Since 2001we have watched Harry Potter grow up before our very eyes. Faithfully, every 18-24 months another chapter of the bespectacled, adolescent wizard manifests in cinemas. One huge disadvantage the Potter franchise has always had hovering over its head is that its story has already been told, its secrets revealed and its loves lost when the hugely popular novels are released, somewhat rendering the films redundant. Arguably the films would never have been successful without the legions of fans the books had already created, this being true of many book-to-screen adaptations, the so-called ‘built-in’ audience. I however represent those who have never read a word of J.K. Rowling’s Hogwartian texts, choosing to have my Potter served on celluloid. Though a little clunky, Harry’s first year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry in ‘The Philosophers Stone’ had its charms (and a radiant John Williams score). Passively I went into ‘The Chamber Of Secrets’ not expecting much and came out with an affection for the world and characters presented. By this stage I was actually looking forward to ‘The Prisoner Of Azkaban’. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who took over from Chris Columbus, Azkaban fully embraced what Harry Potter could be as a cinematic experience. Some of its visuals are absolutely breath taking (Harry’s ride on the eagle / horse creature to a rousing Williams score). This third outing also threw great British thespian talents Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson and David Thewlis into a mix of already great British talent (Potter’s un-Americanness has always been a benefit). Add to that a time travelling subplot and a werewolf(!) I was convinced Harry Potter was the next Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Back The Future, everything I’d loved about the movies as a child. Then came ‘Goblet Of Fire’. It was seemingly at this point the Potter films began to rely heavily on assumed knowledge of the source material and the overall structure became weak and episodic. Perhaps this is the only way to present these Potter tales on film, as I am told these latter books in particular are the most dense, or it that padded? Something else that irked me about ‘Goblet Of Fire’ was a sudden infusion of modernity, the quidditch stadium scene for example. What I appreciated the most about Potter is the old fashion whimsy and complete absence of any techno gleam. Though ‘Order Of The Phoenix’ remained old fashion it still had an uneven structure and reliance on prior Potter history to navigate the inconclusive story. Which finally brings us to ‘Half Blood Prince’. It seems Warners Bros. delaying release of the film raised the anticipation for this chapter to near manic levels, Harry being absent from cinemas for two whole years. Apart from the first film I can’t remember such hysteria surrounding a Potter release. May be it has more to do with the abysmal films Hollywood has released in the last few months. Let’s face it, has anything been good since Star Trek back in May? For me ‘Half Blood Prince’ is the most polarising of Potters to date. While it definitely has all the same structural problems of its two predecessors, and is even more reliant on assumed knowledge from the book (the first 10mins made no sense to me at all) there was somehow a sliver of the magic felt in the first three films. Really, I think it has to do with the three leads, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson. These kids really know their characters and have matured to a place where they can show subtlety of emotion, especially when relating to each other. I simply cared more about them in this film. While the designs are reliably beautiful and the FX are seamless (thank god there was a quidditch match in this one) there are still many glaring problems. For instance, the whole story of the Half Blood Prince seems so secondary, a subplot at best, and the reveal of the Prince’s identity was very “Oh, by the way its...”. This chapter really should have been called Harry Potter and the story of young Voldemort. Another thing, and hopefully this was unintentional, is that there a many relationships between old men and young boys that come across uncomfortably. I’m not alone in this squeamish observation as I noticed the topic being discussed in imdb’s user comments. Let’s face it, Harry seems only vaguely interested in girls and I’m sure I read somewhere that J.K. Rowling has said Dumbledore is gay, just keep those wands in check boys *shudder*. Harry Potter is set to round out the decade and enter the next with ‘The Deathly Hallows’ split in two parts. I’m hoping with all that extra screen time I won’t have to head into the cinema with a copy of the book stuffed under my arm.
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