Old School Monday: I

On Mondays, I'm gonna find stuff I've written in the past and post it. I'll do it until I run out of stuff. This one was really recent about Harry Potter 6.

Nothing gratifyingly satisfies a night and then thoroughly dampens 8 o’clock office jobs more than a midnight movie. Though I rolled out of bed 30 minutes later than I should have, my time and $9.50 were well spent at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Extraordinary from beginning to end, this film is a huge step-up from its rough beginnings of inexperienced child actors and constant changing of directors. Mostly true to the plot line of the novel by J.K. Rowling (with exception of the random scene during Christmas at the Burrow), the story unfolds a bit more dramatically and darkly than the chapters before. From the amazing digital imaging and the dark tint of the cinematography to the more grown-up look and feel of the characters, Director David Yates has fans captivated in their seats.

As for character development, many characters became much truer to Rowling’s original dictation, such as Ginny Weasley, played by Bonnie Wright, who has grown into the feisty character we all enjoy with new opportunities to show her fiery nature provided by writer Steve Kloves . Her romance with Harry is particularly exciting and long-awaited, and fans will enjoy watching their relationship unravel almost as much as they will enjoy the hilarity of the awkward love triangle shared by Lavender, Ron, and Hermione. Draco Malfoy played by Tom Felton also goes under an amazing transition to maturity, and after all of these years in film, he is really beginning to come into himself as a young actor.

Most amazingly was the new portrayal of Dumbledore. He has been one of the least accurate characters in the previous movies ever since the part was taken over by Michael Gambon after the death of the original headmaster, Richard Harris. However, in Prince, Gambon astonishes everyone with his new likeness to Rowling’s polite and amusing character. I do not know if he finally read the books or if it was a fluke, but the change is flabbergasting. His delivery could not have been better. He is Albus Dumbledore.

Finally dodging away from the amusing moving Wizard paintings and cheap humor provided by the Whomping Willow, Prince is outrageously good. Though some tough criticism has followed the premiere due to what many readers felt was a lack of thoroughness in detail needed to continue on in the story, the movie still broke through with outstanding box office rates with no end in sight. I must admit that I wondered how some things will now play out, but I trust that Kloves and Yates have something hidden in their hats. After all… we still have two more movies.