Before I go into anything, I must mention that I read all books in a stretch, being a late bloomer and all that. I like the series, and have nothing but good thoughts for all the books except the third and seventh in the series.
Finally, after a year long (desperate) wait for the most awaited summer blockbuster, I made it early to the advance booking section, only to find the line nearly empty. “Oh well, Joy!” I said to myself, and bought the best seats in the house, Gold class, mind you, to truly enjoy the experience of the magic of the movies, so to speak.
After driving most of my friends and family batty with my occasional “WooHoo!” countdown to the movie, I finally had the tickets to the first day of screening.
Mind you, despite the rude wankers in the theatre who refused to turn off the cell phones and talkative mothers who left their husbands at home to catch up on gossip in the middle of the movie, I was charged.
It was my favourite book after all.
The movie started off well, with Yates keeping to the code, and not totally changing Narcissa to someone else more glamorous, that is to say, keeping it by the book, pun intended.
Throughout the movie, I came to the conclusion that David Yates’ heroic efforts at trying to keep the movie by the book and at the same time maintaining a decent runtime, was very much; I’d like to think, in a parallel with Harry Potter’s heroic efforts: Clumsy, Inept and someone dies in the process. No, literally.
Although I have nothing to say about the senior actors’ and actresses’ performances – they were, truly inspiring – but I have much to say about the younger cast.
I would perhaps, give them leeway for having to work with a somewhat confused and scattered script, but mostly I’d sneer at their feeble attempts to make it all look real.
They have much to learn, the younger cast, and one would wonder, that while working many years alongside great people like Gambon, Smith, Coltrane, Rickman, Broadbent, Fiennes, Bonham-Carter, and the others, they ought to have picked up at-least a morsel or two.
Well, there are many things about the movie that ought to have been, but sadly, are quite far from the goalpost.
I would of course, say that Rupert Grint gave an excellent performance, and remains safe from this critic’s sharp quill, magical or otherwise.
The Half Blood Prince was rife with discontinuities, and having a rather non-fanatic companion to the same, I found that it was confusing if you didn’t know the real story. It left gaps, and questions that would put off a first timer. Although it is directed at the non-clueless audience, it leaves the rest dangling.
It quite reminds me of the blind groping of Potter without his glasses.
A noble effort to keep many scenes verbatim, but unfortunately, a failed one to keep the flow.
Not to mention some important jibes and confrontations between members of the order (not to give away things for the reader with no book-knowledge).
On Nth thoughts, the humor, I admit, was spot on. Had the audience cracking up on quite a few occasions, to the credit of Master Grint and the senior actors. Grint has proved himself more than capable of comedy.
All in all, it was rather disappointing for me, having such high expectations for this particular movie. I still think that after the initial fuss over it, it will be one of the quite-forgettable experiences at the theatre. I for one am looking to make up for this damper, with the help of Public Enemies; let’s hope it sticks to the wall with that.
This movie-lover has been turned off. Good luck to the unsuspecting lovers of the books.
