*NOTE: i'm going to assume you all know the spoiled-forever twist at the end from here on out. Ye have been warned!*
As the movie abruptly ended, a lone voice rang out in the audience: "what the hell was that?" I had to check to be sure it wasn't my own voice, because that's very much what i was thinking. So, what was wrong with this movie? Oh, where to begin.
First of all, you know the byline to the movie? It should (and with the book, does) have something to do with the actual plot. While i don't want to spoil anything here (no matter how "obvious"), suffice it to say the "half blood prince" of the book is far more important than he is in the movie. It's so forgotten in the movie that when the reveal finally does come around the audience has long since forgotten or cared about it.
Secondly, plot: In the book, Harry and Dumbledore spend copious amounts of time delving into the memories of Voldemort and the people he'd met, which helps to build the story of how Voldemort rose to power - all of which was done while no one suspected the worst. There's also quite a bit of friction that's developed between the main characters as Harry becomes more and more convinced that Snape is evil, while Dumbledore (and others) are unwaveringly convinced of Snape's "goodness".
The cumulative effect is that when Snape does kill Dumbledore, Harry is vindicated for his steadfast belief while others are quick to be convinced they were duped. The killing itself even has a feel of surprise in it - though this was infamously ruined almost immediately by asshole fans and the internet (and i shall never forgive them for it!).
So, what do we get in the movie? Well, none of the above, that's for sure. Instead we're treated to stupid teen-love stories that, while accurate to the book, seem to establish nothing beyond what the viewers already know to be the end result. It's not that i don't like love stories, i just don't like trite ones. Especially when they occupy the whole damned film to the exclusion of the main plot! If you've read any of these other reviews on my site here, you'll know that this is far from an uncommon occurrence in today's hollywood.
Snape killing Dumbledore still happens, but it's much more expected than even a spoiler could make it and it has much less impact. Even if you didn't know what was going to happen, there's no way the movie would ever convince you it was shocking or unexpected since the entire subtext between Harry and Dumbledore is gone.
Next up: pacing - the movie has none. I'm serious. Steve Kloves and David Yates (screen play writer and director respectively) have absolutely no concept of flow, it seems. Scenes are just thrown together with almost no blending, so much so it feels like watching an unedited version of a movie. Yes, the cinematography is brilliant at times, but the shear feeling of disjointedness between the scenes just ruins the effects.
What's truly odd is that the movie plays the script like it doesn't have enough time, yet it clearly should. Most of the teen-love can be lost without much of the spirit following suit. There's also a superfluous scene added in (that i swear never appeared in the book) where Death Eaters attack the Weasley home. This scene serves zero purpose, establishes nothing and serves only to show the actors who would otherwise be no-shows for the plot.
Speaking of actors who have no point in the plot, you know Nymphadora Tonks? If you're a reader of the books, you do. But chances are if you only watched the movies you have no idea who i'm talking about. That's because in 2 movies of having her as a character, she's yet to be named, aside from a throw-away line: "don't call me Nymphadora!" It's almost become a game to me: i want to see if they'll go the entire run of movies without revealing her name once.
Anyways, there's so many things i could go on to say are wrong with this film, particularly as it stands as an adaptation from the book. It's a poor stand alone piece and i doubt even those fans who've only seen the movies will find much of value here. What David Yates and Steve Kloves did to the plot is unforgivable. It seems like the only relevance this movie will have in the long run is as a painfully long 2.5 hour set up for the last 2 movies (yes 2... from one book).
So, what do i give a movie that has no plot, poor pacing and an unnecessary by-line in the title? One and a half youthful indiscretions out of 3: D-.
Oh, one more thing: as of this writing (July 16th, 2009), rotten tomatoes review is 87%. Are you for fucking real!?
No comments:
Post a Comment