Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Review #10

Why was it done to us? November 2008 was the slated release date of this anticipated Film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's sixth in her masterpiece series-But alas, We were forced to wait for eight more months. Torture. But finally, it is here. Here is my Review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. SPOILER ALERT.

The problem with creating a Film adaptation for these books is the same problem that was had with the Chronicles of Narnia films. There is just no real way to do the books full justice in a Film. Something must be left out. (I feel that for this reason especially, The Fourth Film installment-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is by far the weakest film adaptation so far in this series-I mean, Where is Winkie, Ludo Bagman, The Whole issue of S.P.E.W? ) But, on the other hand, as I have said in my review of The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian, I itch with curiosity to see what others can make of these stories; and what light they shed on the characters. That is the main issue that I have with adapting this kind of literature to a Feature film. Can there really be the kind of character development that these characters deserve? Having said that, The character of Albus Dumbledore has become one of the most beloved and Iconic characters in all of Fantasy Fiction-if not Fiction. His complexity and humanity has a Yin-Yang kind of juxtaposition with his serene swagger and self-awareness . He is a character that accepts the need for self-correction, but is not unaware of His abilities. As the title character, Harry Potter relies on Dumbledore heavily. There is plenty of trauma and drama for Dumbledore in this film. If You have read the book, You know that well. *Sigh* Many were in uproar at Jo Rowling for "doing that" to Dumbledore. Soooooo How did Daniel Radcliffe(Potter) and Michael Gambon(Dumbledore) do? VERY Well, I think. Gambon did better in this film than any other He has acted in in this series. I was VERY impressed. (I have to admit that I think that Richard Harris-the first to play Dumbledore in the series-fits the role better in My opinion. He oozes the serenity that I picture Dumbledore having. But the crucial cave scene was hit DEAD-ON by Gambon, Who I think has generally played the part a bit too rough.)

The relationship of Harry and Dumbledore is rich and poigniant. An Eternal Friendship. As Dumbledore faces His difficult challenge in the cave, He reminds us of this. The quotes "I am safe with You, Harry", "Your blood is more precious than Mine", and "Once again, I must ask too much of You, Harry" shows the respect and esteem that Dumbledore holds for Him. The cave scene set my mind spinning. Knowing the story in advance-(having read all the Books and proudly owning them) makes me analyze Dumbledore this way: Maybe taking Harry to the spot where the pivotal scene takes place in the cave was SELFISH of Dumbledore? Does having all this set up the way He did mean in some way at least that Dumbledore escaped his demons by taking an Easy way out? Hard to think of it that way for those who Love Dumbledore's character, I am sure. A man of style that orchestrates his own circumstance maybe was just not able to face what He knew was coming for him. He could not endure it to the end of that particular trial. But that is the Genius of these stories. They are a study of Human Nature. Of course Rowling wanted these kinds of questions raised in our minds.

Anyway, Enough of that. I am here to review a movie. The acting was fabulous. All main characters were acted well. Tom Felton has just grown perfectly in the role as Draco. And
I REALLY liked Jim Broadbent as Slughorn. He is a great character actor. Physically He wasn't as I pictured Slughorn, but He was fabulous in the role. Evanna Lynch as Luna (One of My MOST favorite characters) is a total delight. There was not Enough of Her or Tonks (-Another Most Favorite character). :'-( Of course, Helena Bonham Carter also does NOT get enough time on screen. She is eerie and dangerously perfect as Bellatrix. ( UGH! Again, that is the problem. Not enough time for character development in feature length films for this kind of adaptation! Am I repeating Myself?) Of course, this is to say nothing of My greatest Harry Potter crush, SEVERUS SNAPE! (Well, there is Regulus Black, too. But I await HIM in the NEXT film. ) ;-) Rickman is beyond DIVINE. The Cinematography is FABULOUS to look at. A visual treat. Cinematographic processDigital Intermediate (2K) (master format)IMAX Digital 3-D (some scenes) (IMAX version)Super 35 (source format) . Steve Kloves adapted the book to screenplay, and did quite a good job. (As I said, He did a MUCH better adaptation for this film than He did for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.) David Yates, who also directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix stepped it up a notch. Well done. There was a palpable eeriness to the film. The mood was set perfectly. It created the feeling I had reading the Book as well as a Film could, I think. The Main three Actors(Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron, and Emma Watson as Hermione) have a great chemistry.
Best Harry Potter film Yet BY FAR!!!!! :-D
3 out of 4 stars.
Yay-I saw it! :-) Thanks, Aunt and Hen! ♥