Dark, creepy and horrifying

MANILA, Philippines - Film review: Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

It is a good thing that the fans of Harry Potter have grown up alongside the books and the movies that came in their wake. Otherwise, they will never be able to enjoy Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. The film based on the sixth book of the series, is dark, creepy and in some scenes, horrifying. And we all thought that there will not be anything as grim as Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

This, though, is only to be expected. Time has passed. Harry and his friends are older. Voldemort is stronger. Hogwarts is no longer the secure place it was vaunted to be. So, instead of simply learning how to use their magical powers, the children are now confronting danger from fearsome demons and the reality of death. In fact, an ominous thread pervades the whole of this picture. Somebody will die and it could be Harry.

Writer J.K. Rowling laid down the maturing process. She cleverly designed the series to see Potter through the “high school years” at Hogwarts. The films had no choice but to stay within the same time frame. Then it is to the credit of the directors who took on the books that every picture made a seamless transition into the next one and then again to the next and so forth. Chris Columbus established the kiddie adventure with Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. Alfonso Cuaron laid the groundwork for the coming of age years in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. And now we have the latest, David Yates, who took the franchise a step older with Harry V and further more in Harry VI, The Half-Blood Prince.

Much had been made of in the media about Yates not being in the same feature film league as Columbus, Home Alone or Cuaron, Y Tu Mama Tambien. Yates made his mark as a TV director in the UK. But it turned out that he is just what the series needed. The Harry novels were no longer children’s lit in the later years. The books are as heavy as War and Peace and the plots as complicated. Yates comes from television, where the rule is never to waste a single second. This experience helped him through the difficult task of packing the ponderous material into at most two hours. So he pared and slashed or totally deleted stuff from the books and brought in Harry VI at two hours and 33 minutes.

Those who loved the book and had already played the scenes in their heads many times before, will not like what Yates did. Without mercy, he ruthlessly hacked away at the clutter. No more the story of the Gaunts, Voldemort’s ancestors. He even had the guts to do away with that crucial funeral. But on the other hand, that is only to be expected from a good film craftsman. Otherwise we will not have this tightly woven, coherent, and thoroughly enjoyable picture. Truth to tell, this Harry film comes closest to Prisoner of Azkaban which I think is the best in the series.

This time around, focus is on Voldemort who is growing in strength and following. Concerned over this and with the Dementors stalking Hogwarts, headmaster Dumbledore uses Harry’s celebrity to lure Professor Horace Slughorn back to the school. One of Slughorn’s most memorable pupils who was quite close to him, was Tom Riddle, who grew up to become Voldemort. Dumbledore hopes to find some clues on how to defeat the dark lord in Slughorn’s memories. It is through these that we learn of Riddle’s Dickensian childhood and descent to evil, finally getting a clear idea on who this boy is and what turned him into Voldemort.

In the process, Harry finds out how intertwined is his life with Voldemort’s. A lot is happening around him. This is high school where hormones are raging and new emotions are being discovered. He would have probably wanted to pursue his attraction for Ginny Weasley, to help Ron and Hermione reveal their true feelings or pay attention to the girls who are after him. But he leaves those hijinks to the other kids. It has been revealed that he is the chosen one destined to fight important battles. So he grits his teeth, glares out of his glasses and with a determined stride goes after Voldemort and all those other bad guys.

The young leads in the cast Daniel Radcliffe as Harry and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his best friends Ron and Hermione, were chosen to play their roles because they closely resemble in looks and personality the characters in the books. So although, they have grown into their roles and acquit themselves admirably in this one, I think it would be best for us to judge their mettle in other films.

But Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy, already shows a lot of promise. It looks like a sure thing that he will mature into an interesting actor. So will the two new kids who play Voldemort — Hero Finnes Tiffin as Tom Riddle at 11 and Frank Dillane at 16. I do not know if it was their familiarity with the story or if they are naturally gifted actors but these guys were impressively weird and slimy even in their pitiful moments.

In keeping with the Harry Potter tradition, the acting chops are once more provided by acclaimed British actors in the adult roles. There is not much for Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid to do but his is a reassuring presence. Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Allan Rickman as Snape are once more invaluable and Jim Broadbent of Iris and Moulin Rouge as Horace Slughorn is a welcome addition.

The design, special effects, sound and photography of Harry VI are all well-executed. It makes for a great viewing experience to be shared with the whole family. And if you want to double the fun watch it on IMAX 3D. The quidditch match becomes more exciting and the attacking dementors truly fearsome. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be fun to watch reissues of the early Potter films also on IMAX 3D?