harry potter & the half blood hoopla
There are so many things that need to be said about this blockbuster of the summer. Regardless of the fact that few people I know could boast having seen any substantial forms of promotion for this movie, it clearly wasn’t needed. Fans have been counting down since before the movie was pushed back from a winter 2008 date to a summer 2009. The sixth wind of the series of seven books (though to be made in to eight movies) premiered officially last night and admitted and I was among those who lined up to see the movie and witness exactly what Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was to accomplish. After all, the tone of this movie inevitably sets the path for the following two.
True Potter fans will inevitably enjoy Half Blood Prince as it has some outstanding things to boast. Unfortunately, those gems were few, far between, and cannot make up for what a disappointment the movie in and of itself was. First let’s give credit where it’s do, though. The cinematography on this movie is phenomenal. The shots itself are other worldly, increasingly dark, and from the very beginning the fear is thick in the air. Year six for Potter and his friends is going to be a trying one with whispers and trials, or so it promises. And it follows that path for a mere minute with Harry’s encounter with Malfoy setting the latter up to be the sinister figure in the shadows for the duration of their year. The storyline then deviates, however, and throws itself head long down another path completely irrelevant to the story itself.
Cheerful. Awkward. Humorous. Tangles and tangles of love and lust relationships. Though all of these things are necessary they were the backbone for The Half Blood Prince and not much to support the movie itself and those to follow. Many left vital paths entirely unexplored. Commendable moments of laughing and cringing belong to Radcliffe (Potter) for the scene involving the liquid luck and Grint (Ron) for being put under the world’s strongest love potion, quite possibly the funniest bit to the whole movie and a fantastic bit of acting completely head-over-heels and giddy retarded to the point of dysfunctional. Amazing. Watson (Hermione) did a fine bit of acting herself, being the most believable in her turmoil and despair when it came to certain entanglements of the heart and it left me wishing Radcliffe possessed a wider breadth of emotions because when it came down to it, after all of these years he is still unable to cry or produce anything close to a fit of sadness other than convulsions.
So what exactly was the problem with this movie? How clear it was that production was afraid that the movie itself was going to be too dark, too sinister, and rather than delve into depressing dredges to explore Harry Potter’s final legs of his journey, pushes it down a more cheerful path. Seriously, with how happy and light this was for 85% of the movie, I am not going to be surprised when the bubble gum vomit inducing end of Rowling’s series is incorporated into the final movie. After all, Harry Potter is obviously emotionally unscarred by the happenings, if this movie is anything to show for it. The humorous scenes were undoubtedly needed, especially within Rowling’s book (to go there for a second) but that is because no reader can deal with loss after loss after trial after hardship without hoping for their favorite characters to catch a little bit of luck or to have something to deal with other than being The Chosen One. The movie, however, failed to substantiate any form of disturbing future for Harry or any tribulations and therefore were extended but unnecessary. To break up the monotony of their hormones? A house was set on fire. Big deal, though, because I couldn’t have cared less. Let it burn to the friggin ground, I wasn’t made to care about the characters or what happened to them. The other greatest flaw to the movie— it’s inability to evoke emotional response. So little development was placed upon the few scenes of greatest importance involving any sort of loss or realization that they were almost rendered completely irrelevent. For example, did I care when (doesn’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched) died? No. Why? Because it was under developed and though I dearly love the character I just didn’t care at that point in time. Did I care when the house burned down? No. Because no part of the movie was trying to evoke that sadness. Did I care when Harry confronts Snape for a hot second? Okay, so I cared a little bit more but not nearly enough to be compelled to feel anything other than a longing for the movie to end or to some how insert a fantastic ending, an aspect in which it also failed miserably.
Potter, destined to come to terms with his destiny must embark on a journey in his seventh year that would have any average seventeen or so year old pissing in their pants. The final image of the famous trio standing together overlooking a landscape with impossibly beautiful scenery and glorious golden sunlight is probably the biggest crock of shit ever. Hey, I am all about the beautiful scenery but let’s remember this story is going to turn in to a tale of a journey. At least Lord of the Rings had the foresight to make it dark and dismal because that was their future. Half Blood Prince ends with sunshine and warm fuzzy feelings and nauseatingly misplaced optimism.
Honestly, though, I have to end this review of the movie by absolutely worshipping the saving grace for the movie, if one was to be found. And that would be? Felton. Hands down, Draco was by far the most developed character though by no means was he given the most amount of screen play. If any character or situation was developed in the Half Blood Prince enough to merit further exploration in the future, it was by far Draco and his struggles. Felton’s acting was probably the most flawless out of anyone’s and though he is beginning to look a little old for the part of Draco Malfoy, I dare say that this more sinister and mature look plays well to the character given the task set before him and how Malfoy, though arrogant is unready, and therefore is aged by it. Felton did a fantastic job of making Malfoy more or less the only character I felt or cared anything for during the movie and I am beyond excited to see where the next two movies take his journey.
In the end, the movie is worth a watch as its a rather light film. Looked at as a stand alone movie it rates alright, but as a most crucial part of the series it fails at nearly every angle it should have exceeded at— it was all set up to do everything it needed to and then failed to deliver be it in the editting room or the screenwriting itself, one can only speculate.
