3/5
Despite the sci-fi-fantasy appeal of the Harry Potter movies, which would normally draw me in, I had never watched any of the movies at the theater, until now. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince picks up where we left off in Order of the Phoenix. I think that it may be unproductive for many of you to actually have a synopsis, but I will layout the scene for the uninitiated. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is a specially chosen wizard who has been attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has become very close friends with two of his classmates, Hermine (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint). He is regarded by both the staff and the student body as a talented wizard, even if he does manage to get tangled into tight spots with unusual frequency. Both because of his strong will and because of his natural talents he has also garnered some unsavory enemies. In the Half-Blood Price Harry has returned to Hogwarts for a 6th year; he attends a potions class where he attains a textbook that was once used by the self proclaimed Half-Blood Prince. This book helps win the favor of his potions teacher, Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Unfortunately for Harry trouble is brewing again and he must unravel the riddles laying before him to uncover who his new foes are and what they truly want... (And that's a really short description!)
Most of the Harry Potter movies could stand alone on their own, however the Half-Blood Prince does not have the story or strength to do so. Although it tells it's own story, it is mostly a set up for things to come in the final film (now films). This changes a lot of the film's "chemistry" when compared to the previous films. The most noticeable change is in the tone, which is much darker and more brooding. This story contains much more dialogue than the others, as well as more character development. While the previous films revolve around the central character, Harry, in most of the scenes he is accompanied by one of his close friends. In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry is usually going it alone or, if joined, he is with a professor.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast get much more screen time all to themselves to help continue to develop their characters. This is where the movie seems to drag. A large amount of time is spent lolly-gagging about with Ron and Hermine as they struggle to figure out their respective love interests. The investment in the characters does have it's rewards, but ultimately makes the movie feel too slow and too long. There was more of vested interest in the supporting cast than in any of the other films, but I am not entirely sure that all of the time spent around their stories was completely necessary or beneficial to the larger story arc(s). The time spent with them did provide valuable insight into their characters and the relationships they share, which was at times humorous and gave a softer touch to this otherwise darker movie.
One thing that felt very different to me was the performance given by Daniel Radcliff. Although I have very much enjoyed all of the previous movies, I always felt that he was just... I don't know... off. His facial expressions and some of his body language were often awkward or insincere. Most of these quirks were absent in this film, not to say that they didn't "pop" up from time to time, but the absence of these... forced expressions... seemed to help ground Harry and make him seem much more real.
Michael Gambon was on top of his game as he brought Professor Dumbledore to life once again. His role has always been linked to that of Harry, but is even more closely tied to the forward progress of Harry's story in this film. The screen time given to him is valuable and rewarding as he is the leading man in many of the more powerful scenes throughout the film. The performance he gave to his character was one of the greatest strengths of the Half-Blood Prince and brought my often wandering mind back into focus on the film.
Pros:
Great character development. Daniel Radcliff seems more honest and tangible this go around. Michael Gambon is wonderful and keeps the story captivating. The tone is much more sinister and helps to provide an excellent spring board for the final story (now stories), while at the same time having stronger comedic relief than the previous films.
Cons:
Very long and slow, primarily because of the large amount of time spent fixating over Ron and Hermine and their love lives. Not a very strong stand alone story.
Bottom Line:
If you haven't seen any of the previous movies, don't invest the time with this one until you do. If you have seen the others, I wouldn't fret too much if you didn't make it to the theaters (I felt like I was the only person laughing in the theater most of the movie). The pacing is similar to that of a very badly scratched CD, the music may be great, but there are some very big distractions and it's hard to continue to keep interest the whole time. I think when placed into the bigger picture this movie will hold more weight than it currently does, but as a standalone movie it suffers from too much to achieve greatness, despite some excellent performances from Michael Gambon and Jim Broadbent.
