The End Is Near
July 27, 2009 Film Diaries - Andrew, Reviews, Film Diaries - Libby, Film Diaries - Roland, Film Diaries - Lara, Film Diaries - Teresa, Fantasy No Comments
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009 (UK / USA)
Director: David Yates
Viewed: July 22, 2009
Format: Theatrical Print
It seems safe to say at this late date that pining for a rigorously faithful adaptation of a Harry Potter novel is an exercise in fanboy/fangirl futility. Devotees of the Potter series–and I count myself among that ubiquitous club–are inevitably better off appreciating each new cinematic incarnation as a freestanding indulgence of a dense and often daring fantasy aesthetic. More substantively, and with varying success, each Potter film has attempted to evoke a distinctive tone and set of themes, an endeavor that has always been constrained by the fact that each film is but a small segment in an epic saga. The visual excitement that Alfonso Cuarón brought to Prisoner of Azkaban has not yet been matched, and for a time it seemed as though Mike Newell’s adept juggling of Goblet of Fire’s pubescent terrors–physical, emotional, sexual, and existential–would also prove to be a high point. Fortunately for the series’s long-term relevancy, director David Yates has bested all his predecessors save Cuarón with the thrilling Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and that includes himself. Although Yates rose to the occasion in delivering a satisfactory Order of the Phoenix two years ago, the result was in some ways disappointing. Phoenix often seemed a hodgepodge of scenes that lacked both cohesion and dramatic propulsion, with the notable exception of the terrifying climactic battle in the Department of Mysteries. As a storyteller, Yates exhibits a significant evolution with Prince, evincing a clear understanding for the source material’s most affecting narrative arcs: Malfoy’s torment, Slughorn’s shame, and the overdue germination of love between Ron and Hermione. At the same time, the director demonstrates a deft handling of mood, alternately evoking giddy joy and chilling horror without subjecting his audience to whiplash. In other words, Half-Blood Prince does fantasy adventure exactly as it should be done.
