Should Potter fans be worried?

As the lights came up on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I had two thoughts running through my head: A. That was perhaps the most sophisticated Potter tale to date B. Should fans of the franchise start to worry?

I’ve been a fan from the beginning, I’ve read all the books and I’ve found myself questioning the direction of the films. I’ve been waiting for the big climb and sudden drop that you get on a roller coaster. You know once that climb and sudden plunge are through; you are in for one helluva ride. That’s what we all want. So where’s the hill?

I was concerned after Chamber of Secrets, but when you saw the darkness close in on Harry and his cohorts at Hogwarts, my fears began to fade. Is was growing dark in Harry’s world and that’s what it needed.

The story seems to have been in a holding pattern throughout the final three films. They have been fine films, but there’s no zing – no sense of urgency. Sure, the battle at the Ministry of Magic in The Order of the Phoenix was badass, but those moments have been few and far between. It seems that fans and filmmakers alike have fallen in love with Harry and believe he will live on forever. The truth is time is running out.

David Yates has already confirmed that the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be bisected into two films so that nothing is left out. Essentially they have five hours of film and a whole lotta story left to tell.

Oh, what to do, what to do?

First, don’t give me a 45 minute lead in. Cut to the chase and get into the action. Punctuate the action with small hits of narrative and let the story achieve what it should have two pictures ago. Let Harry get ugly. Resist keeping him Hollywood cute and let the character go to the depths one imagines a person in his position would go. You eliminated elements of the books, so why not include some scenes not in the books?

Give Harry a horrible smack habit that he must kick in order to overtake Lord Voldermort, have him be the victim of identity theft and a fake Harry roams the country raking up large bills at unsavory hotels and suspect 1-900 numbers. All right, maybe not that far, but give it a shot of Barry Bonds building juice and let Yates go to town.

As a fan and a critic, all I ask about is make it good. Give me the ending I desire and the ending I deserve. If not, I shall gather my minions; we’ll grab out torches and pitchforks and march on the castle.