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List Price: $34.99 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 26
Released: December 8, 2009 |
| Our Price: $14.00 |
| Used Price: $16.79 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
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.
Description of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition):
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 (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition) Reviews:
Major disappointment. 
2009-12-22 - Production Values:
I don't know if it was purposefully photgraphed so darkly that very little could be seen and that little was colorless/lifeless or if it was as another reviewer wrote a copy of a copy of a copy, but it was bad.
The Movie:
Marginally better than its production values, disjointed, boring and really didn't go anywhere. Have them all, wish I hadn't bought this one and won't be buying the next (if there is one).
Disappointing 
2009-12-22 - The quality of this DVD was not good.....at times so dark the action couldn't be seen. I would not recommend the wide screen because it looked like it was a copy of a copy.
Great Movie for Non-Book-Readers 
2009-12-22 - Being a Harry Potter fan of the first two movies then moving onto the books, I have to say I am a fan of the books first and the movies second. For those of you that haven't read the books though, the movies are still great if that's the only way for you to get your "Potter Geek On."
With that being said, book readers have to realize that there is no way to be 100% true to the books. The movie would be so expensive to do, plus they have to be able to have their "creative license" with it. They have to draw people who don't read the books into the theater. I am also one of those haters that get so mad when something was changed completely or not even in the movie, which IMO should have been.
The first movie is still my favorite, the second one I felt was a bit boring, the third was done fairly well considering, the fourth kept me on a "high" almost the whole time but was very disappointing with how much they left out (hell-O... I was SO looking forward to the world cup in the beginning, it really set the stage for the rest of the book) I think they slaughtered this one, the fifth wasn't as true as it could have been but it was also one of the most boring books in the series IMO so it was bittersweet, the sixth is probably my second favorite honestly though it too lacked a lot of information that I feel was needed to go into the seventh book.
We book nerds have to realize they can't do it 100% perfect and have take it with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean we can't pause the movie and fill in the blanks or tell it how it should be!!
Good, but not great 
2009-12-21 - Another Harry Potter movie, ** Yawn ** I got thru it, and it is the same as all the others. Plot: kids, evil castle/school, odd teachers, Harry, Ron, a little girl named Hermione, some bad ass dude name Voldemort, a fat dude named Hagrid, etc. What's great is if you've seen the other films, you can watch this and not pay attention. Just eat the popcorn and enjoy the awesome film visuals.
Disappointing
2009-12-21 - I've loved Rowling's books, and the first three films, but I confess I found this last one disappointing. There are so many key scenes left out and strange ones put in that make no sense, I wondered at times if the film was of the book I'd read. "Based on a novel by..." is only too true. And don't get me started on the 17 minutes of game ads, trailers and other rubbish that are impossible to fast forward over before you are finally allowed to see what you paid for. I wonder what the author makes of it all.
