Before writing this review I went back and looked at the reviews I had written for the other films and novels. I was surprised at how few there were:
I’ve been writing posts on various sites since 2004, but what I had forgotten is that Half-Blood Prince was released in 2005, so I didn’t review anything earlier (I still don’t think I’ve reviewed the Deathly Hallows novel). Watching the movie I realised just how much I had forgotten, it has been four years (I’m going to need to read Deathly Hallows again, which was released in 2007, so will be three years when the first film comes out and four when the final one is released, assuming they don’t ’slip’ like Half-Blood did).
My general consensus on the film reviews was that both Goblet and Phoenix were fast-paced, with the film makers trying to include as much of the books as they could while keeping the runtime down. I actually didn’t mind in Phoenix, there was a lot that could be lost, although it was confusing at times. Half-Blood is much the same, big chunks are missing, some storylines and scenes are only briefly touched on.
I suspect the reason for splitting the final book into two films is because there is so much plot detail that simply can’t be lost they need to keep it for the series to make any sense, so they were forced to split it, rather than any financial reasons (not that it hurts).
As with the other films, I came away having enjoyed it, but not raving about it. The cast, as always, did well. Grint again turns out the comic performances and does so very well. Watson seem very rigid as Hermione and Radcliffe does well as the boy carrying the fate of the world. The supporting cast, filled with top quality, barely gets to stretch its legs, but always delivers, with new addition Jim Broadbent putting in a great turn as Horace Slughorn.
I felt the relationships were handled well enough, capturing the polar feelings of young love. Harry’s kiss with Ginny was moved to a completely different place and was over so quickly I thought they must be due for another but it never came. Not the heart-thumping triumph of the book.
My biggest regret with the films is the humour they miss from the books, though they had a stab at it in places and leaving it out makes for darker and more serious tones, it’s hard to make people scared of Voldemort when they’re bust laughing. It does mean Fred and George are again criminally under-used.
Looking back at my review of the book I pulled a couple of points out:
…I did like the ‘memory trips’ to introduce Voldemort’s history and to flesh him out as Harry’s nemesis, long and drawn out they may be, but he is the reason for the series (no Voldemort and Harry is just a regular wizard). They let us see his cruel nature and persistent planning, building him as a formidable opponent, as well as giving us a few ideas as to how Harry can defeat him in the final confrontation.
I didn’t really get that feeling here, the flashbacks were mainly to show Voldemort/Tom Riddle and to get the information from Slughorn about the horcruxes. I didn’t feel Voldemort was really part of this film, leaving cameos for some of his Death Eaters, but little else.
…I knew who died and who killed them before I got there. It didn’t take away the impact though, I was stunned and shaken. I have a pretty good imagination, I tend to get headlong into a story, and maybe that worked against me, but as I finished the book I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that it was only a story and that it’ll all turn out right by the end of book 7.
I definitely didn’t feel that in the film. It was a fairly short scene, lots of solemn faces but that was pretty much it. Definitely a damp squid there.
The effects and set design were again in a league of their own, unlike many films were you know it’s a set the Potter locations all feel real (with the possible exception of some of the externals of the castle).
So a good, but not a great movie and, to be honest, I don’t hold out much hope that the remaining will be much better. That’s not to say that they’re bad, this film is definitely worth a watch and I think they’re probably getting better as the series goes on, I’m just no sure they’ll be long standing favourites we all go back to time and again.
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