Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince review

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince review (finally)

3 August 2009No CommentPosted by Phil

Beware of some spoilers.

It's been weeks since I've seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and only now I've had the time to finally write a review and share my thoughts about the 6th film in the popular franchise. It won't be a lengthy review because there isn't much to write about which some could find surprising since this is a Harry Potter film - traditionally very rich stories that people can write about all day. The honest truth is, The Half-Blood Prince wasn't the greatest film, however, it didn't have to be. What does that mean, you ask? It's true that my comment makes no sense at first glance but once you see the film, or even read what I have to say, hopefully it will be more clear.

I remember several years ago when the first Harry Potter film came out in theaters - I didn't go see it. I thought, I'm not interested in seeing a kids movie, and no, I don't read the novels. So I passed, yet I heard incredible things from people who did see the film and who where currently reading the book, so once it came out on DVD, I tried and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Years later, I'm now a huge fan of the franchise who loves every movie and anticipates each new film coming out. Since the first film, each movie has improved in almost every aspect, but most of all story. Each story became more interesting and fun - the last film, The Order of the Phoenix, is currently my favorite film in the franchise. I admit, I went into HBP assuming that it would be better than the last which was probably a mistake on my part, however, after having weeks to think on it, I now look at The Half-Blood Prince as more of a prologue to the final chapter, setting up the story for the last two films which together combine the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings." [Fandango]

Once again from director David Yates, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, Rupert Grint as Ron, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, Jim Broadbent as Slughorn, Alan Rickman as Snape, Helena Bonham Carter as Lestrange, Bonnie Wright as Ginny, Tom Felton as Draco, Evanna Lynch as Luna, Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid and many many more in a cast too large to list.

What makes the Potter series so enjoyable? Is it the cast of characters, or the epic arc of the story, etc.? The most cliche answer, and the honest answer is that everything about these films make them special. People love movies about a hero type going from a nobody to defeating whatever enemy they must fight and in the case of the Potter franchise, we've seen that evolution from the start and are finally near the final chapter of that conflict. Almost all movies tell a story that have a beginning, middle, and end within a 90 or 120 minute periord, sometimes more, yet in the Potter franchise in a span of six films so far, we've just finished the beginning of the end. I look at the Potter franchise in these terms; the first film was the beginning, the second, third, fourth, and fifth film were the middle, and now the sixth film begins the final chapter. As The Half-Blood Prince was the sort of prologue to The Deathly Hallows, it fell to it's own structure, not overall, but in a sense of putting the breaks on the pacing of the franchise.

What I enjoyed about each film so far is the furthering of the plot and seeing the next part of the struggle against Voldemort, however, this film in particular feels like it takes a break as it works more on character development. Of course we find out more backstory on the villain, we're introduced to his power sources, and major stuff happens to a major character all of which is meant to set up The Deathly Hallows which is probably going to be epic in itself. Although I enjoyed the backstory, character development, and the newly introduced romantic chemistry between characters, Half-Blood Prince seemed to me as more of a teen drama (a good one mind you) than an epic story about wizards and villains, like the earlier films have been. Don't misunderstand - I'm not trying to imply that this film wasn't good because it is, in fact, very good, I'm only trying to relay that HBP is the calm before the storm with little action making it a little boring. I'll put it this way - If you only just came to the Potter franchise with this film, your probably not impressed but for someone like myself who's enjoyed every film since I first saw it on DVD, HBP has great development for the characters we've grown to love. It kind of makes me feel like it was just a part of a television mini-series. Like Steven Spielberg's Taken, for example; a ten-part two hour an episode mini-series - to me this felt like part 6 and I can't wait for the final parts to see the powerful and exciting conclusion. I know - comparing this franchise to TV is ridiculous but I'm just trying to add more context to what I'm saying.

The only real complaint I have about this film is the Half-Blood Prince story itself. I'm not going to go into detail because some folks haven't seen it, but for those that have - did anyone else feel totally underwhelmed when the HBP revealed himself? The whole movie tried to move toward that, giving hints about HBP and when we found out who HBP was, it just didn't have the effect on me that I thought it would.

Everything else in this film, acting, visual effects, and so on, won't be discuss because, really, what's the point? It's all fantastic and I can't wait until the final two films. If you went into HBP as your first exposure to the Potter franchise, you did yourself an injustice. You might have walked away thinking, "well, that movie was alright at best, but I didn't see anything worth all the attention." Let me tell you, I recommend going back to the beginning and watching all of the films up to this point. You won't regret it, I promise you, and you'll then see the context of this film, understand it better, and appreciate it more. HBP is indeed the calm before the storm and the dawn before a battle as it sets up what will be the explosive last two parts. On a scale of one to ten, Half-Blood Prince is a solid 7 out of 10 dropping a point from the last film.