding world, and at Hogwarts, as fear spreads and the danger increases. I was relieved to find that the screenwriters had not downplayed the serious aspect of the movie to focus on the romantic escapades of Harry and the gang. I had expected Warner Brothers (after watching several trailers and reading each interview, all of which made me want to bash my brains out on my desk) to try to turn the movie into a lighthearted summer blockbuster. I am pleased to say that they did pretty well despite my gripes about all the content missing.
Needless to say, I liked the Half-Blood Prince movie, even if Warner Brothers made fans (like me) wait an extra eight months for it and despite the fact that no movie can ever truly match the book. However, I think that the director and screen writers made some bad decisions when it came to which scenes to omit and which scenes to add. I did not like that three of the memory scenes were cut out. Those were some of my favorite parts of the book, and they become significant in Deathly Hallows. I hope that these missing scenes will show up on the deleted scenes on the DVD, or they’ll somehow be incorporated into the Deathly Hallows movie(s). I liked the bridge scene at the beginning, since it was only briefly referred to in the book, but I did not get the point of the attack on the Weasleys’ house. If Lord Voldy wanted to kill Harry himself, he would not send a couple of his Death Eaters after the Weasleys and Harry. The scene wasn’t in the book, and it was pointless, and (prepare for fan rant) Fenrir Greyback was not supposed to appear before the tower scene (aargh! Warner Bros. has failed us again)! I realize that the screenwriter probably wanted to add more action, but the book had enough action, and anyone who wants more action should just wait for Deathly Hallows (which is only being split so that there can be more profit, they don’t really care if the fans throw a hissy)! And I’m REALLY mad that no one thought to include Dumbledore’s funeral scene.
No matter how bad a job the directors and screenwriters do, the acting in the Harry Potter films is always fantastic. Not all of the actors perfectly look the part, but all of the acting is superb. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), and Emma Watson (Hermione) all do very well in this film, during comical and serious moments (and they can all still pass for sixteen year olds). Michael Gambon’s (Dumbledore) performance as Dumbledore has improved so much since Goblet of Fire, there is no more shouting, but I still wish he would get rid of that little rubber band on his fake beard. Alan Rickman (Snape) is perfect as Snape, as usual. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tom Felton (Draco) perform extremely well in this movie. In the last couple of movies he hasn’t had many opportunities to really act, but in this movie his talents are revealed at last. Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) is as perfectly deranged as ever. Helena Bonham Carter is good at playing psycho ladies. Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) is brilliant, and always has been. Despite limited time on screen, she captures Luna’s attitude perfectly. None of the new casting choices for this movie disappointed me, I’m happy to report. Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) gave a solid performance, not amazing, but she did very well. Jim Broadbent (Slughorn), is also very excellent, and both of the young actors portraying young Voldie at the ages of eleven and sixteen (Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Frank Dillane, respectively) did commendably well. And Dave Legeno (Greyback) looked the part of a creepy, cannibalistic werewolf. I missed Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Ralph Fiennes (adult Voldy, and a very scary adult Voldy, at that) in this movie, but we’ll get to see them in the next movie, hopefully. Poor Neville (Matthew Lewis) didn’t get nearly enough screen time in this movie, but he’ll get his share of the limelight in DH Part 2.
I’m beginning to think that maybe this movie should have been PG-13, even though Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix shouldn’t have been. This movie has Inferi (for those of you deprived people who have never read Harry Potter, zombies), cannibalistic werewolves (ok, he doesn’t eat anyone in the movie, but in the book it was implied), and lots of fake blood that’s supposed to look like it’s pouring out of Draco. Probably not so good for kiddies. I wouldn’t recommend taking young children to this movie.
I’m starting to feel optimistic. After the epic failure known as the Goblet of Fire movie, I had lost all my faith in Hollywood, but as long as Warner Bros. doesn’t draw out the wait for the first Deathly Hallows movie (and as long as they don’t screw it up), I will be content. I am not a very patient person, especially when it comes to Harry Potter movies. Twilight movies? I can bear to wait for those.
Recommended to: Everyone, but fans will enjoy it most of all. Non-fans might be a bit confused. It should have received a PG-13 rating.
