This may very well be the first no-nonsense Harry Potter film of the series yet. Viewers are immediately launched into the world of our title character, and done so with no background or catching up. Perhaps the filmmakers realized, and rightly so, that by the sixth entry of a seven entry series, audiences should know characters and locations without silly exposition to explain everything to newcomers. And I'm glad for that. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an exceptional film, and perhaps the best of the series. The Prisoner of Azkaban was reigning title holder, at least in this reviewers eyes, until now. While I applaud Alfonso Cuaron for taking us into a darker, more grown-up world of Harry Potter, I think what David Yates and Steve Kloves, the director and writer respectively, have done here is more striking. All the fat of the novel - and yes, each of the Harry Potter novels had fat that would be an unnecessary burden for a film adaptation - is entirely cut from the movie, leaving only a rich and beautifully told story that essentially acts as a bridge between the beginning entries and the final chapter. But that isn't a bad thing, not in the least. We still get characterization, smart writing, funny one-liners, and excellent directing. Some characters, especially fan favorites, are pushed to the back, given only the briefest amount of screen time, appearing only to serve as a reminder of who will play a part in the final films. As long as you can embrace the Part 1 of 2 (or 3 to be technical) nature of the film, there is little doubt you'll enjoy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.Genre - Fantasy (3.75)
Screenplay (4)
Acting (3)
Production (4)
Directing (4)
For the most part, I agree with your review - I quite liked this one, though the third is still best as far as I'm concerned - I disagree with the points where you're referring to preferring the darker, more mature Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to keep in mind that these are book adaptations. It's also important to remember that they're adaptations from CHILDRENS books. The first book in the series, Harry's 11 years old... Things are new and exciting for him, he's still innocent, and Voldemort is still extremely weak. Though it's completely say that you PREFER the darker story line, I don't think it is completely fair to compare the darkness between the books. It took Voldemort coming out and Harry growing up and maturing HIMSELF to get to this point. It's been a steady progression.
But again, I agree with almost everything else. The movie itself LOOKED great, the way everything was set up. Though I have to admit that, as a fan of the books as well, I was disappointed to find that there were a lot of things left out. Because though the books, as you put it, have a lot of "fat" in them, that aren't necessary for movie adaptation or just aren't possible, I still think it would be better if they stuck a little truer to the books.
Great reviews, love the blog... Just had to comment on those couple of things.