Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review.

Thoughts: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the 6th installment in the franchise and it ends up being one of the one of the best. Although the Half-Blood Prince is rated PG, it is the darkest and most mature in the franchise. There is a sense of foreboding that the end is near and the cinematography reflects the tone of the film well. While it was not quite as good as the Order of the Phoenix since it was a little slower in plot pacing, but the plot was a little more complex and there were very few cheesy or corny parts. The acting was again improved, with Tom Felton giving a much better performance than in previous movies. There are some mixed opinions about the Half-Blood Prince and some even consider it the weakest of the franchise, it is my second favorite in the series thus far. The main issue with the Half-Blood Prince is that it focuses a slightly too much on the romance but it was relatively well done compared to most movies and was too terribly annoying. Also there was some really funny humor in the movie. The character Draco Malfoy was much improved in this movie; he has finally been used effectively in a movie. In the first two movie Draco was the mean bully but in the the Prisoner of Azkaban he turned into a wimp after Hermione punched him in the nose. Now he was fully developed into an interesting character with a strong performance from Tom Felton. The movie use lighting to great effect, it was not just darkly lit for no reason. The lighting actually added to the overall film. At this point in the film series if you do not connect with the very likable and relatable characters you will not like the Half-Blood Prince. So if you did not like the previous films in the series the Half-Blood Prince is not going to change your mind about the series. There is something to note about the Half-Blood Prince, I watched it at night with all the lights turned off and I would recommend doing that if possible since there are some very dark lit scenes (not during action scenes fortunately), so keep that in mind if you watch the movie.


Also I would like to thank Shena Tokala at Pens, Thespians, and Words for answering a some questions about the Harry Potter movies and books and making this review better.

Directed by: David Yates
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure,
Release Date: 15 July 2009 (2009-07-15)
Running Time: 153 minutes
MMPA rating: PG


The Good: More complex plot, Good character development, Very humorous, Superb acting, Unexpected plot twist, Excellent cinematography,

The Bad: Plot progression is a little too slow,




Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
Harry is shown bleeding in front of the Ministry of Magic, which took place after the second to last scene of the previous film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Lord Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds and has chosen Draco Malfoy to carry out a secret mission. Severus Snape accepts Bellatrix Lestrange's challenge to make an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, to protect Draco and fulfill the assignment if he fails.
Harry accompanies Albus Dumbledore to visit former potions professor Horace Slughorn, who has gone into hiding. Slughorn agrees to return to teach at Hogwarts as Dumbledore tells Harry that Slughorn's return to Hogwarts is crucial.
Leaving Fred and George's new shop, Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Draco and Narcissa associating with Death Eaters in Borgin and Burkes. Harry believes Voldemort has made Draco a Death Eater, but Ron and Hermione are sceptical. On the Hogwarts Express, Harry spies on Draco, who hints to his friends that he does not plan to return to Hogwarts next year. Draco discovers Harry's presence and immobilises him, but Harry is rescued by Luna with her Spectrespecs.
At Hogwarts, Harry and Ron are admitted to Slughorn's potions class at the last minute and borrow the needed textbooks. The previous owner of Harry's copy, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with additional instructions that allow Harry to excel in class. Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 8.7/10- Except for the pacing, the plot was good. It was more complex with a very unexpected plot twist, although there was too much focus on the romance aspect of the story.

Action: 6.6/10- There not much action in the Half-Blood Prince, especially compared to the previous film. But the little that was there was good.

Acting: 8.8/10- All of the many actors really stepped up their performances greatly in the Half-Blood Prince, so many that I can not name all of them.

Special effects: 8.8/10- The cinematography, aided by the special effects, was phenomenal.

Soundtrack: 8.0/10- The soundtrack was very good overall.

Comedy: 8.7/10- Despite the Half-Blood Prince's darker tone it was the funniest of the Harry Potter franchise.


Would I Watch This Again: While there is not as much re-watch value as the Order of the Phoenix, I will probably watch it again some time.

Overall: 8.5/10- Although I would not say that the Half-Blood Prince is better than the Order of the Phoenix but it is still a very good movie.

Closing comments: David Yates makes another solid entry into the Harry Potter franchise with a darker more mature tone.

Recommended for: Fantasty fans, Adventure fans,

If you have not read my reviews for the other Harry Potter movies please click on the links below.
Harry Potter Series
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone Review
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Review.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Review.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Review
Click here to check out more of our movie reviews.

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