Directed by:
David YatesScreenplay:
Steve KlovesCinematography:
Bruno DelbonnelComposer:
Nicholas HooperCast:
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Even as the decisive showdown looms, romance blossoms for Harry, Ron, Hermione and their classmates. Love is in the air, but danger lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Just as I witnessed the exact translation of the tense political and magical atmosphere in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince there is a mood full of anticipation, competition, pranks, and infatuations. The popularity of this installment simply depends on the popularity of the book source material, and those who expected to continue the previous storylines without being familiar with it are bound to be disappointed. At Hogwarts there is an atmosphere of a year-long Valentine's Day, where it's easier to forget everything that burdens the outside world. And so, only Dumbledore regularly reminds everyone of why Harry is indispensable and irreplaceable, Draco noticeably keeps his distance from others, and the Christmas holidays show once again that evil never sleeps. Naturally, the screenplay doesn't forget that the dark fantasy mythology is continuing to progress and leaves our heroes exactly where they were destined to be from the beginning of the saga. At the beginning of the final rebellion, on the brink of independence. And the gem of it all is that both darkness and enchanting romance work so naturally alongside each other that it takes your breath away. David Yates is a king.
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Considering Yates managed to get something out of the most superfluous part of the book that ends up not working because of that superfluousness (aka zero action), then I have nothing left to do than look forward to the adaptation of book seven which might at last aspire to toppling Cuarón’s offering from its position of best Harry Potter movie adaptation.
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Visually the most elaborate piece of nothing yet. An empty script in which Emma Watson overacts her sad and jealous grimaces, Potter chases everyone but the right girl, and the third guy in the bunch is totally out of touch with the reality of what's going on. There's an excruciatingly large amount of high school romance and damn little action or drama in the story, and the little there is, it barely lasts a few minutes or is at the end. A woefully lacklustre and uninteresting episode that served only as a prelude to the grand finale.
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For me, this is the most botched film based on the Harry Potter books, mainly because the creators focused entirely on that one single scene at the end and somehow forgot that the story has more to it. Yes, it's much more for adults; parents can watch and enjoy it, but the source material got quite a rough treatment here.
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Some things were extra (the opening digital destruction of London), some things were not enough (ironically, the mystery of the Half-blood Prince), but the film is still excellent and David Yates proves that his previous success was no accident. The story has once again pared the book down to the bare essentials. There are many characters, but the most interesting ones get the most space they deserve (apart from the central trio, they are probably Dumbledore, Snape, Malfoy and the Horace Slughorn), there is no lack of emotion or suspense (for those unfamiliar with the story, there are also a few surprises and even shocks), a nice romantic and friendly storyline and a few rewardingly funny scenes (brewing potions, Ron the Catcher...) to lighten and balance the necessary fatefulness. As a warm-up for the finale, The Half-Blood Prince is perfect.
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