MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Rated PG

Directed by David Yates.  Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint



Photo © Warner Brothers Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Since even Pope Benedict is now willing to admit that the Harry Potter series is morally edifying, there is no reason to be defensive about the book or films. I’ve been a fan since the very first book, and author J.K. Rowling is now on the record as a Christian author. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is based on the sixth and next-to-last book in the series and we are now far enough along in this saga that it is simply required that you must be familiar with the first five films in order to understand what takes place in this one.  And, since this movie is the set-up for the big revelations of the last book, it ends with a cliffhanger not unlike that of 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back.  (The last book will be made into two films, to be released in November 2010 and July 2011.) 

That’s a lot of ambiguity to pack into a movie, yet Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is actually quite satisfying and entertaining.  Harry and his friends are growing into young adults and becoming interested in romantic pairings just at the same time that the evil Lord Voldemort and his minions of Death Eaters are plotting to kill Harry and wreak havoc on Great Britain.  The 11-year-old boy from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is now facing rites of passage that are required from a 16-year-old youth.  There is less whimsy in this chapter and more maturity.

One of the subtle qualities of this episode is its ability to show the genuine struggle that is a part of moving from the light into the darkness.  Love does have a hold on most people, and there is usually resistance when temptation first enters a person’s heart.  Love also requires the willingness to sacrifice your life for others, and this movie requires the death of a major character. 

Rowling’s fiction cannot be underestimated; it is children’s literature of the highest order and, despite its incredible popularity, I am confident that it will endure over time.  Children understand what she is writing about, and she respects children enough to give them works of substance.  While the films are not as good as the books, they serve the books quite well, with some of the best British actors (including the incomparable Alan Rickman as Professor Sevarius Snape) inhabiting the roles. 

The 16 months you’ll have to wait for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One should be enough time to read the entire seven book series one more time.

Pitchfork Rating:
Four halos (Friendship, growing up, and taking a stand against evil are all a part of this imaginative entry in the Harry Potter series.) Two pitchforks (Some scenes of teenagers making out, some non-graphic but brutal acts of murder and violence, and the frequent quaffing of butterbeer.)

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