DVD Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Dec 10, 2009, 12:14 GMT

The world of Harry Potter was bright and colorful that first year, but now seems washed out at times - which is the perfect setting for the final battle between the boy wizard and the evil Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is another solid entry for the big screen adaptations of the hit book series by J.K. Rowling, and it does an excellent job setting up the final two films – which are based on the final book in the franchise.

I have not read any of the Harry Potter novels, but have enjoyed all the screen adaptations of the series. This release continues the franchise growth into more mature themes, sinister plots, and a darker look (which is kind of odd since it has a PG rating compared to the PG-13 rating of the past two films).

I recently watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone again (there is a new edition out on Blu-ray) and it is interesting to see how far the series has gone from the first film to this one, and how the actors have grown in both age and talent.

Half Blood Prince was directed by David Yates (who handled directing chores on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and on the final two films in the franchise) with a screenplay by Steve Kloves (who has adapted several of Rowling's novels including the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, parts 1 and 2).

The film sees returning cast members Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. They are joined once again by Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, and Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape.

The film also features a strong performance from Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy (who becomes a quasi-villain for the film) and Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley (who delivers a quiet performance in the film, but seemed to have the most character development in the story).

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, our trio of friends (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) have to continue to balance their education and life at Hogwarts with teen hormones (poor Ron has some trouble in the love department), and the growing threat from Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters – who have been taking out members of the Ministry of Magic.

Things have gotten so bad that Dumbledore has issued an order to search students as they arrive for the school year, and put up protection to keep the Death Eaters out of the school. He also brings in Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) to teach a potions class.

Dumbledore has another reason for bringing Slughorn to the school and tasks Harry to get to know the wizard so that he can get a memory Slughorn shared with a young Tom Riddle – who went on to become "He Who Must Not Be Named."

Dumbledore believes the memory is the key to defeating Voldemort, but it takes Harry most of the film to get close enough to achieve the task.

Along the way, Harry also tangles with Draco – who has been given a task of his own to achieve and is under the protection of Snape. Harry believes that Draco has joined the Death Eaters and is responsible for several students being harmed by curses (including Ron).

Ron and Hermione also go through some changes this year with Ron becoming a popular jock thanks to his Quidditch skills (which Hermione and Harry help out), and Hermione realizing that she has a thing for Ron – no matter how hard she tries to get rid of the feelings. She also has to deal with Ron’s obsessive girlfriend, and the fact that she isn’t the best student at the school thanks to a book Harry finds that once belonged to the Half-Blood Prince.

The trio along with Ginny (who Harry beings to realize he has feelings for) spend a good deal of the movie trying to discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince, and eventually getting the book away from Harry.

The film quasi-stalls about at the halfway point with a good deal of time being spent on the teen romances, Harry and his mission with Slughorn, and Draco’s obsession with a cabinet (which has bad results for Hogwarts).

The film’s pace finally picks back up in the final 30-45 minutes with Harry and Dumbledore heading off to gain the upper hand against Voldemort and then coming face to face with Draco, Death Eaters and betrayal. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a good movie and a solid entry in the film franchise of the book series. It doesn’t seem as good as past films (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire remains my favorite of the series), but does an excellent job setting up the final films.

I also enjoyed how the film’s production values, lighting, and costuming seem to continue to change with each film (they seem to be growing a bit darker and colder). The changes reflect what is happening and help the viewer realize we have come a long way since that first train ride to Hogwarts.

The world of Harry Potter was bright and colorful that first year, but now seems washed out at times. With the coming battle between good and evil, the production values and color tints of the film helps the audience realize more changes are coming and not everyone is as safe as we thought.

I have always looked forward to the next Potter film, but Half-Blood Prince’s ending will leave you counting the days to find out what happens next. The film looks great on Blu-ray and well worth checking out. With that said, I have read it doesn’t hold up as well as the book, and like the other films there were changes made to the film’s screenplay compared with what happens in the novel.

Like past releases in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes loaded with special features that help make the Blu-ray worth the purchase price. The features include a DVD version of the film (which I am starting to appreciate more and more with Blu-ray releases so the kids can watch the movie in their room and I can watch something different on my Blu-ray player) and a digital copy of the movie (which I still have no use for).

There are several features that take you into the making of the film and explore each aspect of its development along with a Maximum Movie Mode which gives you a personal exploration of the film with Radcliffe, picture in picture functions, scene comparisons, and other features.

Other aspects of the features include looks at J.K. Rowling, additional scenes that didn’t make it into the movie, and a Q&A with the cast. I guess the biggest special feature of the disc is the sneak peek at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but this was a bit of a letdown for me. The peek is a short interview and even shorter look at the film. The footage will keep you wanting to see the film, but doesn’t really give away much about what to expect.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fun movie and does an excellent job setting up the end of the series. Harry and gang are older now and the films seem darker, but it is the perfect setting for the final battle between the boy wizard and the evil Lord Voldemort.