Diablo gets the first look at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Potterphiles rejoice! Harry's back in movie theaters and Chris Columbus is nowhere around.

I went to an early Monday morning screening of the latest, greatest summer blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I have some good news to report: It rocks the house. Visually, this is the strongest yet of the Potter films—the film is gorgeous and magical when it needs to be, and dark and spooky at times. Great Saturday matinee type of stuff, with epic-level production values.

It took a while for me to warm up to the Harry-P phenomenon. I still have not read the books, and felt the first two movies (directed by Chris Columbus) were flat bits of fantasy, just fine for kiddie entertainment in an Escape to Witch Mountain way, but in no way deserving of the enormous hype they received. I remember reading a review of the first Harry Potter movie that mentioned the film as the most important literary adaptation since The Godfather. Please. But the series third chapter, HP & the Prisoner of Azkaban, completely turned things around. Director Alfonso Cuaron brought much-needed and cinematic magic to the series, and the darker sense of evil helped build suspense. Part four—the Goblet of Fire— was almost as good, then the series slipped a bit with the Order of the Phoenix. HP5 seemed a little too episodic and formulaic to me, and was a bit of a disappointment. Director David Yates redeems himself with this new installment, which runs a long 2.5 hours but kept me engaged, amused, and delighted throughout. I'm particulalry pleased for kids and teens, who have been obliterated by Transformers for too many weeks now, who will love this spooky and sometimes sinister chapter in the Potter mythology. At times, my film geek meter registered heights usually reached by Peter Jackson or Danny Boyle, which is a good thing indeed.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is playing in nearly every multiplex from Livermore to Oakland, but a great indie theater to support is the Cerrito Cinema in El Cerrito. This gorgeouly restored neighborhood cinema was recently closed due to financial difficulties, but celebrates its grand re-opening tonight under new management.

Posted at 03:33 PM in Pete's Popcorn Picks | Permalink