Character Analysis
Reply Hazy, Try Again Later
If Yoda and Gandalf had a baby, it would be Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to tell anyone a straight fact if his life depended on it. He only speaks in riddles, like a Magic 8 Ball.
Here are a few examples:
DUMBLEDORE: If you succeed tonight more than one innocent life may be spared.
DUMBLEDORE: Oh, and by the way. When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin. Good luck.
DUMBLEDORE: For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud.
Dumbledore is just speaking in memes at this point, and that last one doesn't even apply to anything Harry does in this movie—he must have accidentally used the Time Turner to go to the movie where Harry uses the Pensieve for the first time.
One reason Dumbledore's role is a little diminished in this film is that the previous Dumbledore actor, Richard Harris, died in 2002. Gambon plays Dumbledore like a wise old hippie wizard who ties his beard—at least he isn't giving Harry any grooming tips.