the chaos and confusion permeating both the Muggle and wizard
communities as they experience acts of terrorism via Voldemort's army
of Death Eaters, free from the shackles of Azkaban and eager to wage
war for their master. The fancy of years gone by has been replaced by
a general feeling of unease as prominent members of the wizarding
world go missing, their businesses left destroyed or abandoned. Rumors
suggest Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is getting too old and possibly
too senile to offer protection strong enough to defend against The
Dark Lord, and parents question whether Hogwarts is still the safest
place for their children. Magic has irrevocably made the leap from
pretty lights and the odd hex to a weapon of mass destruction in the
wrong hands. War, hormones, and dark magic equal a better-than-average
year for the students of Hogwarts, and the best Potter movie since
Prisoner of Azkaban.
Burgeoning love is very much the new character in this film; the
chaste smooches and not-so-subtle hints of mutual attraction have
given way to unbridled make-out sessions and scorned teens in all
their glory. Even Dumbledore wants the scoop. Ron (Rupert Grint) and
Hermione (Emma Watson) make a modicum of progress in their tumultuous
relationship, while Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) pines for Ginny (Bonnie
Wright) and occasionally bathes in his own popularity, possessing a
cockiness far removed from the wide-eyed innocence of earlier films.
The series is first and foremost a fantasy, not a romance, though
hints of sex within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts give the teens a
quality of realness, and add to the sense of easiness the young actors
have developed among themselves after spending much of their own
adolescence on the sets of Potter films. The elder actors steal the
show, as per usual — Snape (Alan Rickman) is meaner, scarier, funnier,
and more unfathomable then he's ever been, while prickly McGonagall's
(Dame Maggie Smith) strict nature is infused with the subtle but
deep-rooted loyalty for which she is known and loved in the books.
It's Jim Broadbent's turn as newly appointed potions teacher Horace
Slughorn, however, that gives the Hogwarts teachers the distinction
they deserve. Broadbent, as Slughorn, embodies the combination of ego
and charm inherent in those members of Slytherin house who haven't
fallen in step with Voldemort's anti-Muggle beliefs.
Michael Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore, unfortunately, remains too
aloof and stern to capture the loving, albeit conflicted relationship
between headmaster and student. His private lessons with Harry seem
disjointed and abrupt; oddly, he seems more compassionate toward Tom
Riddle (aka Young Voldemort) in a series of flashbacks meant to enable
Harry to understand the nature of his enemy. Inexplicably, all of
Harry's interactions with Dumbledore are sudden and somewhat
confusing. Everyone, whether or not they've read the Potter series,
will leave this film knowing who likes whom, but far fewer will
understand how Harry and Dumbledore wound up in a mountainside cave
hunting for pieces of Voldemort's soul; and fewer still, unless
they've really been paying attention, will grasp the profundity of
Fawkes the Phoenix's departure from Hogwarts. When it came to Harry's
destiny and the fate of humankind versus high school love triangles,
well, it sure seems like humankind got shortchanged.
The Potter film franchise has never struck a proper balance between
pleasing both casual moviegoers and ardent book lovers, and Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no exception. The good news is
that it comes closer than any of its predecessors, hitting the mark or
coming close to it on almost all fronts. With Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows being split into two films, the final installment
stands an excellent chance of getting it right.
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