I am a big fan of the Harry Potter franchise. I wrote this film review from the point of view of someone who has not read the sixth book. (…because I haven’t really read the book, honest)
The film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince surprisingly focuses more on the hormonal changes experienced by the main characters. This is not a very wise move in my opinion, unless the director David Yates wants a Twilight-wannabe movie. People who watch the Harry Potter movies expect to see wizard duels, potions, and magic. Good thing the director did not go as low as open shirts for the teenage wizards. Nevertheless, I must commend the director on the fresh and mature approach when portraying teenage adolescence.
The previous movies portray Harry Potter as an average wizard with talented friends and allies on his side and more than enough luck. I felt that Harry finally stepped up and proved himself a formidable wizard. This film is the harbinger of the best yet to come. I can only imagine how intense the two-part movie finale will be.
There is an immense maturity and coming-of-age for the Hogwarts wizards. Characters, both heroes and villains, face very mature and difficult decisions. In the battle against good and evil, Order of the Phoenix versus the Death Eaters, sacrifices DO have to be made.
The actor, Jim Broadbent, gave an awesome performance as Professor Horace Slughorn; which I feel is a very difficult character to portray. Actor Bonnie Wright playing Ginny Weasley grew up to be a fair lady in the film. I hope she gets more exposure in the next two movies. As with the previous Harry Potter movies, Alan Rickman, gave a brilliant interpretation to the most mysterious and interesting character in the series, Severus Snape.
The cinematography is splendid. The special effects are stunning, none more so than the scene when the Burrows was attacked. Towards the end of the movie there is the obvious sense of forlorn and despair. Soundtrack is first-class, as always.
A bit disappointing though is the ending. All the events of the first two hours build up for that decisive moment only to fall flat and end in a cheesy way. It is as if the climax of the film were for nothing. The climax does not make full sense when quite few of the plots where not tied properly. I suspect they are withholding all the good stuff for the two-part movie conclusion.
I think the general rule is if you have not read the book, then you will find the movie very perplexing. The director may have assumed everyone has read the book so he excludes a few characters and storyline. Realistically speaking though, no director can fit the whole book in a two and a half hour movie. With that said, the book and the movie go hand-in-hand; one cannot live without the other (wink wink).
I particularly do not read the Harry Potter books but I listen to the audio books. Do not get me wrong, it has nothing to do with laziness, I love reading books. However, there is something magical (pun intended) about the Harry Potter books read by British actor, Stephen Fry. I find him amusing and relevant because he changes his voice for different characters; and he has a British accent, which is appropriate for a “British” book. More importantly, Stephen Fry reads the book from the heart. I am now on Chapter 4 and I cannot wait to finish it. Try it.
So to appreciate the film: read the book before watching it or watch it first then listen to the audio book afterwards. Perfect.
Director J. J. Abrams (of Lost, Alias, Cloverfield, and Mission Impossible 3) made an exceptional achievement of breathing a new life to an otherwise classic cult of the 1960s. This is an accomplishment of unparallel proportions because he was able to please both Trekkies (fans of Star Trek) and newbies (younger generations that haven’t heard of Star Trek).
When we watched the movie, there was a sizable crowd, which is surprising considering the minute population of New Zealand. It is interesting to note however that majority of the moviegoers are adults, most probably people who have seen the original Star Trek series.
The movie boasts of a stellar cast of first-class actors. The plot is believable and well crafted.
Director J.J. Abrams also resurrected his “Cloverfield” monster in one part of the film. It’s a bit silly but I guess the director wants to leave his signature.
The action scenes were made in such a way that it looks authentic. J.J. Abrams added the exact amount of camera shake so that the audience feels the quick pace without the nausea. The special effects are amazing. I particularly liked the experience when the USS Enterprise enters and leaves hyper speed.
Simon Pegg playing Scotty provided the much-needed comic relief to the otherwise very serious tone of the movie. There are a couple of well-known Hollywood stars who did cameos in the film. Be sure to watch for it, because some are in the film for as short as a few minutes.
For people who are familiar with Star Trek, the last minutes of the film will be a treat.
I am a big X-men fan, and this Wolverine movie had me stoked. I watched the movie last Tuesday because movie tickets are so cheap on that one magical day of the week and here is my humble attempt of a review.
With respect to this movie, people can either fall into two distinct classifications: people who know Wolverine through the comic books, and people who know Wolverine ONLY through the previous X-Men movies. The latter would have no problem appreciating the film. It is the former, where the problem might rise. For hard-core Wolvie fans, in order to appreciate this film, you should suspend all prior knowledge and expertise in X Men facts, and accept the film for what it is: a visual candy.
Watch this movie because of the astounding special effects and the smashing (pun intended) fight scenes. Female viewers will get an extra treat from male actors with the “X-Factor”, if you know what I mean.
In terms of the plot, the movie branched out far away from the comics. I found the two-hour movie lacking when it failed to justify the mystery behind Wolverine’s dark past. Wolverine, in both comic books and movies, is constantly haunted by his supposedly sinister past, and I hate to think that this is it. Hmmm, it was not really thaaat ominous.
The movie balanced its shortcomings with marvellous, though bloodless, fight scenes. The fight choreographer did a good job of studying the fights in the comics, and translating it in flesh and blood, never mind that it is impossible. For two hours, it is advisable to set aside logic and physics, and bask in the fact that you are watching first-class superhero fights.
The support characters are all right I guess. They may have made a mistake in casting the actor for Gambit. Ryan Reynolds is awesome as Deadpool. He played the character exactly how I pictured Deadpool will be, and there are confirmed reports that Deadpool will be having his own solo movie in the future. I hope they will still make a movie about Magneto though.
By the way, when you do watch the movie, make sure that you stay during the credits to see two bonus scenes. The last bonus scene will give you an idea for the Wolverine sequel, which if I am not mistaken is already in the works.
This is the first movie I have seen in 3D. Being a first, it warrants a review here in my blog.
The story is both quirky and silly: the US government employs Monsters to fight an Alien invasion. Most of the characters are homage to 1950’s horror/sci-fi films like the Blob, the generic flying saucer aliens and the 50-foot Woman. At times, it can be predictable, but the movie is very entertaining as a whole.
Seth Rogen as the voice of B.O.B. is the funniest character in the movie. Though the story focuses on Susan (or Ginormica, voiced by Reese Witherspoon), the other support characters provide funny moments as well. Hugh Laurie of the hit TV show House plays the mad scientist Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. Keifer Sutherland of 24 provided the rough and tough voice of the General.
The area that the movie shines the most is of course the visuals. The 3D is not much in your face type of 3D; it is more into the subtle depth of the pictures resulting in a brilliant movie experience. The 3D movies in Disneyland focuses mainly on novelty animations that seem to touch your face, where you feel you can touch everything. This movie however centres on 3D that presents characters as if they are in a live stage.
The actions scenes are continuous and breathe taking. Being a movie for kids, there is no graphic violence or death, but there is no reason for adults to enjoy the movie as well. All in the name of silliness, this flick will provide two hours of awesome videos, funny jokes and unadulterated fun.
This 3D movie costs $17 for a ticket compared to $10 for the non-3D one. Bit of a bummer though are the 3D glasses falling off your nose. They made it to fit everyone, making it too wide for people with smaller heads. It is a bit uncomfortable, but it will not ruin your movie experience.
I love watching anime (Japanese cartoons) because of my fascination for Japanese media and art. I have not seen a live-action movie though, and fate has it that the Singapore airlines media system has heaps of international movies on our flight from New Zealand to Singapore. I am still learning Nihonggo (Japanese language) so I decided what the heck, I will see a Japanese live-action movie. Since I love dogs, an obvious choice would be the movie “10 Promises to My Dog”.I did not regret my decision, the movie proved both moving and heart-warming (yeah right, a moving movie, nice one there). The movie follows the life of the lead protagonist Akari, from as a little kid owing a cute little puppy named “Socks” until growing up as a young woman, 10 years onwards. This is a family movie that touches on topics like responsibility, devotion and even death.
The Japanese actors all gave excellent performances in the movie, and the dog is very cute and endearing. The story is very well crafted and believable. The writer would have to be a dog lover to be able to come up with such a captivating tale. Be warned though, the last few minutes of the movie can cause a medical condition wherein the lacrimal glands secretes fluids (otherwise known as lacrimation).
It is always a treat watching movies that do not come out from Hollywood. You get to see and learn many things, like foreign culture similarities and differences.
This particular film is most recommended not just because the dog is adorable, but most of all, because of the heart-warming story.
The film features the best animation ever: the colours are distinct, the textures of the robots distinguishable, and movement lifelike. Technological advancement in film making never ceases to astonish me.
It features a heart-warming story told without much dialogue. The writers have immense success in depicting the tale through facial expressions and gibberish intonation. It is amazing that the viewers can feel the emotions coming from a fictional robot that cannot talk. Comic scenes are also aplenty, and they are all genuinely amusing; it is good to know that the writers have not run out of good jokes.
I give this movie, 10 stars out of 10.
Verdict: Definitely watch it.
Ok, who else haven't seen this film? After all the hype and buzz around the film, is it really an exceptional film?
I give this movie, 7 stars out of 10.
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