Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

In the first week of its release, I've now seen Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince twice. Overall, I enjoyed the film, despite the fact that it was sparing on the action to say the least. Counting an enthralling Quidditch game and team tryouts, the action scenes were few and far between. There is one scene in particular that I wish was not truncated, and made the journey of certain Death Eaters rather useless. The action scenes present in the movie were well done of course, with stunning graphics and brilliant cinematography. The most thrilling of the action scenes took place in a cave, when Harry Potter (Dan Radcliffe) and Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) had to fend off a horde of Inferi. I enjoyed seeing a different adaptation of these walking (and swimming) dead, as I pictured them more like zombies than anything else.

So what about the less action packed scenes (which comprise most of the film)? I would divide these into three parts: teenagers dealing with angst and love, comic relief and plot developing scenes that were often quite tense. Between the three main characters (Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson, and Ron Weasley, played by Rupert Grint) it seems as though many aspects of teen crushes were portrayed. From what's seen in the movie, Hermione Granger seems to hold a bit too much resentment toward Lavendar Brown, but for those Potterverse fans who've read the book, the tears, attacking canaries and date with the creepiest Gryffindor of all seem to make perfect sense; clearly this movie presumes its audience read the book in this and other scenes as well. As for Harry Potter and Ron Weasley's characters, both handled love-life situations differently and the script allowed each to infuse some comedy into their angst as well.

Regarding comic relief, kudos must be given to Rupert Grint, who, if a comedy award given for the sixth installment of the Harry Potter films, would surely be its recipient. The scene where Ron Weasley accidentally ingests some love potion (not spoiling here, it's in one of the tv spots) could not have been played as well by another actor. Perhaps that's because the actors, who are easily remembered as children, have played these characters for so long (and for many of them, exclusively), that the world has difficulty comprehending someone else in the role.

As for the plot developing scenes, this is where I truly wished there was more time in the film. The sixth book is meant to provide detailed information about the villain, Lord Voldemort, regarding his past. Due to what was clearly time constraints, only a few memories were visited. However, these and other plot developing scenes were, none the less, well written and performed. Whose performances stood out the most? Rupert Grint (Ron) and Alan Rickman (Snape) deserve mention in this field, but the two actors who stole the show are most certainly Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and James Broadbent (Horace Slughorn, the new Potions Master).

Two elements of this film likewise stood out among all others. The first is the focus on the importance and support of a simple touch. The film opens at the end of Harry's fifth year, drawing the viewer's attention to Dumbledore's supportive grasp on Harry's shoulder, offering him safety after the emotional trauma of his godfather's "death" and being possessed by Lord Voldemort (again, not spoiling--that happens in the fifth movie). The other element I enjoyed was when Dumbledore and Harry are speaking of a magic called Horcruxes and how to find them. For anyone who read the seventh book as well, it's clear what Dumbledore means when he says he's found another Horcrux.

So what did I wish was different? As mentioned earlier, more action scenes. Just one more might have added the perfect balance. In addition, several details about Voldemort's past were left out that would benefit those who perhaps had not read the books, to see in the film. Finally, it'd be nice to see some of the characters who are in the book that aren't mentioned or seen in the film, such as the Bill Weasley, Ron's oldest brother, who has quite a large role in the sixth book.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is certainly worth a trip to the movie theater. It's too bad though that this film wasn't split into two parts as is planned for the seventh book.