The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

Harry Potter and the hormonal teenagers

Harry Potter and the hormonal teenagers

If you don’t think about the Half Blood Prince, horcruxes, or really anything else crucial to the plot, you’ll love the new Harry Potter movie

 

There are two ways of judging this movie. Avid readers will complain that the movie strayed from the plot of the novel, and the poor souls who suffer the misfortune of never having read the book will complain about how the plot is choppy and confusing.  No matter what type of viewer is sitting in the audience, he will be left with the same lingering question: The Half Blood Prince who?

If fanatic readers can let go of the fact that not only does the plot diverge from the novel’s but is not even much of a plot, then the movie is positively brilliant. Whether the extra scenes that stray from the novel are added for mass commercial appeal or merely for an extra laugh, they are the highlights of the movie. The fact that the characters are portrayed as real teenagers with average adolescent problems makes the movie relatable and adds comic relief. The array of special effects live up to, if not exceed, those in the previous movies. The opening scene with the death eaters flying across the bridge like shooting stars gone bad tearing the bridge into pieces is executed with such finesse that you know there will be no need to question the quality of the effects

Teenage romance mixes in with action in the latest installment of Harry potter, advertised in downtown Los Angeles on Hollywood Boulevard. Photo by Surabhi Srivastava
Yet effects aside, the actors comprise the remainder of the movie’s highlights. Daniel Radcliffe executes  one of his best performances yet in the scene where he drinks the Felix Felicis in hopes of obtaining Slughorn’s memory. The potion causes side effects similar to those caused by a bottle of whiskey, and nothing can beat Radcliffes attempt as an off kilter drunkard. Rupert Grint, perfect in every aspect of Ron Weasleys character, is to die for in the scene where he is overcome by the love potion sent by Romilda Vane, played by Anna Shaffer, for Harry Potter. His confusion, puppy love, and overall Ronness is something you can’t help but adore. And of course who can forget Tom Felton as the malicious Malfoy, whose frustration and angst at completing the task assigned to him by The Dark Lord captivates the attention of every ardent fan. Emma Watson also acts on par with her co-stars, never missing a beat especially when it comes to the Ron-Hermione love story.

Amidst all of this, the actual story gets very lost. The entire concept of Horcruxes, the dark objects that can hold part of your soul, and the crucial part they play in the story is completely forgotten and impossible to follow without knowing the plot beforehand. Instead, the focus is placed on Ron and Lavender. Ron and Hermione. Hermione and McLaggen. Ginny and Dean. Harry and Luna. Harry and Ginny. The movie is so full of hormonal teenagers that it should have been renamed "Harry Potter and His Hormonal Friends."
If you can stomach the butchering of the novel‘s storyline and the lack of a real plot, you’ll enjoy this movie for the laughs it has to offer. Otherwise, just stay home and reread the book.

 

 

More to Discover