Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a decent enough film, but the accumulating problems of the series are beginning to take their toll.
I’ve never read the books, but I’ve seen all the films. The first two are near-dreadful, the third is near-brilliant, the fourth is near-meh with glimpses of brilliance, and the fifth is just meh. With the sixth film, however, it’s become clear that to really understand what’s going on, you have to have read the books. In the films, characters tend to speak in short-hand. Fans of the books will easily fill in the missing pieces; those who haven’t are left hanging. The accumulating lack of data is beginning to show.
For example, why did Voldemort kill Harry’s parents? Why is he obsessed with Harry? Where’s he been lo these many years? In the books, much of this is explained in the prophecy Voldemort was after in The Order of the Phoenix. If you’ve read the books, obviously, you know this. If you haven’t...?
Fans of the books know this stuff by heart (my son rattled all this off in a second, from memory, including quoting the prophecy in full; his wife is an even greater source is minutia.); the films generally don’t explain anything. I used to think that J.K. Rowlings’ fanatical control over the films was to ensure quality and consistency, or at least, that’s the official line. Now it’s clear she’s a good capitalist, ensuring new generations will continue to buy her books, if for no other reason than to figure out what the hell is going on in the films. I haven’t seen anything like this since Stanley Kubrick assured wide-scale sales of Arthur C. Clarke. Damn clever of her.
Anyway, as to HBP, it’s an improvement over its immediate predecessor, the aforementioned Order of the Phoenix. Director David Yates is getting more comfortable with the material, and this film is Steve Kloves return to writing the series (in the end, he’ll have authored every screenplay except Phoenix).
It’s the first in the series since the genuinely brilliant Prisoner of Azkaban that tries to stop being episodic in nature, creating a film that is plot driven from start to finish. Tries, but can’t quite do it. The plot is setup pretty quick and the film generally chirps right along. The forces of Voldemort, the dark lord, are getting bolder. They destroy a bridge in London for no apparent reason other than saying, “Look what we can do, nyah nyah to your rules!”
Dumbledore, Harry’s mentor and semi-guardian, is trying to understand what Voldemort is after, and in order to do that he needs to uncover aspects of Voldemort’s past. To do that, he lures an old teacher back to Hogwarts and asks Harry to befriend him. The teacher, Dumbledore believes, gave the young pre-dark lord Voldemort, some information that is pretty darn important.
Or something like that. The films have never really explained what happened to Voldemort after he killed Harry’s parents and failed to kill Harry. He’s just been...gone, and managed to pull himself back together in the fourth film, Goblet of Fire. This all makes sense if: a) you’ve have read the books, or b) you have a guide. I have a guide, my son and his wife. The series plot takes some serious complications this go-around, so either brush up on your reading or consult your guide to make sure you get it all.
HBP finally puts Alan Rickman to good use. No one alive can whisper a line like Rickman and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. And that’s just when he tells you to turn to page 394. Think of the effect if he’s actually making a threat, which he does in this film. His Severus Snape character finally gets some well-deserved development.
Jim Broadbent is this film’s guest British actor, the one Dumbledore lures back to Hogwarts. One of the series’ great charms is in seeing some truly marvelous British acting talent take small but consequential roles and doing truly marvelous work. Broadbent is an excellent example.
Unlike Prisoner of Azkaban, HBP keeps falling into being episodic; not as bad as all of the others, but still a problem. Much of what happens has nothing to do with the film’s plot, or anything else for that matter, so much of the time you’re just bored (unless you’ve read the books or your guide whispers the background to the business going on). I am truly tired of seeing teen angst love in fantasy films. It didn’t work for me in Goblet of Fire, or Twilight for that matter, and it works even less here. Matters aren’t made any better by the developing relationships being so safe and predictable. Harry with Ginny? Well, certainly, ho-hum and yawn. Harry with Luna would have been an awesome surprise, but alas, it’s not meant to be.
A larger problem with the series is the growing lack of danger. It’s a given that Harry will survive, regardless of what happens. Commenting on this feels like remarking on the weather. I say, lovely summer weather we’re having, and look, Harry survived another encounter with the Dark Lord’s minions! Fortunately, the enjoyment comes in seeing how he’ll survive, not just in knowing that he’ll survive.
As with all the films in the series, once it hits its stride, the film moves right along to a very emotional climax. If you really get wrapped up in these films, bring a Kleenex, maybe a box.
Everything considered, I enjoyed the film. The Prisoner of Azkaban remains the shining jewel in the collection, the one that can stand on its own as being a simply great film. In comparison, The Half-Blood Prince is “merely” an excellent chapter in the on-going Potter saga. It also accomplishes its major goal, of setting the table, as it were, for the remaining story, The Deathly Hallows. And as prelude to the end, HBP is very good indeed.
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