Janelle Li
We’ve waited 2 long years for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince since the last movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, screened. And knowing that the Deathly Hallows finale is going to be shown in 2 parts, the first being scheduled for next November, followed by July 2011, has kept our anticipation as keen as ever. But as you know, the higher the anticipation, the higher the expectations, and, sadly, the movie barely managed to live up to that.
In this instalment based on the penultimate Harry Potter book the core of the plot falls on Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore, with many scenes featuring just the 2 of them, as the Hogwarts principal enlists Harry to get closer to the new Potions teacher Horace Slughorn (played by Jim Broadbent) for some clue to Dark Lord Voldemort’s past and hence weakness.
The rest of the characters, including Harry’s best pals Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, seem to have taken a backseat and become the supporting cast instead. Hermione, who used to be the ‘brains’ of the movies, was actually bested by Harry, who now topped the Potions class, thanks to his picking up a textbook left by a mysterious senior known as the “Half-Blood Prince”. Feminists of the world will no doubt feel the sting when their heroine is reduced to a green-eyed monster, sobbing away as her love Ron is very openly romanced by Lavender Brown (Jessica Cave), who loves snogging him till his lips chap.
It was disappointing how small some of the other beloved roles were, such as the Ron’s twin practical joker older brothers, who only had a cameo appearance in the very beginning when Harry and friends visited their shop at Diagon Alley.
Harry’s long-time rival Draco Malfoy, supposedly playing a larger part in pushing the story forward in this movie, was expected to make his dramatic break, but the audience was slightly let down.
Even for moviegoers unfamiliar with the original books, the storyline for the movie was brief. It was a 154-minute movie, but when the film ended it didn’t seem as though even 2 hours had passed. The pace for the story was uneven, with some scenes moving the plot slowly such as scenes of Harry in Potions class, and others pushing the plot right ahead all of a sudden, such as the attempts of Malfoy to complete the tasks assigned by Voldemort. It also seems rather ridiculous for Harry to take such an interest in Ron’s sister Ginny when he was last seen developing a relationship with Cho Chang in both Goblet of Fire and the Order of the Phoenix.
In terms of visuals, it was a great decision for director David Yates to retain the Quidditch scenes, as there was some uproar over its removal in the last movie. It was about the only fast-paced action you got, attention-grabbing and a real treat for the eyes, which helps to divert from the serious and dark main plot. Where are dragons and basilisk when you need them to pump up the adrenaline? Even the acromantula, the huge poisonous pet spider, is dead here.
Other than Quidditch, most of the scenes were more ‘normal’ scenes of conversations among the characters, intending to bring out the storyline. This was a different treatment compared to the last 2 movies, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, which had more of an impact visually with the abundant use of amazing computer graphics such as the Death Eaters.
This sixth film has come a long way from the first, with the characters well into their teens, and as a movie it touched on different themes that we can relate to, such as love, jealousy, friendship, respect and so on. The story will show you the development of the relationship between Hermione and Ron, and the closeness that Harry and Dumbledore shared in terms of both friendship and headmaster-student relationship.
The Harry Potter series used to be suited for children, but it would probably take at least a 12-year-old to fully appreciate the movie in its entirety.
Rating: 7/10
Release Date: 16 July 2009
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Running Time: 154 minutes
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Director: David Yates