Enchanting and Exciting (Unlike the Movie with the Rock-Em/Sock-Em Robots)

Now THIS is what I’m talking about! No, I’m not referring to the faithfulness of the novel, nor am I talking about how the movie version of “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince” is a cut above the previous adaptations in pleasing the fans. There are still changes in the movie and if fans complain about them (and they will) they should be brushed off for their ignorance in the craft of film making. No, when I watch this movie I think back to the earlier summer film “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a movie where special effects dominated and the film was nothing more then noise. People who liked the film described that the film was a summer movie, and that those movies shouldn’t be held to high standards because they are simply meant to be entertaining. “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince” takes that argument and chokes it until it’s dead and no longer breathing.

No, here is a movie that is filled with special effects. Rather then using those effects to blow things up (though there is some of that), the effects are meant to enhance a world that is filled with imagination and surprises. Some will claim that we’ve seen this world before, and we may have, but now that David Yates has slowed down on the destruction of Hogwarts, maybe audiences and rediscover the beauty of a place we’ve actually gotten used to over the last eight years. Who knows, maybe the place is enchanting once more because Harry and his friends seem to actually be having fun again. Though instead of discovering Quittich or wild toys they are busy discovering the opposite sex. Now that Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is a year away from man-hood (and quite possibly death), can we blame him that he finds pleasure in the company of Ginny (Bonnie Wright), the younger sister of his best mate Ron (Rupert Grint)?

Likewise, after spending the remainder of this series hanging around the boys and being “The Smart One,” is it a shock to discover Hermione (Emma Watson) finding herself attracted to Ron, who by all means is so goofy he doesn’t deserve someone that smart? Here is a movie that is much like the Transformer sequel in the sense that it’s filled with special effects, it’s epic, and nothing really happens. But the “nothing” that I mention couldn’t be more different between the two films. Though in Transformers nothing happens and everything is noisy, “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince” takes the lack of major events to develop the characters in such a way that we care for them more then ever. So while nothing major happens in the movie it’s rich with enough texture that it hardly matters.

That said, Harry is tasked with by Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to make friends with new Slytherin teacher Horace Slughorn (Academy Award-winner Jim Broadbent). The reasoning being that Slughorn holds a memory that could be the key to killing the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, and he’s so ashamed of it that he will do anything to keep it hidden. This while Harry keeps an eye on fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), who he feels are up to no good but who Dumbledore trusts completely. Considering the restraints this movie has for it, it’s amazing the film is accessible as it is. In particular Gambon, Broadbent, and Rickman all give Oscar worthy performances.

If one of these actors walks away with a nod though expect it to be Alan Rickman for playing Snape, who in this movie walks around with the presence that he is conflicted beyond belief and torn up inside. He also delivers the final blow to a climax that won’t surprise readers of the book much but still give them reason to break down in tears. Though intentionally a film that is meant to build up to the (now) two part finale, “Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince” is easily the best film of the series and gives us hope that the ending won’t simply be flash and no substance. Yes, Transformers could learn a thing from Harry Potter.

P.S. Ironically, due to a contract agreement with Paramount, people who want to see this film on IMAX will have to wait several weeks for Transformers to pick up and leave before doing so. Funny how that all works out, huh?