Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has similarities to “The Goblet of Fire”. It has drama, romance, humor and intensity. Just like the book, the film leads up to the final chapter (in the case of the films, the final chapters). As a result, the film seems to have a lot of unresolved issues but because I had read the book, I was expecting just such a conclusion for the film. In the last film, the editing was the best quality. In this movie, the Oscar-nominated cinematography is the best feature. The story is not sacrificed for visual appeal however and so the film is very good in my opinion. Others I know did not like it because it was much lighter in nature than the book but I don't mind that. I still liked the humor in this movie. A lot of stuff is left out but only so much can be put in the film as we have learned by this point in the saga. The wide range of moods throughout the experience is entertaining.

I love the first few shots because they connect this film with the previous film as never before in the film series. It is a tough scene to watch as Draco stuns Harry and then breaks Harry’s nose. It was tough to read also and so the filmmakers did a good job in depicting that instant in the story. I like how this time, Hermione is the jealous one where as Ron was jealous in “The Goblet of Fire”. Their relationship has quite dramatic developments and entertaining ones as well over the course of all the books. The films appear to be following suit. I love the sweet moment when Ron mumbles Hermione’s name while unconscious. Due to the time we have spent watching these characters over the years, we feel such relief and happiness at that moment. The film has humor that “The Order of the Phoenix” lacked which is nice. I noticed in this movie how Bellatrix’s wand is crooked and I like that because it mirrors her character. I approve the change from the book in that Harry chooses to obey Dumbledore and not to interfere in the confrontation with Draco. Harry also chooses to trust Snape and he therefore feels incredible guilt over what happens next. It adds great drama. I went into the movie knowing that they would need to show certain events that are important for the final story. I came out satisfied that the next few films were properly set up. These “set ups” tend to seem unimportant but are actually vital for the final film in the series. I did have a minor problem with Snape’s revelation at the very end. He could have easily taken another 10 seconds to explain it more as he does in the book. I also sort of wish we could have seen all of the important moments in Voldemort's past as did Harry in the book but there is only so much time in a movie.

The casting, acting and other elements of the film add to the appeal of the movie. The Ginny and Harry relationship works, as does the romance between Ron and Hermione. The cool thing is that these four actors were cast long before romance was present in the films. Even the Harry Potter books that were available during the casting of the first movie didn't have much romance. The actors have really come a long way. I think that focusing on the romance during this movie was important so as to leave room for more important story elements in the final two films. What makes me even more happy is that the romance in "The Half-Blood Prince" is not cheesy as is the case in another franchise that must not be named. The relationship scenes in Harry Potter have humour and awkward moments as opposed to cliche/corny lines. This is a lot more like romance in real life. As mentioned, the actors were not cast to fall in love with each other. Rather, they were cast honestly and have grown up together. This creates a genuine feeling in the romance scenes because of on-screen chemestry. Rupurt Grint had some great acting moments in "The Half-Blood Prince" and I am so impressed by his progression as an actor. This admiration of mine would continue with the last two movies. Moving on, the acting of Michael Gambon and Daniel Radcliffe is very convincing during the potion-drinking scene in the cave. Once again, emotions I felt from reading the book were resurrected. Gambon by the end of the movie resembles the Dumbledore that we were introduced to as initially performed by Richard Harris. I am very grateful for that because when I read a Harry Potter book, it is always Richard Harris that is in my imagination. Jim Broadbent was perfect as Slughorn. His persona that has been generated from such films as “The Borrowers”, “Around the World in 80 Days”, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Indiana Jones” was perfect for this character. I forget how I imagined Slughorn when reading the book because Broadbent’s performance was so good. His best line is "All hands on deck, Granger." I am glad that Tom Felton has a scene with Broadbent because they were in "The Borrowers" together. I love how Ralph Fiennes’ nephew plays Tom Riddle as a child. The actor playing the teenage Tom Riddle resembles Christian Coulson from “The Chamber of Secrets” a little and I am glad for that. The use of color grading is quite good in “The Half-Blood Prince” but the best cinematic element of the film is the cinematography. The images in the cave for example are quite similar to those I imagined while reading. One final assessment I would like to make is that the great hall is portrayed much like it was in the first film except with a darker feeling obviously. I like how there are some things that feel the same as they did in the first two films.

Once again, Harry Potter faced an overwhelming opponent at the Oscars as it lost to “Avatar” for Best Cinematography. The story of this film is way better than that film obviously and it was well adapted into a movie. A lot of my friends were unsatisfied with this movie, particularly its ending, but they had not read all the books. Now that all the films have been made, I believe that “The Half-Blood Prince” is more accepted. The acting is well done and the film has drama. We laugh and we feel. The film and the book has quite a cliffhanger ending but for good reason. We need to feel anxious for the final story and it all paid off.

4.5 Stars