Happy New Year, guys and gals! I didn’t want to stop in my on-going series
of re-reading and re-watching the Harry Potter series to do some sort of 2015
year in review. Most of what happened
you probably saw on my blog and to be honest, I wasn’t into reviewing the year,
not just yet anyway.
So, to continue on, I have just finished the penultimate
book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I’m re-reading from a more adult perspective ten years and some months years later from the original summer release of Book Six back in
2005. Initially I started this project
as an attempt to pick out more details of Houses Ravenclaw and House Hufflepuff
since Pottermore, would later sort me into Ravenclaw and my best friend into Hufflepuff. Like almost everyone else I was convinced I
would be in Gryffindor.
Book Six is one of my favorite books in the series, along
with Book Two. As soon as I finished
reading Book Six for the first time, my mind was ablaze with the possibilities
of what kind of object the seventh Horcrux would turn out to be. Like my pronunciation of Hermione, the actual
pronunciation of Horcrux was, way, way off from my interpretation. (Why can’t they be Hor-cruz/Hor-cruise?) Book Six has one of the better endings being
entirely open-ended and somewhat cliff-hanger like, leaving ALL Harry Potter
fans salivating in anticipation for the final installment.
As always, spoilers to follow.
Book
Following the Prime Minister’s introduction to new Ministry
of Magic head, Rufus Scrimgeour, and Narcissa Malfoy’s Unbreakable Vow with
Snape, Dumbledore shows up at the Dursleys’ to pick Harry up, for the first
time ever. Gone is Dumbledore’s attempts
to ignore Harry, gone is Harry’s building frustration, gone is the somber
attitude that pervaded most of Book 5.
Dumbledore is in fighting shape, kindly staying by Harry’s side and
delivering zinger after zinger, teaching the Dursleys about the finer points of
manners and actually confronting them about how ill they’ve treated Harry.
Hell, yes! Finally!
This is the Dumbledore we know and love.
After Book Five, Book Six seems lighter, faster, funnier and all around
more thrilling!
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| I mean look at all these freaking amazing covers! |
Despite the growing dangers of Voldemort’s Death Eaters, the
book mostly passes over Draco’s burdensome task for the majority of the book,
only returning to the present dangers towards the very end. Something the film does not overlook, to
better dramatic effect, I feel. However,
Book Six sticks mainly to the Slug Club, Dumbledore’s activities seeking Riddle’s
memories, Quidditch and the growing attractions between Ron and Hermione and
Harry and Ginny.
And like peanut butter and chocolate, what could go better
together than zombies (I mean Inferi) and Harry Potter? When I first read about the Inferi, I was
like, “no f#cking way, this is AMAZING” and I’m still pleased to admit that 33
year old me still feels the same way. It’s
too bad they aren’t really mentioned again but still the scene in the cave
always give me chills.
Book Six and Book Two show many parallels, which may explain
why they are my favorites in the series.
Both heavily feature flashbacks Tom Riddles’ and both feature physical
tasks of some sort for the finale. Both
are quite cinematic, fighting the giant basilisk and obtaining the Horcrux from
a zombie-infested cave. Goblet of Fire
also features quite cinematic scenes as well, but does not delve into Riddle’s
past rather features Voldemort’s reveal in human form. Both Books Six and Two
also give Ron, my favorite character in the films, still undecided in the books,
more of a plot-line of his own. In Book
Two he helps Harry while Hermione is incapacitated and in Book Six has an
expanded plot-line stemming from Book Five about being the Quidditch Keeper.
I’m not too much of
fan of the books that feature Ron, Hermione and Harry constantly bickering,
which is why I don’t rate Books Three, Four and Five any higher. I get that the bickering is a sign of the
three leads maturing but as an adult I just don’t care for it much.
There are some characters in the books I hate because of the
way Rowling writes them. Unless Harry is
always biased and totally imagining it, Snape almost always acts with unabashed
revulsion and fury. He is supremely
nasty to not only Harry but Ron, Hermione and Neville as well. There is no reason for his hatred toward
Neville who is pureblood. None. Ron is another that character that comes off
cruel and somewhat idiotic in the books, once he becomes prefect he constantly
talks down to the first years and is always trying to cheat by copying off Hermione and
Harry's homework.
Malfoy is pretty nasty as
well. Book Five sees him totally abusing
his power as a prefect and the beginning of Book Six we see both he and his
mother treating Hermione and Ron poorly at Madame Malkin’s. Raising him up, the better to see him fall, I
understand, but all three characters fare much better in the films, which is a
rare argument. To believe the films are
better than the books in some way.
Film
Steve Kloves returns as screenwriter for the remainder of
the film series. I’m appreciative of the
way he skillfully condenses the plot and combines characters. We still see George and Fred’s shop open up
and Quidditch makes a triumphant return but Bill is absent and different Death
Eaters take the place of the ones in the book.
Also left out is the final fight between members of Dumbledore’s Army
and said Death Eaters. The Slug Club
visits and Riddle’s memories are also quite condensed.
Kloves adds a scene at the train station, the scene where the
Burrow is set on fire, and adds more to the tension to the cave scene, Harry
being actually pulled into the water by the Inferi. There is also a stunning sequence that shows not just any "Muggle bridge" as described in the book being destroyed by Death Eaters but THE. ACTUAL. MILLENNIUM. BRIDGE. One of the most famous bridges in London.
Luna rescues Harry on the train instead of Tonks, and
appears in her signature outfits from Book Five, having been previously cut out
in the prior movie. I just love Luna so
much in both the book and film versions.
She is the most eye-rolling obvious choice that it wasn’t
all that inspiring and a bit of a letdown.
I don’t understand why Hermione
would ever be attracted to the book-version of Ron, when Harry is the only one
that can even remotely rise to her level.
However in the film, Ginny is a bit more of a quiet, wiser soul that
does prove that she does indeed understand Harry but again Luna and Hermione
fare just as well, and I still believe would make inspired matches for Harry.
The film also allows Draco more of a dramatic arc than the
book. It’s curious that in the previous
film Draco acted as comedic foil with Filch, instead of being viciously nasty
as in the book.
This film we see Draco looking like a Bond villain, constantly dressed in a black suit. He goes from comedic sidekick to tortured
soul without stopping to show himself as a character who almost deserves the
fate he gets, as in the books. I like
the film’s version of events better, allowing us to sympathize with Draco.
As I’ve mentioned, both Snape and Ron fare much better in the
films. Alan Rickman’s Snape is a bit
softer, a bit gentler and truly begins to look out for the well-being of all
his students starting in the third film, he even drops a line in front of Harry
in the fifth movie explaining that Cho Chang revealed the D.A. against her will. Rickman’s Snape kills Dumbledore with a soft
look, and heavy heart not with a face of full of anger as in the book.
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| His hair is also much fluffier for some reason. True heroes always have great hair. |
Ron too, is less obnoxious than in the books. Ron has always been my favorite in the films
because of Rupert Grint’s amazing acting ability. He nails the ability to act and re-act even
when he is not speaking his own lines from the beginning of the series.
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| God, I loved his funny looking Keeper helmet. |
It took five films but in the sixth movie,
Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have finally caught up to Rupert. Whereas before, Daniel would not react enough
and Emma would tend to over-act both have matched Rupert’s ability in this
film, now able to play off one another and demonstrate their strong comedic timing. Despite the heavy subject matter, the film
does not get too dramatic, having wonderful comedic moments between the three
young leads.
The cinematography in the sixth film is noticeably darker,
at times it felt as though I was watching a James Bond film with Harry taking
instructions from Dumbledore to use Slughorn’s party as a way to get closer to
him. Incidentally Harry Potter and the
Half Blood Prince is the only film in the series to get nominated for cinematography.
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| The name is Potter....Harry Potter... |
My favorite shots include the wonderfully framed symmetry of Narcissa and Snape performing the Unbreakable Vow.
Any shots featuring the Great Hall.
The Quidditch game was also wonderfully shot, using the red of the Gryffindor uniforms against the white snow.
I also loved the interior shots of both Hermione and Draco seeking refuge around the Hogwarts castle.
I also loved the beautiful composition and use of colors in Katie's attack and Harry's attack on Draco.
Also any time we saw Dumbledore's mind vault or to borrow a term from Sherlock, mind palace, or the use of the pensieve.
And lastly the entire sequence in the eerie, creepy cave which featured one of the scariest moments in the entire series, as the music completely cuts out as Harry kneels before the cursed lake.
If Book 2 and Book 6 are neck and neck as my favorite book
in the series, Film Six wins over Film Two by a landslide. The actors have maturely nicely, the subject
matter is darker yet still enjoyable and Dumbledore gets a Gandolf-worthy
moment that is absolutely awe-inspiring.
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| Dumbledore. BAMF! |
Up next is the very last book, which I will review in two parts since
Book 7 was adapted into two films.
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