Half Blood Prince was my favorite installment of the Harry Potter book series, so needless to say I have been looking forward to this movie for quite some time (I was really disappointed that it was not released in November 2008 as originally planned…thank you very much stupid Twilight). First off, let me just say that HBP successfully accomplishes something that few film adaptations of popular novels are able to do, that is make a movie that is enjoyable to the casual theater-goers while at the same time staying true to the many endearing details and overall spirit of the book. In addition, HBP’s dark look is masterfully suited to the tense ”gathering storm cloud” theme of the story, effectively broken up by some beautifully lit scenes of warmth and humor. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint comfortably play their larger than life alter egos making you really believe that these three young people are close friends as you empathize with their struggles, both the remarkable as well as the mundane. Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman give effectively dramatic performances, and Jim Broadbent is hilarious as the loveable coward, Horace Slughorn. I was also impressed with Tom Felton’s portrayal of a sympathetically desperate Draco Malfoy as well as Helena Bonham Carter’s playfully sadistic Bellatrix Lestrange. Unlike some of the previous Harry Potter installments, HBP comes off as the most believable of the series while at the same time retaining the wonder of its fantastic setting. The effects and score are topnotch, but I was disappointed with a somewhat pointless action scene that takes place in the middle of the movie, one that really did nothing to advance the plot, but just seemed clumsily inserted as a device for waking up the audience and making sure that the studio’s recommended dose of action was dispensed. Also, in the third act, some of the editing felt a little choppy and the narrative a bit rushed (can’t really blame the studio as the movie already runs long at two and a half hours). Overall though, this could arguably be the best of the Harry Potter movies thus far. Three and a half stars for the emotionally involving and truly excellent Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! Because this is a series for which I have not posted reviews, I wanted to list my ratings of the previous Potter films:
Sorcerer’s Stone: Two stars.
Chamber of Secrets: Two and a half stars.
Prisoner of Azkaban: Four stars.
Goblet of Fire: Two and a half stars.
Order of the Phoenix: Three stars.
