Ryan McNeil
Six down, two to go.
Part of me thinks reviewing this movie is a pointless task. We’re six films and eight years into this film franchise; by now you’re either into them, or you aren’t. But for the uninitiated…
HALF BLOOD PRINCE begins two weeks after the events that conclude THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. The wizarding world is at war – some are dying, some are being kidnapped. Even worse is the fact that their war is spilling over into our world. Everyone seems to slowly be choosing sides, and for those on the side of all that is good, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)is beginning to be celebrated as a hero.
While Lord Voldemort does not make an appearance in this movie, as a grown up anyway, his minions are hard at work doing his bidding. Front and centre is young Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who seems brash and ready to drop his schoolbooks to serve he-who-must-not-be-named. Right behind him, is the ever dangerous Belatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham-Carter) and Professro Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).
Lestrange doesn’t think young Malfoy is up for the task at hand, nor does she trust Snape to honourably back him up. Snape assures her that his loyalties are intact, and that when the chips are down, he’ll have Malfoy’s back. To prove his loyalty, he makes an unbreakable vow (sort if a wizarding blood oath).
Life is no picnic for Harry either. When he’s not spending time trying to sort out his feelings for his best friend’s sister, he’s trying to duck the growing tension between Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who seem to have taken a shining to each other. Unfortunately, it’s in that awkward teenage way that leads to a boy and girl not being able to understand that they’ve taken a shining to each other.
Teenage dramatics aside, Harry has also been asked by Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to win the favour of his potions professor, Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Dumbledore believes Slughorn knows something that can help defeat Voldermort, and asks harry to get far enough into the professor’s good graces to learn the secret. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Harry suddenly starts ace’ing potions, thanks in no small part to a used textbook. Many of the text has been scribbled over and amended, all by its previous owner, the mysterious “Half-Blood Prince”.
This is one of the better chapters in the film series, though for my money not quite the best. While it is a rather dark film overall, and certainly so in its final act, it has been given a great deal of levity to help offset the troubling times the wizarding world has to endure.
Having re-watched the entire series this week as a refresher for this screening, I’ve come to the conclusion that the single best actor in the sprawling cast is Alan Rickman. He has a bit of an unfair advantage, given that his voice automatically makes any character sound seven times cooler. For the character of Snape, he measures equal parts distance and disdain, and comes up with a persona that is a question mark of darkness. Of all the movies thus far, HALF BLOOD PRINCE has given him the most to work with, and he doesn’t waste a single line. (Sidebar – Quick bit of trivia for you; Rickman has never read the books this mighty series of films is based on).
Credit must be given to screenwriter Steve Kloves, and director David Yates for giving this movie good focus. Of the eight films that will make up this series, the back half are based on especially sprawling stories, providing Kloves a half dozen themes to choose from. He builds this story on the theme of trust, which at this late stage is a good direction to go.
We’ve watched these characters come together for five films already, this is the point in the relationship where they will begin to question each other. Emphasizing this theme brings the story back to everything we already know, and sets up what we have yet to learn.
Yates builds on this by giving the film a very distinct look. It’s another dark chapter in the series, but he already did “dark” with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. This time out, he has turned the volume down a bit, and works with a rather muted palette. Much of the movie lacks vibrancy, which goes a long way to underscore how detached many of these characters must feel during trying times like these.
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is a great film, and a brilliant chapter to the overall story. I can’t say that I’d recommend it for those who haven’t seen the other five, so it’s a tad tricky to judge as a stand-alone film. What I can say, is that this series continues to be handled far better than I ever expected. With the past two films, Yates and company have set the bar rather high going into the final two chapters. Here’s hoping they can measure up.
Note: I had issue with the way this particular volume was adapted from book to film. However, I have chosen not to focus on those details in reviewing the film. I’m only discussing what the movie is, not what it is supposed to be. – RM
David Yates (director) did a superb job just magnificent to watch, may be Alfonso Cuarón would have made them ROCK. I am a great fan of Harry Potter series. My favorite still remains HP3: Prisoner of Azkaban. But Half Blood was simply outstanding on levels. I'll be seeing it again Saturday on IMAX which will be even better as it's one of the original IMAX screens that loom up and over the audience as opposed to newer screens that are just big.
Being a great fan I have collected a list of good sites and articles (may be around 200) related to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (movie information, movie schedule, movie reviews, books, games, news, wallpapers and many more). If you are interested take a look at the below link
http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-you-want-to-know-about-harry-potter.html
Great review Mad Hatter, I'm dieing to see this, but I'm going to see it tomorrow. I'm glad the film delivered and turned out to be another excellent addition to the series. I'm alittle sad that Ralph Fiennes wont be appearing in this film as Voldemort because hes really awesome to see on screen. I'm excited to hear that Snape (Rickman) has a bigger role in this film because hes also very talented on screen. I always felt he didn't have enough screen time especially since hes an important character in the series, but I'm glad my concerns are put to rest.
@ Farzan… Thanks! Glad to hear you dug my post, 'specially since I've really been enjoying your look back at the previous five movies.
Pity that Ralph doesn't show up in #6, but I'm sure between the final two movies we'll all get our fill. Here's a neat bit of trivia for you though – the kid they cast as 11 year old Tom Riddle? That's Ralph's nephew.
Great review. I am surprised at how much fan anger is focused on this one though. Yes, the ending is different, so what? I really didn't give the other films more than a few thoughts after seeing them. This one is so visually compelling, I find myself recalling certain shots. Like the candles going out in the Great Hall or Katie Bell in the air snow all around them. Gorgeous and still moves the story forward.
Just posted my review today. I gave it a B- and thought it was another solid entry in the Harry Potter universe. I didn't really like the ending especially when I found out that in the novel, their was suppose to be a big battle that was completely cut from the movie. I also thought the runtime was alittle longer than it probably should have. I did love that Tom Felton was excellent in this film and the same goes for Alan Rickman.
Re: Megan and Farzan… Both of them have written really good reviews of Potter. Go check them out if you have a chance.
I like this new installment. It might seem overlong, but the captivatingly told story, endearing characters and spectacular art direction makes each minute feel more magical than the last.