Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I think I’ve finally got Harry Potter all figured out. I mean, when you think about, it’s pretty unexplainable. In 1997 a young adult’s novel pops up out of nowhere, from an unknown author, featuring a simple mystery story and a classic ultimate good-versus-ultimate evil set-up of the kind that dates back to the classic fantasy novels, and even further back to the roots of Christianity and religion as we know it, really. Jump 10 years later and the book has spawned six sequels becoming what is undoubtedly the single most successful series of novels of all time. Children who have never picked up another book in their life have at least read Harry Potter; adults too. The film adaptations now compose the single most successful film franchise of all time, and the latest installment looks to be on the way to break pretty much every box office record known to man. I myself am an admitted Potter fan, also of the novels but mostly of the films, in particular from the third one onward. Like the book series, the films too started out in pretty simple, humble beginnings, with straightforward storytelling, a Hardy Boys-esque mystery coupled with a mythology based on practically every traditional folklore and fantasy element already published; but from the third onwards, both the novels and the films become more complex, more coherent, more long-reaching, and consequently more compelling. The sixth book has always been my favourite, and I have been anticipating the film adaptation more than any other film recently. And suffice it to say that I was not disappointed. Let’s dive right into it, then.

A fact too many filmmakers and producers tend to forget lately is that the single most important element of making a successful film is a compelling plot and characters. While the previous entry in the series, the fifth, perhaps suffered from too much plot and characters, this latest installment, with its substantially longer running time, reaches a very satisfying balance. Sure, many sub-plots and entire sequences are lost in the adaptation, but this is an understandable and natural event, and necessary to condense the plot and keep things moving along. But more importantly, the filmmakers and screenwriter Steve Kloves know where to keep the focus for most of the duration of the film: its characters. At least in its first couple of hours, the film is essentially a character study, building up the relationships, feelings, thoughts and emotions of its three (already-not-so-young) protagonists – Harry, Ron and Hermione – while also devoting substantial time to develop and explore the emotional conflicts of a fourth character who was always so flat throughout the first five films but finally fulfills and even surpasses his potential this time around – Draco Malfoy. I was overjoyed that the film took the time out to develop his character and portray his emotions and conflicts, and it added an extra compelling element to an already very rich film.

These first two hours, besides showcasing some fascinating and excellently done character development as well as some darker but quite important and gripping plot points are for the most part quite light-hearted and humorous, and better than any other film in the series showcase just what life is really like for these hormonal, developing teenagers, on top of all their burdens. The fifth film was rather weighed down by its focus on plot and the conflict and emotional burden of the characters, but the fourth film, my second favourite in the series, dabbed quite successfully into this territory. Now, the sixth builds upon and expands these themes to provide some of the most enjoyable and certainly the absolute funniest scenes in the entire series. But it is in its final half hour that this film truly and utterly surpasses anything else previously achieved in the series. The shift in tone to dead-serious and quite somber and emotional – not to mention totally gripping, thrilling and quite scary – from the funny and light-hearted first couple of hours is most appropriate and expertly done, and the important plot developments that unfold in this final half hour are without a doubt the best scenes of the entire film series so far; they are just absolutely, no-holds-barred, purely magical and hauntingly beautiful cinematic moments that take the film and the series in general to a whole new level of compelling drama. Harry isn’t dealing with trolls or giant spiders or dragons or anything of that sort anymore – he’s dealing with massive, life-altering, burdening emotions, and it’s all so absolutely compelling and thrilling that I can’t stop thinking of the half hour alone.

Over the years, this franchise has become an absolute haven for the best of what two very distinct groups of film industry employees have to offer: classic British actors and technical craftsmen. Starting with the first group, I want to heap endless praise on all the actors who appeared in the film – and it’s quite a large ensemble. First and foremost, the three lead actors. It is an absolute and indescribable treat to see how much these three young performers have developed as actors and honed their talents to perfection from the first film when they were just 11-year-old children. Watching the entire series, it is impossible not to notice the immense leaps and bounds in talent, charisma and prowess these three make from film to film, and in this one, all three of them deliver absolutely spectacular, emotional and honest performances – they’ve really outdone themselves, and I salute them for that. Also worth mentioning is Tom Felton, who was always quite enjoyable but harmless as Harry’s smug, tormenting bully in the previous five films but who this time around finally gets his shining moment, and showcases some really, really great and most impressive acting chops in an emotional, intense performance I don’t think anyone thought he had in him. And then we have one of the most impressive, talented and encompassing supporting ensembles, composed of literally the best of the best that Britain has to offer in terms of acting talent. Many absolutely fantastic and classic performers are unfortunately (but unavoidably) underused in this entry, although most of them have already had moments to shine in previous films – Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane and David Thewlis are just a few, but there are plenty more. But a few of these supporting actors get to take center stage in this film, and particularly worth mentioning are Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, and Jim Broadbent. Broadbent’s casting was a stroke of genius as he manages to take a rather unsympathetic character from the book and really change him and shape him into his own, adding this whole crusty old British countryman element to it and really making him quite endearing and fascinating. Then we have Alan Rickman, who has always added something interesting and absolutely divine to the franchise, and who with his sharp punctuations and long pauses between words makes Snape one of the most effectively sinister characters in any film of the genre. And finally, we have Michael Gambon, who was always effective as Dumbledore since replacing the late and great Richard Harris in the third film but who really outdoes himself and draws from the kind of acting chops he’s always shown throughout his career and that awarded him the title Sir to deliver his best performance in the series, and perhaps what is the single best performance of this film in particular.

One cannot discuss a Harry Potter film without mentioning its technical elements, as these films have managed over the years to collect some of the most gifted talents in the business who in turn have crafted some of the most effective, creative and remarkable design of the genre. As in the other films in the franchise, both the costumes and the sets stand out as being outstandingly, incredibly designed – it’s no secret that the fantasy genre, along with sci-fi, is the genre that provides the most interesting and creative opportunities for going completely wild and artistic with the design. Composer Nicholas Hooper once again provides a very effective score for the film, finally breaking free (well, for the most part) from John Williams’ original themes and providing his own unique soundscape, even if it’s not quite up there with John Williams’ work on the first films. The effects work is also top notch – probably the best in the series, although from the fourth film onwards the franchise has shown some pretty consistently high-quality special effects and CGI work. And though this film doesn’t have many totally effects-driven environments or set pieces (which is an extremely good thing in my opinion, as I am ardently opposed to exclusively green-screen filmmaking which many directors have recently resorted to, especially in big genre franchises such as this one), many CGI elements are flawlessly and totally unnoticeably integrated into the scenes without ever drawing attention to themselves or looking at all fake. Of course, David Yates, directing his second film out of four in the series, presides over the proceedings with utmost skill and deft attention, especially for a director whose roots are in small but excellent British TV dramas. But one craftsman in particular I would like to single out is cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, who has been the driving force behind three of the most visually stunning and drop-dead beautiful-looking films of recent years: Amelie, A Very Long Engagement and Across the Universe. His touch is impossible to miss and his unique, highly stylized and absolutely, dazzlingly, incredibly beautiful visual style elevates the film’s look to a level not yet before reached in the franchise – and it’s been an extremely well-shot franchise so far. His use of lighting, colour, tone and shadow is simply incomparable to any other cinematographer’s look – Christopher Doyle perhaps comes very close – and the bottom line is that this film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and a cinematographer’s dream come true.

All this talk and I completely forgot that I was going to explain that I had Harry Potter all figured out. Well here it is. J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves, start out simply and traditionally, too much so in fact, but in their later works, manage to achieve a unique and incredibly effective balance between the broader, gripping, epic-in-scope mythological and fantasy-driven story arcs, and the personal, character-driven, essentially very real-life experiences the characters go through, experiences every one of us “regular” people can relate to such as conflicting emotions, love, loss, friendship, loyalty, and all the other experiences and emotions every teenager in the world has already or is currently going through. And it is this delicate and perfect balance that provides what is eventually just all-around compelling storytelling, and nothing less.