Review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) by Victor T — 05 Dec 2016

After proving to be the right man for the job Warner wanted, David Yates became the second director to return to the franchise, but after the mediocre job that the previous returning director did in "Chamber of Secrets", could Yates make a better job the second time around?

After the Ministry confrontation of the last film, wizarding world is afraid of Voldemort´s power. In this time of fear a glimpse of hope appears as Harry and Dumbledore find out a way to beat He Who Must Not be Named.

Let's get into this right away and skip the already mentioned praise of my reviews of the previous installments (including Yates' meticulous but hollow direction). Previously I considered the sixth chapter of the saga as a step up to from the fifth chapter but after revisiting this film I can say this film has the worst script of the saga as it is basically buildup as a mystery but in the first 10 minutes they literally spelled out the climax and in case if you missed it (which I don't even think is possible) they keep repeating it, so when some scenes try to foreshadow or reveal more information regarding the mystery they are pointless. In addition this chapter is desperate to be funny as it is the only film of the saga as it inserts clumsy/awkward teen comedy (these jokes are something you would see in films like "Mean Girls", "Bring it On" or some other teen film), plus they keep inserting needless romances (I think the filmmakers realize how useless and one note Ron has been throughout the saga so they give him a romance as Harry and Hermione had already pass that). But the biggest issue I have with this script is the fact it just keeps wasting precious time, I mean they could have easily integrated information of the last book or just streamline/delete some plot points, but instead they keep their attention on the unnecessary trash I already mentioned. But let's be fair and give credit where credit is due, I liked Jim Broadbent's character and I love the creative revelation regarding Lord Voldemort's weakness (granted, it shows that Rowling was making this story as she went along, but it solidly explains why this villain seems unkillable).

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" is probably the worst film of the saga (it is my least favorite) as it has the worst script as it repeats some of the problems of its predecessor and keeps wasting time instead of wrapping up the story. While it's ending promises an interesting ending for the saga and has you question characters, the journey to get to that is not worth it.