Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – 2009

I never read the Harry Potter books and they always say that the book is better than the film, so I can’t draw on too many comparisons. Harry Potter is nearing the end of the journey in his quest to defeat Lord Voldemort and his dark army, it’s also the film where significant romantic relationships are forged between friends.

David Yates takes the helm again, fresh from directing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix he has a great understanding of how to develop the book to film and does so well.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince focuses on the background of Voldemort and his rise to dark lord status, as well as the discovery of a potions text book which belongs to the Half Blood Prince. This part of the plot does not develop fully enough for me and the audience are only giving small clues throughout until the climactic conclusion.

Instead the film elaborates the hunt for Voldemort and his horcruxes as well as the plot to kill a fundamental character. The Potter franchise has been a hugely successful one with not just children but adults alike seemingly captivated by its ‘magic’ but on this occasion Yates hit a few stumbling blocks.

The special effects are amazing and that adds a lot to the film, but you cannot always rely on that to get you through the 2 ½ run time. The acting is still at its best but I do question Daniel Radcliffe at times who can appear out of sorts. Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, along with the introduction of Jim Broadbent all provide brilliant acting talent and a huge wealth of experience, something which the more younger actors should take note of.

At the end of it all Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince falls some way short of its slightly more successful predecessors, there is evil lurking around the corner but it is interlaced with teen romance and the occasional bit of humor which would do little to adhere it to the book I’m sure.

View the trailer

Rating: (3/5)

Visit the IMDb page for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

DVD Extras: As good as the blu-ray version, lots of featurettes including additional scenes

Blu-ray Extras: Is jam packed with some brilliant featurettes (too many to list here) but well worth it for any fan of the franchise

Please feel free to comment on this film, I would love to know what you think and I will do my best to respond!