Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I managed to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" on opening day, and after mulling the film over for 24 hrs, here are my thoughts on the film.

First, its pretty amazing to stop and think how far the producers have come with this film series. I'm hard pressed to think of any other film series/franchise which has see the sort of growth comparable to the Harry Potter films. I remember seeing the first in the series and being surrounded by young children who were captivated by the Quiditch matches and all the magic, but "Half-Blood Prince" is not in any way a film for children. There were, in fact, very few young children in the theater in which I saw the film.

Now certainly, the credit for this growth rests firmly on the doorstep of JK Rowling. The films are quite true to her vision, which nonetheless does not diminish the Producer's decision not to dumb the films down or to lighten them up. And boy is this latest Potter film dark! Having read the books, I was prepared for the film's sorrowful ending, but what I was not prepared for was the anti-climatic loss of energy one is left with as the credits begin to roll. Half-Blood Prince has very much the same feeling to it that "The Empire Strikes Back" did. The end of the film saw the Rebellion in shambles, Han Solo captured, Luke's world turned upside down -- and yet there was a feeling of optimism that the latest Potter film lacks.

I think to a large part, this lack of energy is a result of the appalling lack of chemistry between Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright, who plays Harry's love interest, Ginny Weasley. I'm not sure if this condition is a result of Director David Yates' choices where their interactions are concerned. What I do know is that Radcliffe has terrific chemistry with Emma Watson (Hermione) and Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood (and who may, in my opinion, be the series most remarkable find where actors are concerned.) But whenever Harry and Ginny are together on screen, there's no electricity, let along sparks flying (think Princess Leah and Han Solo.)

As for the film's title, I think that may be the one thing they bungled the most. I don't think the importance of the identity of the "half-blood prince" was stressed enough in the film, and the revelation of his true identity left me saying "huh?" to myself as I scratched my head.

All that said, I did enjoy the film very much. It's a flawed work (but then, doesn't every diamond have a flaw.) I eagerly await the concluding films, Deathly Hallows 1 and 2 where I hope to see Harry emerge back into the light and something more believable to blossom between himself and young Miss Weasley.