Harry Potter fails to weave its magic

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
Cast:  Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith
Director: David Yates
Rating: «««

In this issue of the scifi fantasy action adventure, there’s a great deal of turbulence and it’s not relegated to the Muggle and wizarding worlds alone. Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. While Voldermort’s evil is beginning to prevail over both the Muggle and the wizarding worlds, it’s Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) who corners most of the action.

The first 13 minutes in IMAX 3D, on giant screen with 12,000 wattage surround sound is dazzling but the rest of the narration is a mere excuse to wait out the interim before the final mega-conflict.

Screenwriter Steve Klove’s adaptation of Rowling’s book is mature in intent but lacks the mystical magic and visceral drama of the earlier tales. He condenses the massive book into a fairly plausible fantasy while deleting the excessive violence and keeping the minister of magic Rufus Scrimgeour out of it completely.

David Yates narrative takes a straight forward turn towards redefining the good Vs evil struggle with clear cut effrontery. His real world musings of an underground tea-room flirtation, security checks at the Hogwart’s gate and teenage preoccupations with love shake the magical fantasy out of its preferred moorings.

The mystery is sorely missing from the dramatisation and even Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) comes across merely as a bystander than the ‘chosen one’.

The reentry of professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) into the world of magic appears to be an added dimension in the fantastical saga. But his presence does not necessarily lift the sagging narrative.

Moving photographs, Quidditch matches, brief appearances by professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the grey-shaded characters of Malfoy (Tom Felton) and Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) taking yet another evil turn, outstanding production values and ingratiating special effects are all part of the familiar.

Series newcomer Bruno Delbonnel’s powerfully atmospheric cinematography and Nicholas Hooper’s musical emotive score do little to keep the overwhelming tedium at bay. This film is certainly not the best in the series. It’s definitely high on style but woefully thin on magic and dramatic content.