A Movie Review of Harry Potter VI and Its Iconic Parallels

Ever since the opening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels about the young wizard and his magical world, was changed from last November 21st to this week, I have spent that time highly anticipating its release. Having enjoyed the previous five movies in the series, I was eager to see this latest installment.

After having done so, it is safe to say that Half Blood Prince, the sixth feature film in this saga, did not disappoint.

What I like about the Potter movies – and books – is that they have gotten more sophisticated, complex, serious, and just plain better as they’ve progressed and the characters, and the young actors portraying them, have grown older and matured.

It has been a trip watching Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione respectively, grow up on screen, much like a teacher who sees his students years after having them in his class. To me, they are the Beatles of the child star world, which should be considered the ultimate complement.

Directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves, this latest Harry Potter film, in my view, is the best among the six that has been released to date.

It was certainly the most dramatic and emotional, with Harry spending much of his sixth year at Hogwarts School with his headmaster Dumbledore, portrayed brilliantly by Sir Michael Gambon, searching for clues that will help defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. All while having to navigate the pangs of teenage love and hormones, as Harry develops feelings for his best friend Ron’s younger sister Ginny (played by Bonnie Wright), who’s dating someone else – we all know how that feels.

One of my favorite scenes was when Hermione was crying on some steps after seeing Ron hook up with Lavender Brown (played convincingly by Jessie Cave), a classmate of theirs, after a Quidditch match. As Harry is consoling Hermione, she tells him that she knows he likes Ginny, and asks him how he feels about her having a boyfriend that’s not him. Harry says, “It feels how you’re feeling now,” as his heartbroken friend cries on his shoulder.

If that scene doesn’t bring back painful memories of unrequited teenage love, nothing will.

A significant factor in my attraction to the boy with the John Lennon-style granny glasses and his magical community is the fact that so much of the tale parallels another iconic movie series from my formative years – Star Wars.

Indeed, Harry Potter is the Star Wars of the new millennium.

When one gives it some thought, it is painfully clear that the main characters are so much like those people from a galaxy far, far away that it is scary.

For instance, it’s obvious that Harry is what Luke Skywalker was, the chosen one whose destiny is to save his world from the evil forces that are destroying it. Dumbledore and Obi-Wan Kenobi are virtually the same as well, both of them signifying the wise old sage guiding the young student to what he is destined to do, then leaving him, in a tragic way, to test his strength and face his demons.

Lord Voldemort is Darth Vader all over again; those two chief villians are so similar they are virtual twins. Both of them started as young prodigies before turning to the Dark Side and ultimately ruling it. Even their nicknames are the same: Lord Voldemort is called “The Dark Lord” by his followers, the Death Eaters. Darth Vader was called the same by his Imperial Empire. 

As another example of these parallels, Hermione and Princess Leia are pretty similar too, both portraying the noble female hero that’s an essential help in the protagonist’s quest and cause. 

But I digress – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was well worth the two year wait after the fifth Potter film, The Order of the Phoenix, came out in July 2007. The script was extremely well written, the cinematography was beautiful, the acting performances were excellent, and it was just a great movie going experience all around.

Half Blood Prince also succeeded in one very important thing – setting things up for the film adaptation of the final book in Rowling’s epic saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released in two installments, the first in November 2010, and the second in July 2011.

At the end of the movie, as I sat in my theater seat watching the closing credits roll by and listening to the uplifting orchestral score, one thing came to mind:

“I can’t wait until the next one comes out.”

I think that sums it all up, don’t you?