Thus after the searing mediocrity and blatant intermediary qualities of "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" we arrive at the "darkest" of all the wizards novel to film exports, "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince". For the second time in the series we have a director undertaking the following instalment of our wand waving hero's tale, which begs the question whether or not the studio executives are at all interested in these films. It seems that any appreciation for cinematic achievement has been jettisoned given that the two stand out films in this tale were those directed by one time only "guest" directors Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell. However, that is not to say that David Yates hasn't learnt from the failings of his previous experience, and it's also not to say that he has as well.
Evidently, it seems to be the norm for any film which deems itself to be "dark", "brooding" or "foreboding" simply to turn down the brightness of the lights to achieve this feat. No longer must attention be paid to the frivolous ideals of suspense and atmosphere that must painstakingly be achieved through the use of all the cinematic tools at a directors disposal (including the actors) so as to engulf the audience in the sense of despair and emptiness like was felt at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, for example. No, now a film must merely have the reputation for being "dark" to be classified as such. What is, in hindsight, an increasingly annoying trait about this film is its inability to build enough steam to reach the overwhelming sense of dysphoria it aims to achieve. "Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince" finds its main plot line increasingly usurped by the secondary detailings of the magical castles students romantic affairs, which stagnates the story and does not provide for free flowing gravitas and the all important sense of unavoidable doom. We all know, even those that have not read the books such as I, of the inevitable and impending outcome of the story, but the entire film feels as if it's one hundred and twenty minutes just to watch one character snuff it. The same criticisms I levelled at the last instalment apply just as much, if not more so, to this one because "The Half Blood Prince" shouldn't feel like an intermediary story but comes across precisely as that, as if we somehow only paid money for the conclusion and everything else was surplus.
To give the films helmsman the credit he deserves, Yates is still capable of composing some very crisp looking scenescapes and finds himself backed by an unexpected, yet pleasingly macabre, score which is utilised at surprisingly limited intervals to heighten its impact. However, in a film which finds itself besotted with a ridiculously unassailable amount of inter-character relationships which continuously change more rapidly than it does take the film to spout out a new Latin word, the directors' inability to successfully deal with those individual characters hampers the film significantly. His lack of ambition in challenging the overseer of Madam Rowling to either elongate and make more serious the evolving relationships, or lessen their presence altogether belies a lack of direction from a man whose title implies as such.
Once again, Rickman and Gambon provide substance to roles that would seem ridiculous in the hands of others, while Grint and Radcliffe continue to avoid the on screen pitfalls of puberty to provide decent attempts in their respective roles of Ron and Harry. Unfortunately, Emma Watson once more steals the show as the most grating on screen presence since George Lucas decided what Star Wars really needed was a leaping platypus. In its defence, there is not a great deal wrong with "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince", it tells its tale as it needs to, recounting the major details from the book while trying desperately to retain that sense of mysticism, wonderment and more importantly a connection with the characters. It's just that it does this in an underwhelmingly spectacular fashion that offers the casual viewer nothing more than yet another episode in the Harry Potter series without providing enough context. Perhaps a more in-depth focus on Voldemort may have yielded results, sending cold chills down our collective viewing spines, or maybe provide a greater sense of why it was the dark forces felt the need to eliminate who they did and what it would mean to them as opposed to a mere notch on the killing chart. In all, Harry Potter proves to be yet more inoffensive summer "blockbuster" viewing which will entertain, as they often claim they do, yet deaden the mind and the wallet. I suppose the one thing which sums up the ineptitude of this film the most successfully is that I watched it intently for two hours and still have no idea what the Half- Blood Prince means, or adds to the story.
Evidently, it seems to be the norm for any film which deems itself to be "dark", "brooding" or "foreboding" simply to turn down the brightness of the lights to achieve this feat. No longer must attention be paid to the frivolous ideals of suspense and atmosphere that must painstakingly be achieved through the use of all the cinematic tools at a directors disposal (including the actors) so as to engulf the audience in the sense of despair and emptiness like was felt at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, for example. No, now a film must merely have the reputation for being "dark" to be classified as such. What is, in hindsight, an increasingly annoying trait about this film is its inability to build enough steam to reach the overwhelming sense of dysphoria it aims to achieve. "Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince" finds its main plot line increasingly usurped by the secondary detailings of the magical castles students romantic affairs, which stagnates the story and does not provide for free flowing gravitas and the all important sense of unavoidable doom. We all know, even those that have not read the books such as I, of the inevitable and impending outcome of the story, but the entire film feels as if it's one hundred and twenty minutes just to watch one character snuff it. The same criticisms I levelled at the last instalment apply just as much, if not more so, to this one because "The Half Blood Prince" shouldn't feel like an intermediary story but comes across precisely as that, as if we somehow only paid money for the conclusion and everything else was surplus.
To give the films helmsman the credit he deserves, Yates is still capable of composing some very crisp looking scenescapes and finds himself backed by an unexpected, yet pleasingly macabre, score which is utilised at surprisingly limited intervals to heighten its impact. However, in a film which finds itself besotted with a ridiculously unassailable amount of inter-character relationships which continuously change more rapidly than it does take the film to spout out a new Latin word, the directors' inability to successfully deal with those individual characters hampers the film significantly. His lack of ambition in challenging the overseer of Madam Rowling to either elongate and make more serious the evolving relationships, or lessen their presence altogether belies a lack of direction from a man whose title implies as such.
Once again, Rickman and Gambon provide substance to roles that would seem ridiculous in the hands of others, while Grint and Radcliffe continue to avoid the on screen pitfalls of puberty to provide decent attempts in their respective roles of Ron and Harry. Unfortunately, Emma Watson once more steals the show as the most grating on screen presence since George Lucas decided what Star Wars really needed was a leaping platypus. In its defence, there is not a great deal wrong with "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince", it tells its tale as it needs to, recounting the major details from the book while trying desperately to retain that sense of mysticism, wonderment and more importantly a connection with the characters. It's just that it does this in an underwhelmingly spectacular fashion that offers the casual viewer nothing more than yet another episode in the Harry Potter series without providing enough context. Perhaps a more in-depth focus on Voldemort may have yielded results, sending cold chills down our collective viewing spines, or maybe provide a greater sense of why it was the dark forces felt the need to eliminate who they did and what it would mean to them as opposed to a mere notch on the killing chart. In all, Harry Potter proves to be yet more inoffensive summer "blockbuster" viewing which will entertain, as they often claim they do, yet deaden the mind and the wallet. I suppose the one thing which sums up the ineptitude of this film the most successfully is that I watched it intently for two hours and still have no idea what the Half- Blood Prince means, or adds to the story.