Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the movie an audacious A-.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20291190,00.html


Lisa Schwarzbaum has officially lost my respect. Owen Gleiberman, you're EW's saviour critic now, the one I can trust.
The most incredible thing she wrote? "Half-Blood Prince encompasses important plot developments involving both love and death. But the story is, still and all, only a pause, deferring an intensely anticipated conclusion. And it's in that exquisite place of action and waiting that this elegantly balanced production emerges as a model adaptation."

David Yates, you suck.
Bruno Delbonnel, you're an artist with impeccable taste.

David Yates is of course second time HP director (bring back Alfonso!). The movie was unevenly paced, patchy at parts, and anti-climatic. In spite of the title, there was no clear references to the origins, nor the significance of the role of the "half-blood prince". It existed just to fill in the sub-plot of allowing Harry to make brilliant potions, which serve to create another sub-plot of Ron getting poisoned by the love potion, which again is pretty much an excuse for them to quench the growing teen audience's raging teen hormones. And all that drama about Harry and Ginny's kiss/romance? Absolute rubbish. There was no build-up. That scene at the room where they shared the kiss was slightly romantic, but insipid and cliche. One moment they're trying to get rid of the book, after finding out the secret vanishing door thing (which they didnt know!), the next they're making out. WTH!

and of course, (spoiler alert) a certain death was not elegantly executed. There was no tension, no drama, just lots of running and bad editing, no dialogue nothing. Cmon, we're talking about the death of the greatest wizard, and all he got was a fall off the cliff without any drama?!?!!? I did not feel it.

But my biggest criticism was the whole movie's irrelevance to the title. Its a disgrace. The Half-Blood Prince title is a hoax. They should call it Harry Potter and the Love Potion.

Bruno Delbonnel. Cinematographer for Amelie and Across The Universe, and now HPATHBP. I LOVE THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. The colour palette, though grim and dark, befitting of the increasing gloom of the plot, was limited, yet it was so beautifully done. The scenes were picturesque and breath-taking. For a while, I bought in to the whole magical aspect of the movie. That scene where Harry and Dumbledore stood at the edge of a cliff, amidst crashing waves, was beautiful.

Each year as I watch the Potter movies, I have the urge to pick up the book and sink into the magical realms. I believe that Rowling has wrote something timeless, and breath-taking. This movie did make me want to pick up the book, but only because the imminent death-match is getting closer and closer. Who does not like a battle to the pits? And watching the films, after 6 times now, does make one feel for the character, and that's why I want to read it. Not because this film was particularly good.

Seriously, get rid of Yates. Now.

Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter were absolutely delicious. I just wish I had seen more of them. HBC is fantastic I must say, I am delighted everytime Bellatrix appears. and LUNA LOVEGOOD (Evanna Lynch)- brilliant, quirky, and oh so charming! Daniel Radcliffe was ok, Emma Watson was beautiful, Rupert Grint funny, but who REALLY stole the show for me was the young boy who played the teenage Lord Voldermott. I googled him and his name is Frank Dillane. He had that menacing look that reminded me of Ralph Fiennes' dangerously good looks. RF has a sense of vengence in him, whereas FD played the inner-demon-brewing role perfectly with that stare and the way he spoke. Very promising.

Such a great cast. There's Maggie Smith, HBC, Michael Gambon (which reminded me of Sir Ian McKellen), Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters (Ron's mum, who was also the mum in Billy Elliott), all of which were terribly underused. I wish there's more of them in the upcoming two closing chapters.


The movie's disappointing, but the company was terrific la. I love how everytime we go out, it's a laughfest. Cheers to Friends Forever. =)


On a good note, (500) Days Of Summer is out in the States! It's coming! Soon! Yay!