What stands out from the earlier installments was the dialogue between the young movie stars (Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley) that have grown up in front of our very own eyes. Previously, we accepted their less than impressive acting chops because they were young and charming and looked strikingly like the books' descriptions of their respective characters. But with this go around, the conversation that seemed forced and awkward in the past, was delivered quite smoothly. And of course much of the credit for this obvious improvement goes the script writers, but the acting was a real positive in this movie, unlike its prequels.
Another thing that I loved about the movie might be a bit specific to my particular tastes. Professor Slughorn, a character I was not particularly fond of in the book, was played by Jim Broadbent, an actor who is not particularly one of my favorites. But he was HILARIOUS. The second time I saw the movie, he made me laugh more than the first. And of course, the great Alan Rickman was nothing short of spectacular as Professor Snape.
The action sequences were much more in depth and intense than usual. It's refreshing, because this is more or less a kid's movie, but nothing was taken for granted and the intense or scarier parts of the movie were done quite well.
While this movie made improvements in the necessary areas, it also matched all of its strengths that we have come to expect from the franchise. The look of the movie was great, the music was fantastic and there was a perfect blend of suspense, romance, action and comedy. As it seems with each passing Harry Potter film, The Half Blood Prince raises the bar from what we've seen in the past and sets high expectations for the two movies that will conclude the saga.
Muller's Grade: A-
If you liked this flick, check out: all the other Harry Potter movies, The Chronicles of Narnia saga, and The Golden Compass
No comments:
Post a Comment