Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

I cannot believe that I've reviewed this many Harry Potter films and only have a few more left. After that, what happens? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy-adventure film directed once again by David Yates. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Dave Legeno, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jim Broadbent. As Harry stars his sixth year at Hogwarts, we're introduced to Draco's death eater side, the history of Voldemort, as well as the blossoming romances between Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Not to mention the iconic relationship between Ron and Hermione. Half Blood Prince was a great rewatch and still is a really good film. The acting in this film is great once again. Horace Slughorn portrayed by Jim Broadbent was an excellent choice in cast and proves to be a very significant character. The best acting that I extracted from Half Blood Prince was the banter between Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Gambon. These two are great together and have a very interesting friendship. Their relationship is one of those that grows significantly throughout this film and that is my next pro, which is the notion of bonding. This movie does a great job of strengthening the bonds between these people. It feels legitimate and I loved how these characters feel like old friends we visit. This movie also has great themes of loyalty, love, and power. It's a very interestingly directed film too. Great shots as well as fantastic quiddicth sequences make this a wondrous looking film. This movie is definitely not the greatest in the series. As much as I enjoy it, it does have some problems. One which actually stands out to me is how this film doesn't have as much of a straight-forward plot as the other movies do. There's the past of Lord Voldemort, the teen love triangles, and the key to destroying the dark magic. It's a film that sets up ideas. That's basically how I'd classify Half-Blood Prince. It's a great movie, but it is more of a film that is meant to establish and set up plot lines that will be executed later on in Deathly Hallows. This movie does add a lot to the book though. Not only are there wonderfully well - shot sequences not featured in the source material, but this movie really puts emphasis on the downfall of light. The book did that, but in a more subtle way. This film greatly thrusts the watcher into this world of darkness. Overall, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a great movie with great acting, interesting themes that work, and enhances the meaning of the novel which already presented a great story. Three stars