This past Friday my wife and I celebrated our fourth anniversary. We had the special dinner on Friday and then I thought it would be nice to take her out for dinner and a movie on Saturday. The wife wanted lobster and lobster is what she received. Thankfully she also was psyched to see Potter, as I devised that she would. The last few weeks I have tried to slip in viewings of the previous Potter flicks to get me back up to speed for the 6th film in the series. I really enjoyed the last film,
The Order of the Phoenix, especially the wizard duel at the end between Voldemort and Dumbledore, and I imagine if I were able to see it as Cody did on IMAX I would have loved it even more. Where the OotP focused on the politics of Voldemort's return. This chapter explores the consequences of those actions as Voldemort and his minions are let loose on the Wizarding World and the Muggle world. Both Tamar and I agreed that this film captured the tone and pacing of the books perfectly. This is a long flick for sure but it's worth it. Especially since it allows some of the supporting cast, like Ron, to have some key scenes that he hasn't had in three or four movies.
Voldemort and his little band of Death Eaters have essentially become terrorists. They wreak havoc on London killing muggles and destroying bridges. Meanwhile Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) asks Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) to help him recruit an old teacher back to Hogwarts. Apparently he retains a memory of the Dark Lord from his school days that reveals a crucial piece to discovering the key to Voldermort's power. Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) is what one would loving call a Star Fucker. He attaches himself to the most famous wizards and witches in order to leech off of them once they hit the big time. While at school Ron (Rupert Grint) finds himself trapped between two girls, Hermoine (Emma Watson) and a new girl Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave). This plot thread was most fun, it was nice to see Ron get a little more screen time, the kid has great comic timing, which balances out all of the dark forboding Voldermort stuff.
The cinematography was lush and pretty especially the stuff they shot at the Burrow. I wish the battle were a little more action packed, but even still it packed a punch. I also really enjoyed the Tom Riddle, Voldermort back story as Harry and Dumbledore try to piece together the evil Wizard's journey in order to defeat him. Also, little brat, Malfoy gets a beefed up role as he attempts to do bad things in the name of Voldemort. Tom Felton as Malfoy is starting to add the layers to this once one dimensional character. Personally I wish they would have done more with Snape and his history. Alan Rickman is always excellent in this role and you want to see so much more of him. For those who have not read the books, I'm afraid you may still be left in the dark for a good portion of the film. One of the key sacrifices is the explanation and backstory for the Half Blood Prince. But overall the performances were really excellent, especially Jim Broadbent, he brings a very interesting, if not always likeable, character to life. I also think Daniel Radcliffe has really begun to utilize his acting chops. He's got some very funny bits in the film. He's earning his leading man status and I look forward to see the conclusion over the next two films.
Grade: 4 Buckets
