Review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) by Matte — 19 Jul 2009

First let me establish that I am, along with half the literate public, a bonafide Harry Potter fan. I have read all the books within days of their release and dutifully attended each movie upon release.

The first two were rather disappointing due entirely to the dearth of acting talent from the young stars (and who could blame the kids, it's hard to find a Haley Joel Osment). But then, starting with part three, the movies began to improve, markedly.

The feeling of improvement only added to the excitement of each new release -- maybe the studios would do the book justice this time. And with movies four and five they finally succeeded, even more so with five.

And so, I had come to expect something event worthy, even stunning when I bought my ticket for the Half-Blood Prince. To my disappointment, and this time to no fault of the young actors (who've earned their roles), the movie meandered and overemphasized and fell back on tired tricks and worn cinematic habits.

Scenes went unsubscribed -- the opening where muggles are in awe of a world inexplicably turned upside down -- and plot points are brushed over to make room for more adolescent drama than a season of Dawson's Creek.

In fact, the whole thing felt like a TV miniseries instead of a movie -- which makes sense wince David Yates was plucked from the TV biz. And, to ad insult to injury, they massacred the ending, though I won't spoil it.

What a shame. Let's hope Yates puts down the Lolita and rereads the source before taking on the final two installments.