Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Review By: Michael Hill
MichaelHill@TheCinemaSource.com

Movie Grade: A-

Voldemort may have yet to stop Harry Potter, but a troubled economy, numerous entertainment union squabbles and the resulting empty production slate at Warner Brothers managed to. Thankfully it only stopped Harry Potter until the summer of 2009. Warner Brothers had originally planned to release the film last fall, but wanting to bask in another "Dark Knight Box Office Bombshell" they pushed the film back to July 17th. That being said, fans have been anxiously awaiting the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and it is well worth the wait.

By far the most tension riddled and well paced of the films Half-Blood Prince delivers a much needed sense of urgency and turmoil to the series. The dragon dung really hits the fan in this film as the epic struggle in the magical world has begun to cross over into the muggle world, placing everyone from both worlds in danger. Anyone who thinks the magical world of Harry Potter is all light and fun magic will know better by the end of this film. The dark side of magic is out in force and growing. Director David Yates skillfully uses this sense of unease and lurking darkness throughout the film and this tension bleeds into the color palette utilized in the amazing cinematography courtesy of Bruno Delbonnel. That’s not to say that Half-Blood Prince doesn’t have a nice smattering of comic moments and character developing dashes as well to help keep things from getting too dark or oppressive. Both are sprinkled throughout and offer a break to the high stakes building up around the main characters.

One of the key developments this time out is sexuality, but don’t worry, there is nothing overtly sexual (short of a rather blatant bit of phallic imagery in a Quidditch team tryout) in this PG film. While the previous film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, gave us (and Harry) the first onscreen kiss of the series, Half-Blood Prince takes things into full couple mode. The relationships that are explored in the film feature a beautiful honesty and grace in dealing with when childhood friendships end and potential romance begins. And the course of true love in the film, just like in life, never seems to run smooth. The best part of this exploration is that it never seems to feel stilted or put on as it may have in the past films. The main reason for this is that the chemistry between these actors is real and the moments between the actors play out brilliantly.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves deserves ample credit for what seems to be the best adaptation from page to screen yet. He succeeds at the task of turning a several hundred page book into a screenplay which will be satisfying to fans of the book as well as new audience members while leaving that oh so important, but far too readily overlooked, aspect intact: story. Any deviations from the book manage to keep the spirit of the book intact in a way that he has yet to master ...