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List Price: $28.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 36
Released: December 8, 2009 |
| Our Price: $9.99 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series begins right where The Order of the Phoenix left off. The wizarding world is rocked by the news that "He Who Must Not Be Named" has truly returned, and the audience finally knows that Harry is "the Chosen One"--the only wizard who can defeat Lord Voldemort in the end. Dark forces loom around every corner, and now regularly attempt to penetrate the protected walls of Hogwarts School. This is no longer the fun and fascinating world of magic from the first few books—it's dark, dangerous, and scary.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) suspects Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to be a new Death Eater recruit on a special mission for the Dark Lord. In the meantime, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) seems to have finally removed the shroud of secrecy from Harry about the dark path that lies ahead, and instead provides private lessons to get him prepared. It's in these intriguing scenes that the dark past of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) is finally revealed. The actors cast as the different young versions of Riddle (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane) do an eerily fantastic job of portraying the villain as a child. While the previous movies' many new characters could be slightly overwhelming, only one new key character is introduced this time: Professor Horace Slughorn (with a spot-on performance by Jim Broadbent). Within his mind he holds a key secret in the battle to defeat the Dark Lord, and Harry is tasked by Dumbledore to uncover a memory about Voldemort's darkest weapon--the Horcrux. Despite the long list of distractions, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) still try to focus on being teenagers, and audiences will enjoy the budding awkward romances. All of the actors have developed nicely, giving their most convincing performances to date.
More dramatic and significant things go down in this movie than any of its predecessors, and the stakes are higher than ever. The creators have been tasked with a practically impossible challenge, as fans of the beloved J.K. Rowling book series desperately want the movies to capture the magic of the books as closely as possible. Alas, the point at which one accepts that these two mediums are very different is the point at which one can truly enjoy these brilliant adaptations. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no exception: it may be the best film yet. For those who have not read the book, nail-biting entertainment is guaranteed. For those who have, the movie does it justice. The key dramatic scenes, including the cave and the shocking twist in the final chapter, are executed very well. It does a perfect job of setting up the two-part grand finale that is to follow. --Jordan Thompson
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Full-Screen Edition) Reviews:
Hollywood is illiterate or ( JK Rowling lets evil win) 
2009-11-29 - Was this movie actually based on the book? I realize there are time restrictions for movies, but when I couldn't even explain what some of the scenes or plot was about to a casual fan friend of mine, that left me sad. How about at least giving us fans an "under edited" version for the DVD! Come on, Dumbledore died, where's the funeral! These last two theatrical installments are miserable! I just hope they don't flub the final two movies. At this current rate of deviation, they might as well make Harry Potter a vampire in a homosexual love triangle in the deathly hallows movies! My advice would be to read the books for a plot, see the movies for mental imagery while you reread the book to figure out what you just saw.
hmmm
2009-11-29 - i cant believe this hasnt been released in the states yet. if i hadnt pre ordered it from amazon i would of bought it here in Australia...
Dec 2nd it'll be on pay tv here..
Harry Potter Sets Out on a Grave Task
2009-11-29 - Warner Brothers latched on to a cash cow with the Harry Potter films. Based on the incredibly popular books by J.K. Rowling, the series has followed the exploits of young Harry from his freshman year at Hogwarts Wizards School through his maturation into both young man and wizard, wary of his powers. The film series has kept the same three principal actors throughout the series; they have literally grown up before our eyes. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is the latest installment.
We first see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) in a subway eatery, perusing a newspaper that questions whether Harry Potter is the Chosen One. Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) mysteriously appears to enlist Harry's assistance in convincing reclusive Prof. Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), once a teacher at Hogwarts, to return. His memories about a former student, Tom Riddle -- who grew up to become the dreaded Voldemort -- are needed to help determine how to defend against and banish the evil entity once and for all.
The film spends a lot of time on flirtations between Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) and Harry and Ron's sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright). Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), fellow Hogwarts student, also has eyes for Ron. These tepid romances don't really go anywhere and are tossed in out of deference to the novel and the fact that the Hogwarts trio are beginning to look pretty old not to have an interest in romance, however chaste.
As with the previous Potter films, this one is visually stunning, even though director David Yates has gone for a more somber palette. With its combination of spectacular vistas and dazzling CGI work, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is one of most beautiful-looking films of the year. Though we've seen Quidditch matches before, the one in the current film far surpasses them in terms of energy, excitement, humor, and sheer visual splendor. It's one of the film's highlights in terms of pure exhilaration.
Mr. Radcliffe, who's spent half his life playing Harry Potter, is OK but doesn't have a heck of a lot of razzle dazzle this time around. He's not as much fun to watch as in earlier installments. This may have to do with the movie's darker nature, but the script does have opportunities for lighter moments that never materialize.
I was disappointed that Hermione has been relegated practically to an extra. She interacts very little with either Harry or Ron, and plays her romantic scenes awkwardly and unconvincingly. Mr. Grint fares better with screen time, but Ron is never involved fully in the adventure at hand. He's there for scenes in which Ron and Harry talk about their respective infatuations, but contributes little more. The romantic -- if you can call them that -- interludes become tedious and slow the action considerably.
Mr. Broadbent is a welcome addition to the new film. This is an actor who effortlessly conveys the essence of whatever character he's portraying. His Prof. Slughorn is intelligent, absentminded, guarded, mysterious, troubled, and fearful, as required. It's fortunate that Broadbent is portraying a major character, since he commands our attention whenever he's on screen.
Many characters from the earlier films chime in with a few bits of dialogue here and there but are otherwise unnecessary to plot. Prof. McGonagall (Maggie Smith) shows up halfway through as the voice of caution when Harry becomes increasingly involved in elaborate intrigues. Prof. Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), filmed mostly in close-up, delivers his menacing lines with dramatic pauses you could drive a train through. Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) pops up, only to fall asleep for most of his screen time, and Prof. Flitwick (Warwick Davis) ambles about more as set dressing than plot ingredient.
Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy has a larger role than in previous Potter films and is seen lurking in dark corners, traveling to cryptic locations, and secretly plotting. Mr. Felton has the knack for looking evil at all times, playing his role with little dialogue and a disturbing sneer. The actor who really makes a commanding impression is Frank Dillane as 16-year-old Tom Riddle. Shot mostly in close-up, Mr. Dillane conveys a maturity and intelligence mixed with malevolence that comes through perfectly. He appears in only one scene, but he's one of the best things in "Half-Blood Prince."
The major problem with "Half-Blood Price" is that it's a transitional film, promising but not yet delivering the good stuff. It is often ponderously talky in an attempt to keep the viewer up to speed, but memories are short. The script assumes an awful lot of knowledge on the part of the viewer, and only a devoted reader of the books will easily recognizes nuances and foreshadowings. I was reminded of "The Empire Strikes Back" and how disappointed viewers were at the inconclusiveness of that "Star Wars" installment. The same holds true for "Half-Blood Prince." The final scene is really a setup -- even a commercial -- for the upcoming two-part finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," to be released in 2010 and 2011. Don't expect all plot points to be tied with a neat bow.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is far too long at two and a half hours plus. Though it is always visually remarkable, it will likely confuse those who don't know Potter lore, chapter and verse. For Potter fans, it will be a delight, as they will fill in the blanks left by the screenplay.
not a review, just a question 
2009-11-29 - it's not a review, i just wanna ask something about this dvd: it has spanish subtitles? i'm from colombia so i will buy it if it has spanish subtitles... thx!
Underwhelming 
2009-11-28 - i completely and inequivocally agree with z hayes (plano,texas) on every aspect that she touched on. Book 6 in the Harry Potter series was my absolute favorite and the movie just did not do it justice. it was a decent movie if you've seen all the movies but never read the books however, if you've read the books it would be hard, if not impossible, to give this movie 5 stars. really, im stretching it to give it four. the added scenes add nothing to the movie and most of the scenes from the book that werent in the movie were vitally important to the plot and progression of the characters and story. im not going to give anything away, i just need to say that the movie was a disappointment. the characters are amazing in that the actors portraying them portray them perfectly and with the necessary depth. my only hope for the final 2 movies is that the directly sticks to the book and doesn't go on about adding more unnecessary and meaningless scenes. given that the final book is in two installments there is no reason not to lay it all out there and just really go for it. more action, more depth, more special effects, more everything. for those of us that have been following the series through 7 books and 6 movies i think it is vitally important to give us what we've been waiting for. if i may say so, we arent looking for the directors interpretation of what the book should have been, we are looking for exactly what the book was laid out on screen in all its glory from start to finish. for me, the whole point of the movie adaptations lays in the success of this last one and by success i mean accuracy, depth, and wow factor. i want to leave the theater feeling like it was all worth it and in this one i really just didn't and that's not even including the disappointment and irritation that stemmed from the fact that my favorite book was a let down on screen.
