Review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) by Joshua B — 15 Jul 2013

I was surprised at the ease and grace with which director David Yates adapted the previous Harry Potter installment, The Order of the Phoenix, from a somewhat bloated novel into such a briskly paced and emotionally resonant film, cutting out all the fat that JK Rowling could not. But while Order of the Phoenix was a great adaptation of an only decent novel, I was nervous about what would happen to The Half-Blood Prince, which I consider one of the book series' strongest entries. While Yates and screenwriter, Steve Kloves, do play with the plot details a bit and leave out some details I would rather they had not, they still manage to craft a pretty beautiful bit of storytelling that is on par with the previous films. An added scene to the film involving the Death Eaters attacking the Burrow is not in the book, and while it is a fairly well-done scene, I couldn't help but wonder why they chose to add that rather than delve more into Voldemort's back story, scenes which were some of the best in the book.

Nevertheless, the meat of Rowling's plot is here, and thematically this film leads nicely into the saga's final chapter. The last half hour of the Half-Blood Prince is pretty much fantastic, darkly exciting and emotionally affecting; while some book fans will be appalled at the omission of the climactic battle scene from the book -- here the Death Eaters storm the castle unopposed -- I felt like it fit better with the movie's barren tone.

One of the things I most enjoyed about Yates' previous Potter film was how much he got the character dynamics that allowed the characters and their emotions to feel authentic. The same goes here, as Harry's growing relationship with the headmaster and his feelings for Ginny Weasley are allowed to flourish without ever seem forced.

The visual effects and the score are both fantastic, The film's opening scene involving the Death Eaters causing mayhem throughout London is a feat of technical prowess and the Inferi attack in the last act is quite frightening. Nicholas Hooper's score fits beautifully and is a very big contributing factor in creating the atmosphere of the film and how it is a transitional period in Harry's life, from child to adult of the seventh book. It may be my favorite score of any of the films so far.

As always in this series the cast shines. While some characters like Lupin, Tonks, and Hagrid have very small parts this time around, it is still good to see them in the film and adds realism to the continuity of the film's mythology, especially since some characters, such as Trelawney and Dobby, have been cut. The familiars, especially Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman are brilliant, and Daniel Radcliffe has really stepped into his leading role. I was impressed how much his acting improved between the fourth and fifth films, and that carries on here. Jim Broadbent is really the only new cast member but he plays Horace Slughorn perfectly, adding a lot to the cast.

The Half Blood Prince is yet another successful entry into a very successful franchise.