Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

SPOILERS BELOW

Went and saw the 10:30am screening of HBP in Goulburn yesterday - first one in this country town.. Had I been in Canberra I totally would've tried to get tickets for a midnight screening, since that would've made me one of the first public audiences for the movie. HBP and Deathly Hallows totally sit at the top of my favourite Harry Potter books - I'm not exactly sure which is top.. but they constitute the top two. I like any of the books that give a focus to Voldemort (surprise surprise, the villain-phillic Shanan makes a return).

So I'd been rather anxious to get my hands onto the film. I'd checked out wikipedia and it seemed that it was almost universall critically acclaimed, which I believe to be a first for a Potter film, which usually don't do well critically and yet I  still really enjoy them on an artistic and intellectual level, meaning HBP could only be infinitely superior. And boy it was.

I think what most people are gonna get angry with the film is that it's not exactly very faithful to the source material. Not that they've totally ignored it and just got the themes right. Rather they translate what needed to be translated. And this largely works with this movie because the book lends itself to translation. HBP isn't a plot-driven novel. Unlike all the other books, which set up the premise of the novel quite quickly, the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, the Goblet and the Triwizard Tournament and Voldemort's dreams in OotP, unlike all those, HBP lacks any salient throughline.

Obviously there are some, that of Dumbledore's lessons and the unfolding Voldemort history, Draco's mission and the Half Blood Prince. But they hold little weight. Instead, HBP is a character driven book, and hence a character driven movie. The focus is on the relationships between characters and the consequences of those interactions, something which the movie focuses quite heavily on. And rightly so, when one considers the function of the book in the series.

The book serves as a transition between the lives of the everyman moving into a time of war and darkness. We therefore must observe the students in their prime, doing what they do best, almost acting in a denial of what is actually happening in the outside world. Before they can really accept reality, they distance themselves from it, trying to form an enclave of safety, which ultimately is so thoroughly penetrated by Voldemort's forces. Plus, it's the last time we're at Hogarts for school and seeing a lot of these characters, it's only natural they take the fore.

Things that were perfect:
Dumbledore drinking the potion
This scene made the film for me. Not the super kick-ass fire effects when the inferi attack, but when Harry is there forcing the potion down Albus' throat. Gambon truly out did himself here, it's such a powerful scene in the book and it could've gone so wrong here. Having read DH I know precisely what was going on in his mind, but I think that only gave more credit to the direction here - they didn't overstate the Ariana part of it at all. Towards the end, when Dumbledore is there so pathetic, I teared up, it was a great moment, having the all-mighty seemingly fall so far.

The camera pan from Harry + Hermione crying to Ron + Lavender in the spiral staircase to Draco in the Astronomy Tower
I dunno what it was about it, but that was such a beautiful move on Yates' part. It just seemed to capture the entire story up to that point in a 10 second pan. Brilliant.

The Unbreakable Vow
The scene was perfect. I love any long portion of Snape screentime. Narcissa was portrayed very well, but a bit overshadowed by Bellatrix (probably rightly so too). The look on Snape's face when Bella suggests the vow ... heart-wrenching considering I knew what it was regarding.

The added scenes
The attack on Diagon Alley, the bridge and on the Burrow ... What amazing additions. Small reminders during the perfect student life that reality is still out there, ready to kick us in the gonads. Makes me wonder how they're gonna handle Bill and Fleur's wedding in the next films, but maybe that'll be cut or moved elsewhere.

Draco
I expansion of his story served as a great character builder for Draco. Felton's grown so much. It's a nice juxtaposition, where Harry is the Chosen One and Draco considers himself chosen by Voldemort and how the two chosen ones go about their path.

Ron at the end
Harry + Hermione talking at the balcony. Hermione says she'll always be with Harry and there's Ron, sitting in the background. Perfect symbolism for the next movie when Ron leaves the 'quest'.

The death
It didn't feel milked at all. I really loved how the Avada Kedavra was sudden and unexpected. It was pretty much "Please Severus" and straight cut into it. We didn't have time to brace ourselves, Yates didn't opt to show Snape's face contorting with angst, just snap and it happened. And Dumbledore arc over the balcony. And then after that, the raising of the wands as the Dark Mark approached. <3

Things that irked me
How they played Snape's ambiguity
Maybe it's just me reading into it, but it felt pretty clear in the movie that we were supposed to feel Snape was a goodbye by the end. Like Snape shushing Harry at the end, Snape's face during the Unbreakable Vow (while I said it was powerful before and I stand by that, in the book it's a flat face, unreadable, adding to his ambiguity), the argument 'tween Snape and Dumbledore. I dunno, that's just the overall impression. I mean most people probably know he's a good guy since the book's been out so long so maybe they weren't gonna try too hard to make us think otherwise.

"I am not a coward"
One of the best Snape lines. Maybe next to his "look at me" right before his death in DH. Missing. WTF. I guess if they played that then they'd detract more from the ambiguity which I was just complaining about. But if they had already forgone with grey, as I insinuated, then they might as well've gone all black.

Merope
I understand they had to cut out all the irrelevant stuff, but I still felt it to be important to Voldemort's character to develop his background. Also explain a bit about the origins of the ring, which will come to be a vital part in the next movie. Maybe they'll have Harry inherit a memory or two from Dumbie and do it that way? Fingers crossed ;)

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Anyway, it's late and I've rambled far too long. HBP sits at the top of my favourite Harry Potter movies and so far the top of my movies of 2009. I'm seriously hoping it gains proper critical attention through Oscars and the like. It's about fucking time ;)