REVIEW: Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
As perhaps the most controversial Harry Potter book, the Half Blood Prince left a lot of pressure resting on director David Yeates’ shoulders.
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Harry Potter
The shift of the characters from childhood to young adulthood - coupled with the dramatic action sequences and not to mention the death of a significant character must have provided nothing short of a nightmare for everyone involved - but I must say they have pulled it all off rather well.
Within the first ten minutes, they have already convincingly destroyed an iconic London bridge with impressive special effects, and the Death Eaters become more terrifying than ever as they appear and disappear in wisps of black smoke.
Harry also appears to have developed rather a lot over his fourth summer away from Hogwarts, with opening scenes depicting the nerdy hero flirting with a waitress in a muggle cafe.
Unlikely love interest Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) is introduced early, but an over-eagerness to leap between awesome special-effect-ridden scenes does seem to draw attention away from the blossoming relationship.
Our man Freddie Whittaker as Harry Potter
Wright herself also demonstrates a more mature performance, having developed from little-sister-in-tow during film one to tall, sensible and clever main character by number six.
The only thing which lets her character down is her odd behaviour - feeding Harry by hand and even tying his shoe-lace at one point in the film.
The script, though riddled with mildly old-fashioned words like “golly” and, at one point “dimbo”, is witty, particularly as we see the whole Ron and Hermione plot thicken with the addition of a very enthusiastic Lavender Brown.
Other notable performances include Alan Rickman’s Snape at his most slimy, Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith (as always), and newcomer Jim Broadbent as the fame-seeking and truly mad Horace Slughorn.
Evanna Lynch once again gives a memorable performance as the loopy Luna Lovegood, and Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy is, for the sixth time, boringly smug.
Freddie Whittaker
2 Comments
by Barry, Gloucester
Sunday, July 19 2009, 8:04AM
“Anon, the reviewer did not say this was London Bridge, what he actually said was "An iconic London Bridge". There are many bridges over the Thames in London. I think Freddie Whittaker gave a fair and frank view of the film, unlike many critics who just because they did not enjoy a particular film slate it. I am one of the projectionists at the local cinema and there are many films that I don't like but I still have to show them for the people who do. Judging from the lack of empty seats I see when I look through my observation port, this film is already a big success. In fact so popular in its first week we have three prints of the film and all screens showing it are mostly sell-outs. If the screenwriters stuck ridgidly to the book we would have a film many hours long.”
by Anon, FoD
Friday, July 17 2009, 3:44PM
“Has the reviewer ever been to London? Its not London Bridge..
They didnt stick to the Book very much either in fact you could say they made whole parts of the Film up.
Entertaining film if you've not read the Book, if you have you'll sat there wondering whats going on!!”