The Indie Girl and I saw The Half-Blood Prince today, and not to sound cliche, it’s the best Potter movie yet. Even the Indie Girl liked it, and she’s hated the last 3 movies because they’re too dark.
We all know how the movie ends, I’m sure, but I won’t spoil it either way. In fact, Harry Potter movies have gotten to the point that the ending doesn’t really matter anymore, much less the storyline. It’s all about the way the story is produced–the presentation–and so far, we’ve been let down…until now.
The Half-Blood Prince is cinematographic genius (yes, I spelled that right). It’s an amazing work of art in its own right. Even the Indie Girl noticed how amazing the scenes and special effects are. We’ve gone from silly and nice Sorcerer’s Stone to serious, riveting, and what I think should be legitimate Academy Award material in the Half-Blood Prince. The set up and delivery of every scene is brilliant. Each elicits such emotion. The highs and the lows, the comedy, and the sadness all come with such perfect ebb and flow. And what is more, the acting weaves so perfectly into the feel of the picture–each of the actors down to the girl who plays Luna Lovegood deliver such staggering performances.
Especially Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy. A simply riveting performance. I used to watch the movies for Alan Rickman’s performance, but in this movie, Felton steals it. His inner turmoil, which seemed a little underplayed in the books, comes out in perfect dramatic form. I know it’s cliche that we all want to see that the bad guy isn’t all that bad after all, but Felton does nothing short of reinvent that classic dichotomy of good and bad within an individual.
Yes, I’m saying it, the Half-Blood Prince deserves serious consideration for an Oscar, and Felton deserves a best-actor nod. And No, I don’t care if I’m alone in that opinion. It’s a brilliant movie.
**
As much as I’m excited about Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are coming to theaters this Fall, I think I’m even more excited about the soundtrack. Arcade Fire re-recorded “Wake Up” for the trailer, and here’s hoping we hear a few more choice accoust selections
This Indie Life 