First off, I must declare myself a moderate Harry Potter fan. Meaning I read all the books a long time ago, liked most of them, but barely remember what happened in them. Meaning that while watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the following happened on more than one occasion: 'Wait a sec, he died/was captured/is going out with her? Since when? What?' However, this did not stop me one bit from enjoying what I can honestly say is the best Harry Potter installment yet.
Detailing the story of the famous boy wizard would be utterly pointless at this time since everybody and their pet fish knows the tale by J.K. Rowling. Instead, here are the newest plot points brought on by The Half-Blood Prince: Baddie Voldemort and his dark minions are no longer in hiding and having a ball spreading rampage wherever they go, Harry is enlisted by Dumbledore to help him in a mysterious quest linked to Tom Riddle aka Prebuscent Voldemort and new Potions Prof Horace Slughorn, Draco Malfoy is given a dark side-project and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Co.'s teenage hormones kick into high gear. In a nutshell.
What makes the sixth Harry Potter so superior to the previous five? For my part, I believe it is because of its focus on characters rather than the plot. For once, the protagonists feel more like average teenagers than heroes and villains. From one of the earliest scenes where Harry is being flirted with by a muggle waitress in a diner, you can feel that this one is going to be different. The boys say stupid things, the girls are obsessed with love potions. Tempers flare, hearts are broken...sound familiar? And perhaps that is exactly why this time, it is so easy to relate to the principal players. They are not simply trying to vanquish evil anymore. They are battling dark forces AND growing up at the same time. Most of us already experienced at least one of those things.
Therefore, props must go to Steve Kloves for his clever and well structured script (*braces self for attack of legion of Potter fans enraged with the absence of extensive parts of the book*) that allows character growth without sacrificing the plot. Props also go to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel for his lively, yet intimate camera work. Finally, a previous statement made after viewing the horribly dull Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix must be retracted: David Yates, your approach to the Potter series no longer makes me want to projectile vomit. In fact, you are brilliant. Saying that this is an impressive turnaround is an understatement.
Its nice to see the young players finally have the chance, after almost a decade in the same characters' shoes, to stretch their acting skills (Yay Steve Kloves and David Yates!). Some really went further than their usual interpretations, notably Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson (kind of) and especially Tom Felton. Some others *cough Bonnie Wright cough* did not. As always, the veterans (Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, etc.) are up to their usual standard. An extra thumbs up goes to the wonderful Jim Broadbent, newcomer to the series, and the delightfully excentric Helena Bonham-Carter. Keep an eye out for young Mr. Frank Dillane. His turn as the creepy and calculating Tom Riddle is dead on. Kid is gonna be a star, mark my words!
Finally, for those of you who remember seeing the very first Potter movie in theaters, I dare you not to feel reaaally old when you notice how these darn kids have grown! Ugh!
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