After Christopher Columbus left the directing reigns for the third Harry Potter film to Alfonso Cuaron, I noticed that I started to like the series much less with each film. I really enjoyed the first two films, but then the quality sort of dropped from then. After walking out of “Order of the Phoenix” feeling very disappointed, I was very concerned about how my least favorite Harry Potter book could be made into a great movie and with the same cast and crew. What surprised me about this film is how goddamn emotionally powerful it is. From the romantic subplots to the nail-biting suspense, every second of this amazing film had me in wonderment. I haven’t loved a Harry Potter film since “Chamber of Secrets”, and that was seven years ago. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is the best Harry Potter movie ever made, and one of the year’s best films. I can’t wait to see this movie again.
I don’t remember much about the book, but I was hugely entertained by the way they constructed the story and all the romantic subplots. Probably the biggest surprise for me was the fact that I actually cared and gave a damn about the teenage romances we see in this film. In fact, I liked the romantic subplots more than I liked the story. The relationship that Hermione and Ron share is similar to the one that Beatrice and Benedick shared in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing”. The love/hate relationship they have and the chemistry between them is off-charts and you feel like they were destined to be together during the whole movie. But, let’s not forget about Harry and Ginny. In one of the film’s best scenes, Harry is comforting Hermione after she witnesses Ron kissing another girl. While crying, Hermione asks Harry what it feels like when he sees Ginny kissing another boy. He replies: “it feels like this.” It’s such a delight hearing so much honesty from the characters, and it breaks your heart to hear Harry utter those words. It’s so refreshing to know that I am willingly letting myself become attached to these characters and actually caring about their fates. The main story itself is fantastic. There are some incredibly funny scenes in this film, and some just as equally frightening and disturbing.
My, my, my, how these actors have grown. Daniel Radcliffe is one hell of an actor! He conveys incredible acting talent in some of film’s crucial moments. Like I mentioned above, we can feel his every little emotion behind his words and it’s wonderful to see Radcliffe grow into such a mature and convincing actor. Rupert Grint is still mostly there for comic relief but he has his shining moments as well. Plus, he has such great chemistry with Emma Watson, who deserves a Best Supporting Actress nomination as Hermione Granger. Even the adult characters are amazing, including Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent, and Helena Bonham Carter. Even Tom Felton transforms Draco Malfoy from a whiny loser to a sinister villain.
If this film does not at least get nominated for Best Visual Effects, I will be astounded. The environments are breath-taking to look at and they pack so many details into each shot. When looking at the environments, I felt that they were extremely realistic and I wanted to jump into the film and explore this amazing world. The spell effects are also truly groundbreaking. The way the illuminating spell’s light reflects off the environment is amazing and the attack spells are unleashed upon the environment with extremely realistic results.
Look, I’m running out of positive things to say about this film. The score is excellent. The costume design is excellent. The list goes on and on and on.
Overall, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” succeeded my expectations and it is now my favorite Harry Potter film. It’s a magical experience. I look forward to the final two movies and hope they are just as wondrous and magical as this film. A+
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