Harry Potter and the Half Blood-Prince

I was never really a Harry Potter fan of any sort; I never even read the books. Not because I don’t love to read, I do, I just always thought the Harry Potter series in general was recycled filler from The Lord of the Rings mythology. Then as I delved deeper into the film trilogy I began to learn a lot more about this boy wizard called Harry and the school of Hogwarts in which he attends.
What got me into Harry Potter to begin with was my lovely girlfriend and her obsession with the films, so after much debate I finally sat down a year ago and watched the first one. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was amazing and I was astonished at its innocence and imagination, maybe I hadn’t given J.K. Rowling the legitimate literary chance she deserved. I thought these stories were for children so why even bother, but something wrong happened, once I watched that film it made me feel like a kid again. I missed my days of youth and that film brought it out of me. So acting like a child I convinced myself I had to see the next film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I wouldn’t say that film was better than the first but it did tilt the story into the right direction for the second best film out of the series.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was superb in its ddirecting and overall tone. The little wizards we have come to enjoy in their innocence were growing up and a more complex story line was emerging. Plus how could one not love Gary Oldmans powerful performance as Sirius Black, a character that breathed new life into the series. It is by far my second favorite out of all of the films thus far the first being The Order of the Phoenix.
Goblet of Fire lived up to its title and thrilled audiences the same way as the previous installment did but it wasn’t until we arrived at The Order of the Phoenix that above it all intellectuals who scoff at fantasy started to take notice. Phoenix brought more maturity and depth to the characters than any of the other films and a lot of that has to do with director David Yates. I wonder how the rest of the films in the previous series would have turned out if he directed them all? I think they would have been alot better but they are great as is, I just think his eye for fantasy translates very well on to the silver screen. It would seem that my point would be correct since he has directed The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hollows parts 1 and 2.
Yet this review is about his newest endeavor Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Harry Potter is way pass the young child we knew and his sexual urging is growing, that is apparent with all the underline harmonies in the film it’s self. Yet this is just one theme in Half-Blood Prince, the others are betrayal and loss, not bad for just a child’s fantasy film is it. Though despite all of the themes mentioned above the film is still able to juggle them with ease while not letting each seperate story structure collapse on a moment’s notice. Not all credit can be given to the director it is also the actors who shine as well.
Daniel Radcliffe may always be known as Harry Potter but he is more than just that. It takes real talent for an actor to grow with a character over a decade and morph him from a young naïve student to the chosen ONE, and make it believable. He does this without trouble in The Half-Blood Prince and convinces you the audience that this imaginary world is indeed real. I believe he will go on to outgrow Harry Potter mania and actually become a renowned actor of his generation, but only time can tell.
Radcliffe isn’t the only actor out of the series to grow up in front of our eyes and show promise. Rupert Grint has also come into his own and has actually branched out of Harry Potter; his performance in Cherrybomb proves that he has raw talent. Emma Watson also appears to be growing as a fine actress; it wouldn’t surprise me that she becomes the next Kate Winslet. Michael Gambon has also proved that he owns the character of Dumbledore with a passion given his performance in The Half Blood-Prince. Richard Harris version of Dumbledore didn’t have time to grow or nourish but Michael Gambon took on the dreadful task of reimaging it yet staying true to the original performance given by Harris, by doing this he has accomplished a great and deserving praise.
Every actor does his or her part right even Alan Rickman or Helena Bonham Carter, though my personal favorite is Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Even with the ghoulish makeup over his face and the obscurity of his character you can always sense the evil within him or the hate. While I watched The Half-Blood Prince I waited in sorrow for him to appear on screen which he did not, and that is really the only negative aspect of the film to me. Yes Voldemort is in the film as a child growing into his own self loathing of everything good, which is fine, I just wanted see a grown up Voldemort wreck havoc on society of the innocent. It was truly fine without him though, we get to see all of that in the next two installments of the film, which is ok by me.
Harry Potter has grown up and so has his audience, The Half-Blood Prince is by far the best summer movie released this year, outside of District 9. I cannot wait to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, it is on my must list. I believe over time the Harry Potter films will be looked back upon as something more than just a child’s movie or a children’s book. I believe within twenty years they will be looked back upon as something truly magical.

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the real deal. Not only is it the best family film of the summer more so than UP but it is also one of the best films of the year. Go to the theater and be amazed at what you see, because I assure you all of the troubles you have in life will be forgotten during the 153 minutes it is on the screen.