Harry Potter and the...something witty about teenage love?

July 20, 2009

Harry Potter and the Raging Hormones / Longing Glance

I was very excited to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince but I forgot that this book was the, shall we say, "puberty book". The characters begin to experience some new feelings and as a result begin to feel a little bit uncomfortable around each other. But fear not fellow readers, there is more here than just teenage love/raging hormones. I have heard many people say "This one was so dark..." and to some extent I would agree. There are definitely much darker and more serious themes being brought to the fore front in this installment but lets not forget the unrelenting violence, tragedy and death that has surrounded Mr. Potter from the very beginning. I do, however, believe that "dark" describes this movie more aptly than the previous titles and I think this overtone has a lot to do with silence. Long shots of wordless gazes. Uncomfortable and awkward conversations with abrupt endings. These have added an edge to the film that manages to unsettle you more than the action and tragedy of the previous films. But of course it's not all doom and gloom for Harry and his gang and really how could it be with all of those teenage hormones raging? There is plenty of comedic relief dispersed throughout the film to keep you from giving up all hope. A few new characters also freshen up the cast including Professor Horace Slughorn who offers a bit of humor and also a touch of drama.

In the end I thought it was a well balanced, if not slow moving, addition to the Harry Potter series. The characters have come of age and darkness is surrounding them like never before. Major plot developments will leave those unfamiliar with the story line shocked and amazed. The style and effects are there in full force to create a wholly believable magical world that manages to blend in quite seamlessly with our own. I might be wary about bringing the little ones to this film before a parental screening. Though previous titles may have carried more violence, this one seems to strike a distinctly adult tone.

Comments

[Joanna]

I went to see Harry Potter with a few friends yesterday. Overall I liked it. It could have been a bit shorter--maybe by 30 minutes. I guess I got a bit bored by all the repeating love angst but then again,I suppose I'm not the target audience for that bit.