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

This was a very slow, plodding and rather uneventful movie. I'm utterly shocked at all the positive reviews. Other movies in this series were much better, but it seems the movie makers are simply stringing things out as much as they can to reap the $$$ from the throngs of fans who'll see just about any Potter film regardless of the quality.

My daughter, who is a fan of the movie was quite disappointed with it, as were several very vocal attendees at our showing. As they left the theatre, several people looked at each other and asked, how they liked it.

There was a uniform chorus of "that sucked didn't it?" Noit much actually happens in the film. There's more than enough teen angst and broken heartedness amongst the key characters to create a movie just on that storyline alone.

The younger Malfoy has turned from a sinister child into a gawky, brooding, troubled, lankey Andy Warholesque character. He just broods and hides around Hogwarts and makes endless trips to the transporter booth, testing it out.

The whole plot of this film is unbelievable and inconsistent in the context of the other Potter films. And the final climactic battle, if it can even be called that, is such a letdown, given what is in the book, it's hard to whether the film makers read the book or even cared to try to make the ending exciting.

A real disappointment overall.