How I Wish They'd Give Us More

So here's my attempt to try to review the long-overdue 6th film installment of arguably the most popular fantasy series the world has ever seen - that's right, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

I give the film:





As strongly as I still stand for what I said about Watchmen being an unfilmable text, the complete opposite can be said for the books of Harry Potter. Yes, I believe that the magical worlds created by J.K. Rowling on paper should definitely have its place on the silver screen. And I'm glad to say that this movie version does depict the fantasy realm rather successfully, save for some minor glitches along the way.

Being the 6th book in this formidable franchaise which has been all-too-familiar with the legions of fans worldwide, Harry this time around discovers an old book that belongs to a person named the 'half-blood prince' during his Potions class with new character, Professor Slughorn. Meanwhile, Death Eaters are wreaking havoc again, threatening to penetrate Hogwarts, and even destroying a bridge in the Muggle world. Harry is also introduced - by the ever-trustworthy Dumbledore - to more dark secrets pertaining to Lord Voldemort, which proves pivotal in his fight against the Dark Lord.

Evidently, there are many events going on, and director David Yates does his best in melding all of them into a coherent narrative for the audience to digest. The action pieces are what's worth mentioning here: being the most expensive film in the series so far, the money is put to good use here in this effects extravaganza. Giving the fans a beloved treat - Quidditch!, finally - the magical sport was filmed with both adrenalin and flow. Besides the impressive fire sequences, each location and set seemed to be detailedly laid-out. Be it the playful shop of Fred and George's, or the dream-like scenes of Dumbledore visiting a young Voldemort - all of them were meticulously orchestrated to perfection.

Of course, as it always happens with the Potter books-to-films translation, there's bound to be this rushed pacing to flesh out the entire story (although the movie did hit the 2 hour 30 min mark), which, in the end, leaves the audience a bit short-changed. Exciting moments like the attack of the Weasley's residence ended as quickly as it came, creating almost no tension at all. Which is a shame, seeing that it was a supposed to be a devastating moment, with the congregation of so many conflict-driven characters.

But the film did pile-up on one thing, though, which was the teenage romance blossoming among our younger leads. Those moments provided appropriately humourous distractions amidst the dark goings-on. Although, I felt, Harry and Ginny could've shared much more chemistry. Plus, the lack of focus on the titular Half-blood prince is also extremely jarring.

However, one particular gripe, is the handling of the death of a main character. Mirroring a similar situation in Order of the Phoenix, the director doesn't seem to put in much elaboration on the passing of the person. I'm sure the audience would've wanted to see how the leads dealt with such an event. But, that might be asking too much for a film that is trying its best to appease every fan.

FINAL SAY: I would not be too quick to say that this is the best in series of films, but it is indeed a competent installment to ready us for the concluding film of the Potter books, Deathly Hallows, which will be separated into two movies. Smart move, Warner.
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On a side-note, I'll hereby provide a small, totally-based-on-my-own-opinions ranking of all the Potter movies to-date.

(In ascending order of merit):

6) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - sticks out like a sore-thumb in terms of style. Worked very well as a book, though.

5) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - a rather unexciting installment concentrating on a large snake.

4) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - this one sets the mature tone for the later installment of the movies. Fantastic acting.

3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - love is in the air. Slicker production values pushed this film a notch higher.

2) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the magical one that started it all. No one can forget the amazement and wonder of J.K. Rowling's beloved fantasy being translated to screen for the first time. Thank goodness they got it right from the start.

1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - hailed by many as the best of the movie series so far, seeing that it had good material to work with. A Tri-Wizard Tournament that pits two other magic schools against Hogwarts, plus all the exciting challenges being put up, leading up to the memorable, tragic end. Pity about the hairstyles, though (Harry and Ron looked like aunties!) Should've just kept them short.
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So there you go. Already can't wait for the final two movies! Argh.

Down with sore throat and flu. Sickening.

Take good care, peeps!