Release Date: Jul 15, 2009
Runtime: 2 hr. 33 min.
Director: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent.
Two very long years and some angry fan letters (and death threats) later, the 6th installment of the Potter series unfolds on the big screen. With an excellent segue from the "Order of the Phoenix" through the opening title of "Half-Blood Prince," we see a new world of darkness that was previously foreseen but never quite as morose as this. All the kids have grown up now, facing the many challenges of adolescence, in this case, love. This adds an extensive amount of humor which is greatly welcomed amongst the more dreary moments of the film. Ron, especially, shows his strengths as the comic relief during his torrid romance with the irrepressible Lavender Brown. Also, this time around, Tom Felton makes use of his lengthened screen time by giving his character, Draco Malfoy, more depth. He really is the driving force of the story, overshadowing several of the supporting characters (ie. Neville Longbottom) who usually hold a more prominent presence. Despite this, an additional character, Cormac McLaggen, is memorable as the new big man on campus and adversary of Ron. Of course such high remarks of a film don't come without flaws. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley falls flat and doesn't exude the confidence of the character that J.K. Rowling envisioned. In addition, quite a bit has changed from book to screen, taking out some pivotal characters and adding in non-existing action scenes. Though it's difficult to turn a 652 pg. book into a movie, I would've sat a few minutes longer if that meant parts of the story could be retained. Some things are better left as is. Still, "Half-Blood Prince" is able to stand on its own as a cohesive film in comparison to its five predecessors. The score composed by Nicholas Hooper has greatly evolved the musical territory that John Williams successfully created in the beginning. Every scene is visually and emotionally breathtaking from start to finish. In the end, the only thing left to do is wait another agonizing year for the next and final chapter of this world, that we so knowingly love, to come to a close.
Rating: 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment