There are so few, so very few movies that can be as good as the books they are based off of. I can’t emphasize the words “so very few” enough here, because the translation to film just doesn’t seem to work. Off the top of my head, one example where the movie exceeded the book was Jurassic Park, but hey, that’s Spielberg. But look at this year for a perfect example in The Soloist – what an absolutely terrific and heart wrenching book, and when put to film, floundered.
The sixth 'Potter' is the best yet and its dark nature is a huge reason why. (Warner Bros./aceshowbiz.com)
To put it simply in this case – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or Potter 6, is not as good as the book. Little depressing, right? Have faith. Let’s put the book to movie comparisons aside, because they’re unfair. This new installment is not only the best Potter movie yet, but it’s just a hell of a movie in general. This is a true standout movie so far this summer, no, this year, besting movies like Transformers 2 and Star Trek. The humor is better, the story drags you closer, the characters are more interesting, and the look and feel of it are more spectacular than before.
A number of the past Potter movies have been kind of childish, and granted they did have a PG rating, it still felt like a minor step up from a damn Veggie Tales movie at times. But the last few have been darker, more intense, and parents are probably reading more into them before taking the youngsters along. Half-Blood Prince is a terrific movie in that it’s quite dark, violent, and a bit disturbing at times. The balance however, between the darkness in action and the light laughter, is what made it that much better. What allowed director David Yates to toy with the darker sides of the book though is the maturation of the audience but most importantly, the main characters. As we’ve grown up watching Potter and co. as little children having their fun at Hogwarts, they now have grown into teenagers, and it would look foolish to put them in similar situations as before. Now we see their “snogging” but are also more at ease to see violent interactions, and a greater intensity in dialogue.
As the characters have gotten older, they've had more to work with and the movies have gotten better and far more interesting. (Warner Bros./aceshowbiz.com)
I know that the first Potter movie came out some years ago now, and as the characters have gotten better, as has the technology used on special effects. Man oh man did this movie look awesome. If you watch a quidditch match from the first couple of movies, and then watch one in Half-Blood Prince, it’s staggering to see the difference. Everything is crisper and more life-like. But to make the effects, and the movie, even that much better was the way it was shot – this movie is beautifully shot. Some scenes that stand out in my mind are the different passage ways in Hogwarts, the fields around the Weasley house, and the ending scenes.
As mentioned before, the action is better due to the dark nature of the film, and I would hope this trend continues into the seventh movie(s). The characters are more relatable and can do a lot more as well due to maturation. The effects and way it’s shot are fantastic. Perhaps the most impressive thing however, is the perfect timing of humor. Now, there is one standout when it comes to oddness and times I laughed out loud – Professor Slughorn, played by Jim Broadbent. Slughorn aside though, the humor isn’t quite cheesy or lame anymore, it’s actually quite good. Perhaps it’s the sexual tension adds to it, or maybe it’s back to that maturation of the characters. But don’t be surprised when the adults are laughing to themselves or aloud and the kids are just left scratching their heads.
Story and characters are better, as are the special effects. Very, very cool. (Warner Bros./aceshowbiz.com)
There’s still magic, it’s still a Harry Potter movie. I don’t understand a certain review I read that said it was light on the magic from the books – that’s a little ridiculous. More importantly, it’s darker, more grown up, more sincere, funnier, and just all around better. It’s not as good as the books, and the seventh one won’t be either – that doesn’t often happen when the book is bested by a film. But this is the best Potter movie of all by far, and by a wide margin too. It will leave you, as it left me, quite ready for next year. (Oh yea, and Alan Rickman is still awesome).
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE: 
(out of 4)
Filed under: Movie review | Tagged: alan rickman, daniel radcliffe, dumbledore, emma watson, harry potter, harry potter and the half-blood prince, hogwarts, j.k. rowling, magic, wizard | Leave a comment »
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