Copyright © 2009 by Michael A. Burstein
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Written by Steve Kloves
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, and Tom Felton
Rated PG
153 minutes
Throughout five films, Harry Potter has grown from an unsure little boy into a self-assured teenager. A teenager, that is, who happens to be a powerful wizard and the chosen one meant to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort, bane of the wizarding world. For five years, Harry has been a student at Hogwarts, a school in the north of England where magic is taught away from the eyes of the non-magical Muggles (i.e., the rest of us). And during those five years, Voldemort has slowly managed to return from an apparent death and to gather his followers together, with the goal of killing Harry Potter (just as he killed Harry’s parents) and presumably ruling the world.
Of course, most people reading this review already know all that. And that’s what the filmmakers behind this latest installment in the series are counting on.
In many ways, this movie exists to serve as a bridge from the earlier films to the final two films (which will split into two parts the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince depends on the audience already understanding the iconography of the Harry Potter series. There’s no explanation of things such as the train to Hogwarts, the Marauder’s Map, the Room of Requirement, or the pensieve that allows wizards to study old memories. There’s not even an explanation as to who most of the minor characters in the film are, such as Bellatrix Lestrange and Remus Lupin (and minor they are here, no matter how major a role they played in earlier films). The filmmakers assume that the audience knows enough about Hogwarts now to follow the story. On the one hand, this makes the movie somewhat inaccessible for anyone new to the Harry Potter universe. But on the other hand, it’s doubtful that anyone plans to start enjoying the Harry Potter series with this particular film.
And fans will enjoy it. The film is the most polished in the whole series, which is no surprise as by now the cast and crew has plenty of experience making Harry Potter films, so the acting and directing are superb. Scenes flow beautifully (dare one say magically?) from one to the next, a far cry from some of the earlier films in the series. Special effects have come to seem pedestrian in films nowadays, but somehow Harry’s magic feels much more fresh and real than ever before.
A dark pall does hang over Harry and his friends this year, as the Death Eaters have returned and Harry sniffs out a plot that would bring evil to his school. Despite that, Harry, Ron, and Hermione find the time to explore the joys of adolescent romance. Furthermore, the love stories intertwined in the movie develop organically throughout, rather than feeling tacked on. Yes, there’s danger, action, and adventure, as one would expect in a Harry Potter film, but the romance is what makes it work. Maybe that’s because many of Harry’s fans have grown up along with him and know that it’s time now for him to begin the journey from adolescence to adulthood.
One thing will come as a surprise to those fans who have already read the book, which is that the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince’s identity is marginalized. Even when that identity is finally revealed, it comes off as irrelevant given everything else going on in the story. Then again, even in the novel, the Prince’s identity wasn’t as important as the hidden dangers that swirled around Harry, leading to his final decision, which caps the film and emphasizes the bond shared by the three main characters as well as the actors playing them.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a worthy adaptation of the novel and a satisfying and expert production. Fans of the franchise will enjoy it immensely.
Three out of four stars.