director: David Yates
writer: Steven Kloves
starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Rupert Grint
genre: Adventure. Fantasy
Since i didnt like the last Harry Potter film I was going into this one with low expectations. Which was a good thing because i did enjoy this film. I admire it for its many great attributes but can not forget about its many flaws and issues that still that persist since the last film. Many I believe will enjoy this film but others will be scratching their heads for the weird manner some of the scenes in film are filmed and the odd mix of main story and subplots.
The film continues from the events of the last film with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) now having to deal with his godfathers death and the death eaters rise in strength. Now more grown up he develops a even more bonded relationship with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and both have the common goal to to put Voldermort's evil to rest. But school never stops at Hogwarts and he and his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) have to deal with school and new found feelings for their close ones. Throughout the film we deal with the mystery of Hogwarts new teacher Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), the conflicted past of Voldermort and true nature of many characters like Snape and Malfoy . But once secrets are unraveled and evil is close, Harry and his friends will have to find hope and continue to believe that fight is not over.
My problems with last film was the annoying plot of the new teacher even though well played was silly and childish for me. Also the sudden leap in the end to the dark. Here David Yates corrects his mistakes and fits both the happy Hogwarts with the core dark story. But where he fails is in the simple transitions from scene to scene. There are scenes like for example Harry and Malfoy little fight were right after the fight there is no explanation to what is going to happen and is treated as if it can resolve in the background and is if the scene never happened. Or sudden cuts were you don’t realize how one scene jumped to the other. All of this could have been on purpose or it feels like this because it seems like something is missing. Is it deleted scenes or is it needed scenes that were not filmed. It’s probably a little of both and it make a severe dent at the films plot development.
There were Yates made some lousy choices he did make some inspired ones with the choosing of cinematographer Bruce Delbonnel who could be up for award for his great job of making the whole film have a dark atmosphere that totally suits the film and makes us feel that death is around the corner. Also Yates handling of the most dramatic scenes of the film and of action are done extraordinary well and praise is deserved. Even though the Hogwarts romantic subplots were a bit murky, they were not bad in quality and had a lot of funny jokes. The problem was that it took more time from interesting dark story that most of us are interested with.
Also I have to praise some of the good aspects of the script. The relationship of Harry- Dumbledore which was taking to new heights was great. Snapes development though a little sudden was incredibly well played and later in the film very well placed. The new teacher Slughorn played by Broadbent also is a welcome addition to the already great English cast. Because of the quality of these actors they make this story, environment and all around magic come to life. Generally a great production job on the film fully.
The Half Blood Prince was a mixed bag but a good film. Messy subplots, some unnecessary scenes, weird cuts from scene to scene and a lack of more interesting situations for the core characters is what lead me down with the film. I do believe Yates can do a better job with the next films but I would be more hopeful with another director at the helm instead of the same guy for the last 4 Harry Potter films.
Personal Rating:
Review by Paul
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