Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Movie

Sorry if the title is a bit of a spoiler, but like so many Potterheads around the world -- not the crazy, dress-like-a-character fans, because I reserve that type of freaky fan behavior for Star Trek: The Next Generation -- I was desperately looking forward to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince come to life on the big screen. I devoured J.K. Rowling's series about the reluctant Chosen One (not Jewish) coming-of-age saga and his band of merry friends and evil enemies, first reading "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" in a college course about Philosophy in Children's Literature. I introduced the wizarding world to my stepson, and we've had a great time reading the novels together.

So I took my 9 3/4 year-old stepson to a screening at 3:30pm, able to convince him that we shouldn't see the midnight movie because we'd enjoy it more if we were awake. Of course, I didn't know that I'd be inclined to take advantage of the 2 1/2 hour running time and boring plot line to take a quick catnap during the film. Without giving away all the details, there is SO much missing from this movie, such as interesting dialogue, quick pacing, fluid editing, character development, and beloved images and ideas from the novel. I know films are different than books, but it's as if the filmmakers couldn't figure out what exactly that is. This movie definitely does not stand alone and confused this viewer who read the book only a couple of years ago.

Scenes are introduced that add no value to the story or the movie itself, while major subplots that are humorous or dramatic in the book get haphazard screen time in the movie. The opening shows 1) the Muggle world being disrupted by what appears to be airy trails of soot and 2) Harry getting hit on by a waitress in a subway diner, only to be whisked away by Dumbledore to recruit a professor for the school. Huh? I wish those ten minutes had been applied to developing Harry's infatuation with Ginny and Draco's assignment from Voldemort. Also, the omission of house elves was really a letdown, but not as much as the Lifetime-channel ending of a wistful look and comment about the scenic view from Hogwarts. Much more compelling endings have been written by students in Screenwriting 101.

But I save my biggest criticism for the poor acting. Daniel Radcliffe's Harry is less complex than a snap closure. His acting seems confused, as evidenced by his general expression of "how should I look now?" After five films he still cannot show any subtlety of change in emotion. When he sees Ginny, the budding object of his desire, making out with a guy in a tavern, he glances toward the action but cannot convey even a flash of jealousy or anger, just a simple preoccupation with getting Professor Slughorn's attention. In another scene, when Hermione sobs over Ron's relationship with Lavender and says to Harry that he's her best friend, the general look of confusion prevails and Harry appears as someone who has suffered amnesia and doesn't understand why this stranger would make such a proclamation, but still gives Hermione an obligatory hug. Also, I've never been happy with Michael Gambon's replacement of the late Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Harris had a air of sophistication and wisdom, a touch of refinement and royalty. Gambon feels like a Hell's Angel biker that momentarily surrendered his leather chaps for a wizard's robe and will soon need a smoking break. And there has absolutely been zero chemistry between Radcliffe and Gambon, making the absence of a Dumbledore funeral not so heartbreaking. When we cry over Dumbledore's death it's because we remember the shocking and horrible moment from the novel, not because of what we're seeing on screen. Alan Rickman returns as Severus Snape and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, but Rickman's performance is sedated, almost withdrawn, and Bonham Carter's portrayal of Deatheater and Draco's aunt is similar to a crazed turn-of-the-century prostitute. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown gets major props for providing actual entertainment and Rupert Grint provides some comic relief as Harry's other BFF, Ron Weasley. Everybody else is not worth hating or loving.

It's hard to believe that so much time, money and effort could result is such a dud of a movie. Die-hard fans are going to have to see the movie, but if you've waited this long, you may as well wait for DVD.

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