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David Yates, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
07/16/2009 For five years, the third installment in the Harry Potter franchise (The Prisoner of Azkaban) has remained the most impressive of the cinematic adaptations. Director Alfonso Cuaron’s unique style and innovative vision allowed that film to outshine its predecessors, as well as the two movies that followed. Now, it looks like Prisoner might have to relinquish its crown to a half-blood prince. With the release of each film, the characters grow up more and more, and by the same token, so does the material. Any sense of fluff is replaced with copious amounts of intensity, and in the case of this film, occasional horror. Whereas the five previous productions felt like kids movies with spots of genuine thrills, this one played out like a downright magical drama, much in the same vein as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The basic plot line is relatively the same as it is in the other films: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has to face a new evil brewing, one that’s a little too close to school. Trouble rears its head after Potter is introduced to Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), a man who’s keen to “collect” students. He’s not the problem, though. A gifted but odd student of his is back, and Harry must enlist the aid of Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon, who’s really made the role his own since taking over for the late Richard Harris). Things are complicated by the fact that a teacher on staff may be involved with the very people who were responsible for the death of Sirius Black. Meanwhile, the relationship between Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) begins to reveal itself once a new girl, Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), throws herself at Harry’s best friend, much to the dismay of Harry’s other best friend. The blossoming romance between Harry and Ron’s sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) is nicely played out, adding a sense of light conflict to Harry and Ron’s friendship. But let’s be honest: the most interesting people to watch on screen are Grint and Watson, both of whom have really mastered their respective characters. They are not the only ones who shine. Although he’s only in a select few scenes, Frank Dillane (who plays Tom Riddle at age 16) is something to see. He plays creepy with the kind of precision and confidence you look for in adult actors twice his age. It’s one of those performances that leaves you wanting more... in a good way. In addition to the acting, it seems everything else about the film is upgraded as well. The cinematography is a touch more aesthetically pleasing, the editing makes for a nicely-paced final product, and the sound and visuals seem that much more powerful and vibrant than they have in the other films. This film also includes the best musical score (courtesy of Nicholas Hooper) since master composer John Williams left the scene after the third movie. It’s early, but I’m going to go ahead and say look for Hooper’s composition to be among the nominees at next year’s Academy Awards. Though the film succeeds on its own merits, I still have some practical issues with the story, ones I’ve had with all of the other movies in the franchise. For instance, have wizards ever heard of campus security? How easy it for someone to get on campus and start killing people, and why don’t the professors close down the school because of it? And why does Dumbledore, right before the students are about to retire to bed, always warn them of people possibly roaming around campus intending to murder them? That doesn’t exactly make you sleep better. And with all the in-staff betrayals and backstabbings, you’d think teachers would have to go through background checks. None of this tarnishes the effectiveness of the film, of course. Just little things I’ve never understood, yet they consistently reoccur. I’ll need more time to decide if it’s the best Potter so far (though I’m leaning in that direction), because I so enjoyed Azkaban. But I can say with no hesitation or delay that this is a fantastic film, Harry Potter-based or otherwise, and it’s easily one of the best movies of the year. To borrow a word often used in the series, it’s brilliant. Plain and simple. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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Friday, February 10, 2012
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Harry Potter Prince Movie Film Opening Review