Harry Potter 6: Why Do I Even Bother?

First of all I'd like to apologize for posting a picture of Conan O'Brien on my blog. I have to say I was a little freaked out every time I opened the page. So after a pretty awful weekend, I pretty much feel like I have to explain why I put Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on my list of films to be nominated. I realize that in all likelihood it won't get nominated. In fact it's a mathematical certainty that it won't be nominated. Why do I even bother? Lets get out of the way the fact that I'm a huge fan of the Potter Franchise. That didn't factor into my decision. The thing about HBP is that it takes the franchise into new areas, and it feels more real than it has before. For the first time there is a sense of urgency, that horrible things are happening to a world that we actually care about. Not only is the threat of the Death Eaters percolating into our world, with their attack on a muggle bridge, but the characters actually act a little more realistically.

The thing most people dislike about the film is the dominance of the romantic storylines in the Harry Potter series. Fans kept screaming about how they wanted it to be more faithful to the book with more action, yet they screamed at the attack at the Burrow scene, which wasn't in the book. To clear up a few things that may have confused people, but I understood immediately, the reason they removed the Battle at Hogwarts at the end of the film, was to avoid repetition with the final film which also has a Hogwarts battle at the end. In the Burrow scene, the Death Eaters were quite obviously trying to get Harry, but they were outnumbered by Order members so they had to retreat. And given the feeling of the film, if they had put in the funeral scene it would've really felt out of place, and emotionless.

For once they made a Harry Potter film that felt like it had a narrative thread carrying it through to the end, instead of a mash-up of events that are pretty much disjointed, like Sorceror's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. If you could say one good thing about Order of the Pheonix, it's that it felt like a singular story, which is something that David Yates seems particularly skilled with. Perhaps one of the greatest things about this film is that it is just a precursor. All of the events of the story, which would otherwise seem pointless, feel like they're setting up for the final confrontation with Voldemort.

As far as the rest of the film goes, the acting is perfect as usual. Jim Broadbent delivers an Oscar worthy performance as Horace Slughorn, a comedic, yet tragic figure. Alan Rickman is top of his game as usual. Michael Gambon does his best performance to date as the historic father figure and Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. The comedy is handled greatly, as is the teenage romance, which isn't raunchy like the Judd Apatow films, but truly sweet. This film hit a wide variety of emotions, putting in the brightest scenes in the Harry Potter series to date, as well as the darkest scariest scenes. I try not to put in too many spoilers, even with something as wide known as this, but even if you know the story, it is still well worth the 2 and 1/2 hour running time.

Other Oscars that the film deserves nominations for are Bruno Delbonel for Cinematography, Nicholas Hooper for Original Score, Jim Broadbent for Supporting Actor, and Visual Effects.