Wednesday’s release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the movie series, is expected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the worldwide box office, like its predecessors.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the five films have amassed almost $4.5 billion in total.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie in the series, begins with Harry’s trial for illegally casting a spell on two Dementors attacking him and his cousin. The film ends with arry leading a group of students into the Ministry of Magic in an attempt to save his godfather Sirius Black. Like every fan of the book knows, Sirius murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange, a Voldemort follower who had recently escaped from Azkaban. The future looks bleak for the magical world as Voldemort’s return appears to be more and more eminent.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is directed by David Yates, who also directed Order of the Phoenix. For the audience’s sake, each director tries to keep the series consistent with the previous films while also staying true to J.K. Rowling’s storyline.
However, those familiar with each director’s other works can notice little nuances that demonstrate their unique take on the material.
Chris Columbus, director of the first two films in the series, wished for the muggle (people with out magical powers) scenes to be bleak and dreary and the ones that took place in the magical world to be steeped in color and vivid imagery. Columbus, known for directing such family friendly movies as Mrs. Doubtfire and Home Alone, was Warner Bros. Pictures’ choice to direct the first two movies.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment of the series, introduces the character of Sirius Black. Harry begins to bond with his godfather, and the movie tackles a darker and more complex storyline than either of the first two. Edgy Mexican director Alfonso Cuar’oacute;n transformed Columbus’ cleaner, more colorful portrayal of the magical world into a much bleaker and surrealistic scene.
The fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was directed by Mike Newell, the first English director of the series. The movie begins with a trip to the Quidditch World Cup, where a follower of Lord Voldemort conjures the Dark Mark and everyone on the premises flees in fear of his return. Newell adds his perspective to the series by displaying some gorgeous visuals of the English countryside.
While most of the audience for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will already know what is going to happen in the movie, Yates, the least-known director of the series, has a tough job of handling the series’most complex storyline .
Expect the stunning visuals and imaginative elements that made his contribution to the fifth film so enjoyable. Most importantly, enjoy yourself in this installment of a series, which may come to a close within the next few years.
