Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

2009 PG 153 Minutes

Adventure | Fantasy

As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven. Harry suspects perils may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent...

Overall Rating

8 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • WHAT I LIKED: After five Potter films driven largely by the anticipation of myserious plots and a bunch of coming-of-age arcs, it's strange that all of that is absent in 'The Half Blood Prince.' In fact, any real jeopardy or tests for the characters are left exclusively for Harry in the final act, where Dumbledore finally takes him on the first step to filfill his place as "the chosen one," to begin his fight against Voldemort. That is an agreeably brilliant, emotionally-impactful ending, and it's certainly what the film is remembered most for.

    WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Before that, we're left with little more than some fairly obvious misgivings about an ex-teacher and their relationship with a young Voldemort to propel the narrative, so the central trio spend most of their time ominously discussing how danger is around the corner whilst spending their time with the usual classroom antics. David Yates does his best to deliver some atmosphere around that with his relentlessly twisty, watching angles, absurdly dark colour grading, sad music and slow zooms, but the effect is pretty numbing after a while. With no great sense of anticipation building in the plot, few tests for the characters and none of the thematic intrigue of its predecessor, you'll likely be left pretty bored until the final act.

    VERDICT: 'Half Blood Prince,' may be remembered for its impactful final act, but until that point it has the feeling of a film stalling for time before the series finale. It may just be the weakest entry of them all.