英文影评：哈利
发布时间：2023-04-08 13:40:59
Once again, Dumbledore must ask too much of Harry. It‘s business as usual at Hogwarts, with a new term heralding new danger at possibly the least safe school in the country
Describing what actually happens - and why - is something of an irrelevance in reviewing the latest entry in the cinematic behemoth that is the Harry Potter series. This time around it‘s ‘Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince‘ making the transition from bestselling book to blockbusting film, and since you‘re likely either a fan who knows the book inside out already, a general cinemagoer who‘s along for the ride regardless of plot, or a Potter-hater who won‘t be going at any cost, let‘s skip an onerous narrative recap. A skimpy summary then: the clouds of darkness are gathering (again) but they do rather seem to mean it this time, with a thoroughly grown-up looking Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) tasked with a dark deed and Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) swearing a big bad Unbreakable Oath to Helena Bonham Carter‘s satisfyingly crazed Bellatrix Lestrange.
A different kind of storm is brewing for our rapidly maturing heroes, who are caught in a raging hurricane of hormones. Thankfully, said heroes are on much more likeable form these days, having successfully navigated past that really slappable mid-teen phase - there‘s a lot less sulking from Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) in particular, while Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) dealing with the amorous attentions of a lustful Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) verges on a Carry On Wizarding skit.
Looked at as an addition to the franchise as a whole, director David Yates‘ second turn in the driving seat is a much more confident, fun-loving effort than damp squib Order Of The Phoenix. While it won‘t convert muggles who‘ve thus far remained immune to the magical charms of Hogwarts, this is one of the higher quality instalments in the series. Hampered only by a bladder busting 153 minute runtime, there‘s more genuine humour on offer here, and less reliance on magical gubbins - witness a refreshing lack of Remembralls, Floo Powder, Pensieves and other such pun-laden paraphernalia.
Granted, Harry‘s got a Horcrux to deal with this time around, and despite sounding like a condition contracted in a dubious massage parlour, it‘s a bit more serious than Chocolate Frogs and Butterbeer, being part of Dark Lord Voldemort‘s soul, splintered into seven and stored in different locations, like a kind of black magic insurance scheme against death.
This provides the motivation for the most Lord Of The Rings cribbing sequence yet, with Gandalf/Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Frodo/Harry travelling to a remote rocky outcrop to destroy the trouble-making trinket once and for all, amidst epic trials and a decently spooky sequence involving several hundred Gollum-esque creatures. However, all this is merely a prelude to the film‘s money shot, the much-touted death of a major character, which in case you‘ve somehow avoided the spoilers, we won‘t ruin here.
Lest you run away with the impression that The Half-Blood Prince could compete with The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for Least Laughs in a Motion Picture, it can‘t be stated too clearly that what sets this one apart is having a decent sense of humour about itself.
There‘s a welcome irreverence for the material on display this time around: finally, Harry is anticipating Dumbledore‘s perennial grave warnings. "Harry, once again I must ask too much of you" is greeted with wry weariness, while instead of opening the film by whisking a terrified Harry from Privet Drive amidst spluttering from the Dursleys, this time around, The Boy Who Lived is in the middle of a cool coffee shop flirtation with a teenaged Pam Grier-alike when Dumbledore interrupts proceedings.
Other aspects of the magic Harry Potter formula are of course present and correct. There‘s a new tutor, Horace Slughorn, played by veteran Jim Broadbent, who this reviewer interviewed in 2006 - at the time, he said he‘d turned down an early offer of a role in one of the first Harry Potter films, wistfully commenting "I don‘t suppose they‘ll ask again." They evidently did, and to decent effect: he plays the kind of weak, easily flattered teacher whose penchant for devoting all his attentions to his more glorious and talented charges resulted in a bit of a clanger when teaching a certain Tom Riddle dark secrets back in the day.
Saving the best for last, the crowning glory of the film, as ever, is Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Rickman continues to channel a less manic version of his inimitable Sherriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves), which is, needless to say, all to the good. Spitting average-on-paper lines like "How grand it must be to be the chosen one", his venomous line delivery has all the mesmeric precision of a poisonous but exquisitely crafted canapé; the attention to the texture and tone lavished upon every syllable is rivalled only by the equal care he gives to ensuring his devastating pauses are also worth a thousand words. Not for nothing did he appear in a 2009 stage tribute to playwright Harold Pinter, famed for his attention to silence.
We can only hope that Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, scheduled for release 2010, maintains the momentum, focussing on character, humour and drama, and leaving the House Elves and Boggarts to the earlier films. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are growing up: that the films finally seem to be matching them is no bad thing.
A different kind of storm is brewing for our rapidly maturing heroes, who are caught in a raging hurricane of hormones. Thankfully, said heroes are on much more likeable form these days, having successfully navigated past that really slappable mid-teen phase - there‘s a lot less sulking from Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) in particular, while Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) dealing with the amorous attentions of a lustful Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) verges on a Carry On Wizarding skit.
Looked at as an addition to the franchise as a whole, director David Yates‘ second turn in the driving seat is a much more confident, fun-loving effort than damp squib Order Of The Phoenix. While it won‘t convert muggles who‘ve thus far remained immune to the magical charms of Hogwarts, this is one of the higher quality instalments in the series. Hampered only by a bladder busting 153 minute runtime, there‘s more genuine humour on offer here, and less reliance on magical gubbins - witness a refreshing lack of Remembralls, Floo Powder, Pensieves and other such pun-laden paraphernalia.
Granted, Harry‘s got a Horcrux to deal with this time around, and despite sounding like a condition contracted in a dubious massage parlour, it‘s a bit more serious than Chocolate Frogs and Butterbeer, being part of Dark Lord Voldemort‘s soul, splintered into seven and stored in different locations, like a kind of black magic insurance scheme against death.
This provides the motivation for the most Lord Of The Rings cribbing sequence yet, with Gandalf/Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Frodo/Harry travelling to a remote rocky outcrop to destroy the trouble-making trinket once and for all, amidst epic trials and a decently spooky sequence involving several hundred Gollum-esque creatures. However, all this is merely a prelude to the film‘s money shot, the much-touted death of a major character, which in case you‘ve somehow avoided the spoilers, we won‘t ruin here.
Lest you run away with the impression that The Half-Blood Prince could compete with The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for Least Laughs in a Motion Picture, it can‘t be stated too clearly that what sets this one apart is having a decent sense of humour about itself.
There‘s a welcome irreverence for the material on display this time around: finally, Harry is anticipating Dumbledore‘s perennial grave warnings. "Harry, once again I must ask too much of you" is greeted with wry weariness, while instead of opening the film by whisking a terrified Harry from Privet Drive amidst spluttering from the Dursleys, this time around, The Boy Who Lived is in the middle of a cool coffee shop flirtation with a teenaged Pam Grier-alike when Dumbledore interrupts proceedings.
Other aspects of the magic Harry Potter formula are of course present and correct. There‘s a new tutor, Horace Slughorn, played by veteran Jim Broadbent, who this reviewer interviewed in 2006 - at the time, he said he‘d turned down an early offer of a role in one of the first Harry Potter films, wistfully commenting "I don‘t suppose they‘ll ask again." They evidently did, and to decent effect: he plays the kind of weak, easily flattered teacher whose penchant for devoting all his attentions to his more glorious and talented charges resulted in a bit of a clanger when teaching a certain Tom Riddle dark secrets back in the day.
Saving the best for last, the crowning glory of the film, as ever, is Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Rickman continues to channel a less manic version of his inimitable Sherriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves), which is, needless to say, all to the good. Spitting average-on-paper lines like "How grand it must be to be the chosen one", his venomous line delivery has all the mesmeric precision of a poisonous but exquisitely crafted canapé; the attention to the texture and tone lavished upon every syllable is rivalled only by the equal care he gives to ensuring his devastating pauses are also worth a thousand words. Not for nothing did he appear in a 2009 stage tribute to playwright Harold Pinter, famed for his attention to silence.
We can only hope that Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, scheduled for release 2010, maintains the momentum, focussing on character, humour and drama, and leaving the House Elves and Boggarts to the earlier films. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are growing up: that the films finally seem to be matching them is no bad thing.