HP and the Half-Blood Prince

I had planned to see it eventually but thanks to some heads up advance tickets purchasing done by the Quintons and their inviting me to use an extra one, I was able to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in a sold out theatre on only its second day of release. Thanks to Dennis, Leisel, TJ, Megan, Steve, Taylie and Spencer for letting me join you.

As it has a running time of 2 hours and 33 minutes it was easy to forgo the $12 popcorn and drink combo and just enjoy the movie knowing I wouldn’t be distracted by the need to “go” during the latter part and also that, for the rest of the night, I wouldn’t have that mildly nauseating and greasy on the inside feeling you get from consuming way too much popcorn topped with a silly amount of melted yellow chemical sludge. Now on to the movie…

The familiar main title in all its jagged glory opens the show as usual but the surprising absence of the even more familiar mood setting theme music was disappointing to say the least. I suppose it may have been a sign that this was going to be a departure from the traditional HP movie formula and it definitely was that, but in a good way this time.

In real estate they say the three most important things are location, location and location. Well for me in movies it’s all about story, story and story. This Potter movie is all about story. It may not be the exact story contained in the book but it is a good one and it’s told with purpose and passion, without stopping along the way to apologize for omitting this particular bit or that inconsequential character. Instead of trying to include tiny fragments of every bit of the book, as they have often done in the past, this time it seems they recognized the important elements and concentrated their efforts on the central story leaving many familiar faces with little more than cameos this time around. Sure it was unfortunate not to have more time with some of them but if the end result is a deeper much more meaty and involving tale then I’m all for it.

If I may now mention a few specifics, I’ll start with Daniel, Emma and Rupert. They of course play Harry, Hermione and Ron. These three have been together for so long now that it’s quite obvious they are genuinely comfortable working together. Although I must admit I had always hoped that it would be Harry and Hermione who would end up together, as their special bond is shown to and felt by us in this movie much more than in any of the previous ones. Daniel and Bonnie Wright (Ginny) unfortunately have about as much chemistry as a liberal arts major. Emma and Rupert on the other hand have fairly good chemistry and although they go through a rough patch Ron and Hermione are back together by the end and their reconciliation is quite sweet.

I had read that there was a lot of snogging (apparently it’s what they call kissing over there) in this movie but I was relieved to find much less than I had feared and that there is no real need to nickname this Harry Potter movie as “Hogwarts 90210” at all.

One more pleasant surprise was the amount of humour in HP 6. It is by far the most funny of all the films thus far. It’s not that they went out of their way trying to make a comedy at all. It doesn’t feel forced or fake, but they have done a great job including some good laughs along the way.

Quidditch is back for a brief but spectacular appearance. Although it has been good in the past it seems that this time they found someone who really understands the physics of motion and athletics to choreograph the flying and the play so it looks more realistic than ever.

This is also the creepiest and scariest of the films so far. There was one spot (obvious to anyone who has read the book and even to many who haven't) in particular where several of the girlies in the packed theatre let out some professional grade screams.

A couple of minor characters stood out to me and I must mention them.

Helena Bonham Carter makes an early appearance, as Bellatrix of course, and a couple more later on and I must say I wish she was on the good guy’s team. She absolutely steals every scene she is in and I find it nearly impossible to take my eyes off her. She has so much charisma and she is obviously one of the best actors in the film.

Evanna Lynch (Luna) is her usual quirky little self. She is no Alice Cullen but she is just a tiny bit the same type of character. A bit strange from afar but quite lovely once you get to know her.

Above all, this is Harry and professor Dumbledore’s story and they tell it well. For the first time I found myself not missing Richard Harris so much and it was spectacular to witness the full fury of Dumbledore’s legendary magical power used in anger to save Harry.

I will admit that the large gap of time from when I read the book until seeing the movie tonight may have something to do with my lack of disappointment due to bits of the book gone missing. Having said that, I must say that this HP movie is my favourite of them all and by quite a large margin. A somewhat concentrated and great story is well told. I was more involved, I cared more, I laughed more, I got more stuff in my eye, I was more afraid, I was sadder and I was happier. It's just a great ride. I think I'm ready to go again.

8 out of 10.

P.S. Just one more thing I intended but forgot to mention. To top it all off it was so nice to walk outside into the 9:30 twilight™ and find it still warmer than inside with a muggy but very pleasant humidity that reminded me of places on this planet humans were actually meant to inhabit… Like Hawaii or basically anywhere between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.