Harry Potter and the need for emotional purging

The sixth book was an acquired taste for me.The first time I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I wasn’t
sure whether I liked it or not. I mean, Dumbledore (Dumbledore!) dies. That should be reason enough for anyone to hate it. Just because. Add to the fact that the book had a darker, more contemplative, hormonal, and less action-packed tone; well, I just couldn’t bring my 14-year-old sunshine-and-daisies self to appreciate it at the time. Plus, the cliffhanger at the end just gave me vertigo.

The second time reading it, however, was a totally different ballgame. Indubitably, Harry Prince and the Half-Blood Prince was the bee’s knees. The cat’s pajamas. The snake’s hips. And all other anthropomorphic oddities in the English language. The point being, it was the epitome of awesome. Everything from the ever-darkening mood, to the romantic subplots, to the overarching back-stories, to the characters’ development, to the story’s pressing urgency, was seamlessly set up to brace readers for the series’ finale — and it did not disappoint. Which was why neither allergic rhinitis nor pre-menstrual symptoms could stop me from catching the movie last Friday.

Suffice to say, I don’t think I’ll be needing an acquired taste for the big-screen version. If anything, I walked out of that cinema with an even runnier nose and an even more imbalanced endocrine system. These can be attributed to one of several things that did or did not happen in the movie: omitting emotionally charged scenes like the Great Hall battle at Hogwarts, Harry breaking up with Ginny to protect her, and Dumbledore’s funeral (!!!); fast-forwarding too much through The Cave’s climax; blurring important links to the next film by glossing over Voldemort’s past and Harry’s Horcrux mission; adding vague, time-consuming scenes (which could have been traded for more important bits) like Harry’s flirting in the subway and the battle at the Burrow; and addressing the mystery of the title (Half-Blood Prince, anyone?) only in passing reference at the end of the show.

Oy vey.

I’m sure there’s more, but who’s counting? While I realize that it’s impossible to squish every little detail of HP6 into a two-hour movie, I do know the story well enough to discern which parts matter, and which parts can understandably be omitted for filming purposes.

That being said, the movie in itself isn’t a complete waste of time. Yes, I was disappointed with the exclusion of key details, but, comparisons to the book aside, I was actually surprised to see how well director David Yates balanced the theme of morose foreboding with well-timed injections of comedy (I’m sorry, but the whole Dumbledore-slash-Gandalf-parting-the-red-sea cave scene was pretty hilarious). Furthermore, it was nice to see them put emphasis on the other supporting characters’ roles for once, instead of spotlighting Harry all the time. In the book, Dumbledore snags the hero-carpet from underneath Harry’s feet, and I give props to Yates for making that role-reversal convincingly evident in the movie. Likewise, Draco Malfoy’s transition from overconfident, bullying braggart to a more tortured, cynical soul was also tackled surprisingly well for me.

In fact, with the exception of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), whose acting as far as I’m concerned doesn’t evolve beyond the emotional range of a teaspoon (Hermoine’s words from HP4); and Bonnie Wright’s sub-par depiction of Ginny Weasley, the rest of the cast performed incredibly well.

Rupert Grint did a stellar job of capturing Ron Weasley’s sardonic sense of humor and bumbling lack of subtlety, with Jessie Cave milking Lavender Brown’s over-enthusiastic advances for all it was worth. As for Evanna Lynch, well, her brutally frank, hippie-drunken portrayal of Luna Lovegood will always be good for a laugh.

Jim Broadbent’s flustered dithering wasn’t exactly the oversized Professor Slughorn I had in mind, but it was a lovely performance, nevertheless. Fortunately, my favorite HP veterans, Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) and Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), did not disappoint; and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), just blew me away with that surge of raw emotion he let fly in the Astronomy Tower scene. Heck, I was so amazed with Felton’s acting; at that point I almost forgot that Dumbledore was about to die.

In a nutshell, I conclude by grudgingly admitting that HP6 is indeed the best Harry Potter movie thus far, even though I’ve never really been a fan of the movie versions (it’s just like saying HP6 is the biggest fish in the smallest pond). And while I can’t keep stressing enough the fact that so many crucial parts were left out — well, at least the screenplay managed (just barely) to lay the groundwork for the next movie, in its own ambiguous, “phoenix-flying-over-the-horizon-as-the-movie’s-ending” way.

Well, whatever. You can hate it or love it, criticize or praise it — either way, it’s a movie that shouldn’t be missed. On principle, I mean. You know, just because it’s Harry Potter.

And with that, bring on the Deathly Hallows!