Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltraine, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter
After Yates' success with Order of the Phoenix, it was only natural he continue the trips to Hogwarts.
Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts. Who could have seen that one coming? But they do. And all is not well. The muggle world is being intruded upon by dark forces, Dumbledore hires back old staff and Harry is fancying his best friend's sister. Sometimes the claim that Potter is a soap drama does have weight.
Potter's sixth film isn't a firm adaptation. Fans can complain all they want, but the 'Slash and Burn' process has to come into effect. Here it's not as bad as the film acts as a bridge to the previous installment to the next. And for that has a lot of creative work along the way.
If I mean 'creative', I really mean 'dark'. With the last twenty minutes taking place in a cave and at night, there's maybe even a cheeky suggestion that most of the film looks like The Lord of the Rings. I suppose with the first installment of both franchises being released in the same year, the two are never really going to lose that stigma. But it's remarkable how many scenes in Half-Blood resemble Peter Jackson's special effects.
Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy gets more screen time. Alan Rickman allows his voice to be cherished more as he swoops in his black robes around the castle. We shouldn't forget new Hogwarts entry Jim Broadbent playing a rather slimy but fun Horace Slughorn.
Even Daniel Radcliffe's acting has come along. No longer are there any cringing moments where his screams and special effects overlap one another. Time on the stage has done him good.
With the recent Twilight, Half-Blood feels a lot more routed to entertain with teenage troubles than trying to give weight to them. Relationships and love are played out. It's pretty clear however that these type of things seem to happen only to the younger cast. This is put straight when Dumbledore says, 'Good to be young and feel love's keen sting.' It's almost as if being an aristocratic British actor isn't enough to get others in the mood for love.
A lot of the humour is driven from this. And that's good for what is actually Potter's darkest hour. Quite literally. At times it's impossible to see what's going on. One could put it down as Harry Potter for the recession. Where elements couldn't be purchased, so it had to be obscurred from view.
The time between Potter and Dumbledore is well put. This along with Nicholas Hooper's musical score assert that Potter's world is much older than what we believe. And where Yates was successful in bringing about a British air in Phoenix, he has now placed in a boarding school feel that was brought in at Goblet of Fire but not so securely set.
Again this isn't a strong adaptation. And with very little action the pace of the film may bog down younger viewers. In one sense this a triumph for the franchise. With the adult actors getting more screen time and a much more classic style, this could be 'period drama' of the series.
Potter's adventures may be ending, but for the meantime this installment stands strong as a way of spending time with the characters and knowing that with whatever is ahead, they're growing up well. And dare I say that Michael Gambon's Dumbledore could give Ian McKellen's Gandalf a run of fire?
4/5
If you like this you should try
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 3/5
Twilight (2008) 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment