Over the course of the week I have been watching the first five Harry Potter films, culminating with this evening's viewing of the sixth film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
It was in the year 2000 that Harry Potter broke into the zeitgeist and became a culture phenomenon. The fourth book in the series expanded beyond it's classification as a children's books and became a publishing juggernaut. The first three books were already repeatedly appearing on the NY Times Bestseller list. Warner Bros. had purchased the rights to the books and the Harry Potter Franchise was already under way in Hollywood. To date the six films have made $1.7 billion dollars in U.S. ticket sales and a worldwide gross of $5.4 billion. With the release of seventh and eighth film that total should increase to $7.5 billion by the end of 2011. The Harry Potter series is the highest grossing franchise in Hollywood history, beating out all 22 James Bond movies and the six Star Wars films (without adjusting for inflation).
In watching the films I could not decide if it's appropriate to use the books for comparison or judge them on their own merits, so it's a little of both.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - The first visit to Harry's magical world. Very close to the book and full of charm. Also full of excess dialogue and exposition. Squarely aimed at children.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Not as wondrous as the first and just as long. Seems episodic rather than smooth story telling. Nice performances by Kenneth Brannagh and Jason Isaacs.
At the Movie House rating *** stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - The film series grew up with this installment. Director Alfonso Cuaron jettisoned a lot of the material meant for children and made a much darker more serious fantasy film. Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, and Timothy Spall joined the cast and Micheal Gambon took over the role of Dumbeldore.
At the Movie House rating ***1/2 stars
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - As the actors have matured, so have the films. Goblet of Fire is probably the best of the series so far. But as the Harry Potter mythology grows it gets harder and harder for the viewer to understand what is happening if they have not seen the other films, or read the books. Lord Voldemort finally appears and is played with delicious evilness by Ralph Fiennes.
At The Movie House rating *** 1/2 stars.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - is the largest of the books and the film with the most left out. Many subplots and stories were jettisoned to keep the film under 2 hours and 30 minutes. This gave some challenges to new series director David Yates, but he managed them by staying true to the emotional core of the story, Harry's journey. Helena Bonham Carter and Imelda Staunton were added to the ever growing cast. The finale features a battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort, which is reminiscent of Darth Vader battling Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
At the Movie House rating ***1/2
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) - is the penultimate book in the series, but in the movies it is the third to last film. David Yates continues as director and he handles the emotional weight of the film very well. Many of the decisions made in how to tell the story were influenced by the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Jim Broadbent was the newest professor at Hogwarts.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2
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