Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Movie Review

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

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Written by: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis
Rated: PG
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Plot
As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" while learning more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

Verdict
This movie is much better than I remember it. It's a natural progression from the fourth movie. I just don't like the fifth. The writing is solid and the adventure of delving into the past is fun. It follows the progression of the kids growing up as they begin dating, and it works well. This movie contains the huge Harry Potter spoiler, and it has a tragic event. It even makes Draco Malfoy look sympathetic, which is a feat.
Watch it.

Review
The sixth movie is surprisingly good. I thought the franchise dropped off starting with the fifth, and while this one is understandably doesn't quite stand alone it excelled where the fifth failed in further developing the characters and moving so fast as to be little more than an outline. This one slows down to provide a story.

Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Gambon play Harry Potter and Dumbledore

The writing is sharper than five and it's more adventure focused. Voldemort doesn't even make a cameo, though Tom Riddle does.

This movie shares an attribute of the earlier movies, except five. All the little pieces matter, from the potions book to the liquid luck potion. Harry's use of the potion is a lighter moment in the movie, he's filled with confidence and an intuition about how to succeed.

Rupert Grint and Emma Watson play Ron and Hermione.

Being sixteen, the kids are interested in dating. While it's difficult to do teen romance, this movie does a good job of it, better than most, by keeping it minimal. The first scene is Harry in a cafe with a waitress that likes him. Of course duty calls and he misses a chat with her. Ron is oblivious to Hermione's feelings and Harry is interested in Ron's sister Ginny.

It's more about the longing of what Harry and Hermione can't have which is an interesting parallel to Voldemort who longs to be immortal. These longings aren't completely divorced. Both come from a need for intimacy. It's the isolation that has driven Voldemort.
The franchise makes a point that Voldemort's lack of compassion and love is an issue. It's Harry's friendships that will help him, something Voldemort lacks. It's easy to ship a Harry Hermione relationship, and I expect that's intentional.

Alan Rickman plays Snape.

There's a recurring mystery with Malfoy and a seemingly nefarious plan he has. Snape, as ever, seems like a bad guy. We've always assumed Snape is evil, despite Dumbledore's protests. He's a Slitheren after all but this movie seems to all but confirm it when he promises to assist Draco's mission for Voldemort.

While the book developed this better, Harry gets a potions book that's been heavily noted by the "half blood prince." It allows him to excel in potions class and even save a life. Of course it's a bit of a cheat as Harry is standing on the shoulders of the book's owner.
The upside is that Harry can impress the class's Profressor Slughorn who has valuable information about Voldemort. The owner of the book is revealed, it's quite the surprise.

Tom Felton plays Draco Malfoy.

As a shock, this movie actually made me feel bad for Draco. Tom Felton does a great job in a limited role. He's given a near impossible task almost as a punishment for his father Lucius being sent to Azkaban. Draco is anxious throughout the movie, no longer bullying other kids but focused on his task of unknown destruction which we find out at the end. While the movie doesn't delve into it, we see that Draco is pulled by outside forces. His father was evil and that's what made Draco bad. With different parents, he probably could have been a good kid. It's when his father is out of the picture that we see him vulnerable.

Of course this movie (and the book) had a huge spoiler with a devastating tragedy at the end. I remember when the book and movie came out, the spoiler was HUGE!

The movie does end on a bit of a cliff hanger as a potentially unknown person holds the next piece of the puzzle that is the mystery of Voldemort. While this movie is setting up the end run, it's not a filler entry.

I've been rewatching the movies for the first time since they've come out. Up to Half-Blood Prince, this is how I'd rank the Harry Potter movies: The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Sorcerers Stone, The Half-Blood Prince, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Order of the Phoenix.