Has any franchise in movie history been more plagued with inconsistency than the Harry Potter films? Not inconsistency in the narrative or even thematic sense, but an inconsistency of vision. In spite of the fact that the series represents the apex of modern-day production values, you can't take the series as a whole; rather, it must be looked at in terms of the individual parts. Chris Columbus cheapened Spielberg's aesthetic in the first two pictures, misrepresenting Rowling's allegory about adolescence as a cheap Cinderella knock-off. The franchise reached poetic heights for the first time with Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban, but the moments of wonder in that film felt isolated from the whole. Cuaron didn't merge his aesthetic sense with the content of his story as effectively as he could have, but it was a noble effort nonetheless. Then, Mike Newell plunged into the depths with The Goblet of Fire--- an incomprehensible, oppressively glum train-wreck of a movie. Leading into the previous film, The Order of the Phoenix, the franchise had what can only be called a rocky history (a symptom of its status as a cash-in).
But with The Order of the Phoenix, director David Yates found the perfect frequency to pitch the series at. He managed to do justice to the stories' darker subtext, while at the same time not allowing the more sullen elements to bog down the ultimate point of the series: magic. Yates also has an extremely refined compositional sense; his frames have a staggering amount of depth to them, and he uses the width of his widescreen frame effectively. Unlike Chris Columbus or Mike Newell, Yates actually knows how to stage things for the camera and, unlike Cuaron, he knows how to use his aesthetic sense in service of his story and characters, instead of in addition to them. So, going into The Half-Blood Prince, I had high hopes that Yates would continue simultaneously doing justice to Rowling's original text, while at the same time bringing some much needed originality and consistency to the series.
Unfortunately, the inherent weaknesses of the source material drags down the otherwise exemplary Half-Blood Prince; the story doesn't unfold so much as wobble, occasionally spasmodically, to the finish line. There are stretches of this two and a half hour picture that are excruciatingly, laboriously dull--- and that the movie treats the teeny-bopping melodrama of Potter & Co. in an almost mythic manner only adds to the frustration. One really should master the art of basic story-telling mechanics before treading into such deep subtextual waters, but Half-Blood Prince presents itself in such a grandiose manner that the actual story fails to grab as much as the presentation of it does. The series has always worked best when it tells a story simply and effectively, and drops the highfalutin pretensions.
Still, credit must be given to the film makers for making an even reasonably comprehensible film out of Rowling's story, which is flat-out stupid. The twists and turns, the melodramatic arks, the hammy romance subplots, and the character-developmental broad strokes are all just contrived in this installment. The flimsiness of the source material can be forgiven, though, because the film makers behind the Harry Potter franchise actually care about what they're putting up on the screen--- rare for any film, let alone one aimed at children (which would explain why Mike Newell, who couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag, wasn't asked back). Save for a few moments of incomprehensibility (a disorienting and clumsy chase through a wheat field being the worst offender), there is a visual elegance to the Potter pictures, especially the last two, that is virtually unseen in modern day blockbusters.
While David Yates may not have brought the series into its own with this latest installment, he's certainly the man who has most effectively streamlined the movies to reflect a personal vision, while at the same time remaining pure to the source material. He's certainly established an effective template for the final movie(s), which admittedly is part of the problem with Half-Blood Prince--- as with the first movie in the series, we simply feel like we're viewing the foundation for a more complete, satisfying affair. So much of Half-Blood Prince is hackneyed exposition, it's unfortunate the movie couldn't be more stripped down to function as its own entity. The groundwork is certainly there for the Potter-to-end-all-Potters, and I look forward to seeing how Yates brings this always enjoyable, if frustratingly inconsistent series of films to a close. The ball is, as they say, in his court.
But with The Order of the Phoenix, director David Yates found the perfect frequency to pitch the series at. He managed to do justice to the stories' darker subtext, while at the same time not allowing the more sullen elements to bog down the ultimate point of the series: magic. Yates also has an extremely refined compositional sense; his frames have a staggering amount of depth to them, and he uses the width of his widescreen frame effectively. Unlike Chris Columbus or Mike Newell, Yates actually knows how to stage things for the camera and, unlike Cuaron, he knows how to use his aesthetic sense in service of his story and characters, instead of in addition to them. So, going into The Half-Blood Prince, I had high hopes that Yates would continue simultaneously doing justice to Rowling's original text, while at the same time bringing some much needed originality and consistency to the series.
Unfortunately, the inherent weaknesses of the source material drags down the otherwise exemplary Half-Blood Prince; the story doesn't unfold so much as wobble, occasionally spasmodically, to the finish line. There are stretches of this two and a half hour picture that are excruciatingly, laboriously dull--- and that the movie treats the teeny-bopping melodrama of Potter & Co. in an almost mythic manner only adds to the frustration. One really should master the art of basic story-telling mechanics before treading into such deep subtextual waters, but Half-Blood Prince presents itself in such a grandiose manner that the actual story fails to grab as much as the presentation of it does. The series has always worked best when it tells a story simply and effectively, and drops the highfalutin pretensions.
Still, credit must be given to the film makers for making an even reasonably comprehensible film out of Rowling's story, which is flat-out stupid. The twists and turns, the melodramatic arks, the hammy romance subplots, and the character-developmental broad strokes are all just contrived in this installment. The flimsiness of the source material can be forgiven, though, because the film makers behind the Harry Potter franchise actually care about what they're putting up on the screen--- rare for any film, let alone one aimed at children (which would explain why Mike Newell, who couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag, wasn't asked back). Save for a few moments of incomprehensibility (a disorienting and clumsy chase through a wheat field being the worst offender), there is a visual elegance to the Potter pictures, especially the last two, that is virtually unseen in modern day blockbusters.
While David Yates may not have brought the series into its own with this latest installment, he's certainly the man who has most effectively streamlined the movies to reflect a personal vision, while at the same time remaining pure to the source material. He's certainly established an effective template for the final movie(s), which admittedly is part of the problem with Half-Blood Prince--- as with the first movie in the series, we simply feel like we're viewing the foundation for a more complete, satisfying affair. So much of Half-Blood Prince is hackneyed exposition, it's unfortunate the movie couldn't be more stripped down to function as its own entity. The groundwork is certainly there for the Potter-to-end-all-Potters, and I look forward to seeing how Yates brings this always enjoyable, if frustratingly inconsistent series of films to a close. The ball is, as they say, in his court.
