HARRY’S SPELL ENCHANTS
July 16, 2009 by JESSICA BROWN
Filed under Variety
It’s hard to believe that such a mass Pavlovian response ever existed before the midnight release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
Just moments after the glass doors were opened and the smell of warm, buttery popcorn graced the massive crowds noses, a mass of burgundy and gold scarves and black cloaks made up the stampede toward the theatre. Scoffing from a distance at devotees of such movies and books is one thing, but to be in the very center of grown men shouting spells is quite another.
These Harry Potter extremists were welcoming rather than exclusive, however. All other surrounding fans who were merely devoted enough to see the film at midnight were not only immediately embraced despite plain “muggle” appearance, but were also instantly in on the secret, the joke – the plan.
The plan ended up being the most heightened emotional experience one could hope for in a movie theater. Every laugh, every tear, every gasp was ten times what it would have been without the hordes of people who cared so deeply. The movie itself would have elicited emotion enough, however.
To say the actors have grown physically is only half the revelation. Each character has developed immensely. Whether this is accredited to every fan growing with them, or simply a case of better acting and directing, they truly have taken the sixth installment to another level. Magic took a backseat as drama and comedy played out amongst the teenage witches and wizards. The three main actors have found their individual strides – and keys to the world of the movies after “Harry Potter.”
Rupert Grint has the true touch of comedian, while Emma Watson uses breath to convey countless emotions of tortured love, and Daniel Radcliffe easily takes the position as a leader, hero and struggling young adult to a much deeper and realistic place.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has five movies before it that are crucial to understanding the story of this installment.
However, as far as direction, special effects, acting and visual styling, the movie stands alone as far superior.
Running at a cool 135 minutes, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” proves it can stand alongside any other film deemed “epic.”
