Love is in the Air: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, Emma Watson and the Royal Shakespeare Academy.

This is going to be a long one so brace yourselves. Also I dressed up and saw this on opening night so that tells you how much of a dork I am.

THE POSITIVE: I think most Potter fans will disagree with me, but I really loved this one. It's right up there with Prisoner of Azkaban with me. I'm a big proponent of "no movie will ever be as good as the book", which is why I'm always happy when a filmmaker deviates rather than produces a carbon copy of a work. I think David Yates did a great job trying to turn a book which is mainly about exposition and long memories into something that can be seen by the average non-Potterphile. The truth is that most people will not sit through the carbon copy version of "Half-Blood Prince." It's interesting from a narrative perspective, but in terms of film it's pretty boring. I thought focusing on the romantic relationships of our three heroes was a good way to create dramatic tension and it really helped drive a lot of the story. The acting also just keeps getting better and better from all of the kids (I guess I can't call them kids now can I?) in the films. I also loved the entire look of the film which made it seem more otherworldly and it helped take the film out of the realm of reality and into that of fantasy. A lot of Potter fans have griped that leaving out so much will make the seventh book hard to understand, but I have spoken to people who have not read the books and they have basically guessed the entire plot of the seventh book just from seeing the sixth movie! I think it's important to step back from the text and really look at the film as a stand-alone. This is an important example of how a movie can be separate from the book and still be good and convey most of the book's information. Now watch me be a hypocrite when "New Moon" comes out.

THE NEGATIVE: Not a lot to say here. The one scene that everyone hates (the fight scene at the Burrow), I dislike for a different reason. I liked having a break from all the teenage angst, however, I did think it was drawn out and I didn't really see how it connected with the film as a whole. I understand why they needed the action, but I would have liked to see the fight between Harry and Draco drawn out a little more and where did Quidditch go? I also thought some of the romance seemed a little forced, but I can understand that it's a hard transition to make from friends off-screen to lovers on, especially when you've basically grown up together. I thought all four of them did well considering their age and the abruptness of it.

THE VERDICT: Go see it! And then when the DVD comes out buy the extended version with 17 hours of extra footage. But seriously, it's a film worth seeing for Potterheads (how many names for Harry Potter fans are there?) and Muggles alike.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.*