Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Reviews

Después de hacer la peor y más plana entrega del niño mago, parece que David Yates aprendió algo de su primera cinta para los cines e hizo una peli que aun con sus problemas, es una mejora con respecto a la quinta. Para empezar, Yate esta vez si tiene una propuesta visual interesante que esta entre el tono más colorido y cálido de la primera cinta y las partes oscuras y grises de entregas más avanzadas. Me gusta que incluso tenga sentido con la trama de la cinta, ya que es una vuelta al tono más relajado del inicio pero con ciertos momentos más oscuros que van apareciendo poco a poco hasta el final. No hay un asesino suelto en Hogwarts, juegos peligrosos con una trama de conspiración o una rebelión de estudiantes, por primera vez es un año relativamente calmado y hasta podríamos decir que la historia fue escrita para ser la calma antes de la tormenta. El aspecto de las relaciones amorosas me resulta algo polarizante, ya que si bien el romance entre Ron y Hermione es bueno debido a que fue planteado desde hace rato y hasta creo que esta algo infravalorado, el de Harry y Ginny no tiene ni pies ni cabeza, vamos que el único precedente de esta relación son dos que tres momentos en cintas anteriores en donde Ginny le hacia ojitos a Harry. No ayuda tampoco que su personaje sea bien soso a comparación de su versión de los libros, donde almenos entendías mejor la atracción de Harry hacia ella. Toda la parte de los flashbacks de Voldemort se siente desarrollada muy de pasada y creo que más escenas con esto le hubiera beneficiado mucho a la cinta, ya que en el libro era parte esencial para entender al antagonista, pero aquí de a primeras se siente nada más como una contextualización de su pasado y ya. Sin embargo, a diferencia de muchos, considero que esta parte en la cinta si tiene algo bastante positivo y es el personaje de Slughorne. No solo porque Jim Broadbent lo hace fantástico, sino también porque su vinculo con Harry crea un paralelismo entre este y Voldemort acerca de su búsqueda de conocimiento debido a su naturaleza de niños elegidos. En si, quizás los flashbacks no sirvan mucho para el personaje de Voldemort, pero si que son una parte esencial para lo que es el desarrollo de Harry y la consolidación de la idea de que ambos son dos caras de la misma moneda, cosa que se ha planteado desde la primera entrega. Incluso el personaje de Malfoy sirve a esta idea, ya no es el bully del principio que nada más servía como rival de Harry, ahora es un chico atormentado por las expectativas que sus padres tienen hacia el con respecto a su rol de mortifago, compartiendo ese miedo de Harry por lo que los demás esperan de el pero en bandos contrarios. Por mucho tiempo esta fue mi entrega menos favorita de la saga, principalmente por la forma en que adapto el libro y si bien sigo encontrándole problemas, ahora aprecio también la mejora de Yates como director en esta entrega y ciertos cambios que se acoplan bastante bien. Espero que las ultimas dos cintas continúen por esta linea.

This may feel very much like a cut-and-paste job of my other Harry Potter reviews. Because even though Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the weakest chapter in the series thus far (beating out the previous entry, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), it still boasts almost everything that has made the other Potter films so enjoyable- just in slightly smaller measures.

Harry Potter is told by Dumbledore to become friends with a new teacher at Hogwarts, named Horace Slughorn. This is so that Potter can extract a memory from Slughorn that he has been hiding out of shame. The revealing of this memory is key to discovering more about Voldemort and his plan.

The first half of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- while not without its moments- is very much lacking in the story and magic department. For a while, we're not sure where the story is going, as the majority of the focus appears to be on romantic relationships. And while the romance is not written as poorly as other notable teenage-aimed films, it does fall into a number of cliches, and these sub-plots are uninteresting.

This is also causes the first half of the film to have a much lighter tone than some of the preceding Potter films- even more so than The Order of the Phoenix, which has been one of the lightest Potter films so far.

Still, after the first half, the tone becomes darker, the story is much improved, and we have a couple surprising plot twists that I won't spoil.

The visual effects are excellent, and the cinematography (especially in the dazzling opening sequence) is fantastic. The characters are here, and are still lovable. Two characters that intrigued me when they were introduced in The Order of the Phoenix- Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange- have been more developed this time around.

The acting is good, as was the case for most of the Potter films. Performances are solid, though there isn't really a standout.

The score, composed by Nicholas Hooper, is by far the weakest of the series. Nothing in the score that I heard in the film was unique, engaging, or intriguing. Indeed, there were few moments when I even noticed the score. One portion of the film also seemed to use the "rose" theme from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which did not help the score's cause.

It may be the worst in the series, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an enjoyable, if uneven fantasy flick, further aided by a surprising twist. Given the ending of this film, I'm intrigued to see where the series will go next.

Despite having liked a few of the earlier Potter films, I have to say, as the years went by more and more people were getting into the Harry Potter franchise- including dumb horny teenagers, and we all know what they want in a movie, kissing, sex and pathetic sissy relationships, well that's what this film had.

More than half of the film was about love potions and ugly looking relationships between ugly looking people. I know they were getting older and all that bullcrap but I think it spoiled Harry Potter, I read the book and it had none of that crap. And then to top it all of was the most awfullest thing in the Harry Potter series, Dumblerdore died. So having sat there for over an hour board out of your mind of stupid crummy relationships, you the have a horrible, nasty surprise in which he dies. So if I were you just don't bother watching this one, you know Dumbledore dies. The only thing you'll miss is utter boredom and trash.

Avoid it like an Atheist does church.

The Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise and, overall, the third greatest installment. Now, if I were to recognize just one actor from this film, I would chose Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. He went through some serious growing up phrase and it brilliantly showed in this movie. He perfectly captured the reluctant-villain persona down pat, whereas what the in name of hell happened to Daniel Radcliffe? I mean, he is an OK actor and all, but seriously, can't he act shocked or surprised? Watch the scene where Ron is suffocating due to the poison and when Harry attacks Draco with the Sectumsempra spell. He was to achingly wooden. Come on, he could've done better that. On the other hand, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson as Ron & Hermione, respectively, were great as usual but the main factor was Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Granted, Slughorn wasn't my favourite character when I read the book but Mr. Broadbent bought a unique cheeriness to him and quickly became the best character in the film. Other than that, I really enjoyed the cameo appearances of David Thewlis as Remus Lupin & Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley. Continuing, I think this is the only film which is mostly Dumbledore-centric and Sir Michael Gambon really gave full potential and watching him die, Dumbledore I mean, was a very sad scene. The music really is tantalizing and brings you closer!

On to the film. To be honest, I didn't like the film when I saw it the first time and I likened it to like eating a breakfast in awfully hurry but watching it the second time, it really is one of the best installment. David Yates did a fantastic job and I think that, after Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuaron, he was the best man for the job. Visually and cinematography, the film is stunning and quite beautiful however there is not too much focus on details and little things and that was a downfall. In conclusion, the film had a mature and more friendly atmosphere but lacked in the little details. If you're a major Potter fan, then this is not to miss but don't get your expectations high!

8.2/10

The most hated movie by most fans of HP, because it was unfaithful through the book. However this is by far the greatest success of Half-Blood Prince. Although it has cut some important memories and said little about the Horcruxes, the greater freedom in adapting that Kloves had ended up making this the best film in the saga (until he came Deathly Hallows, of course). Yates has also improved a LOT, and achieves good moments of humor and manages to emote in some scenes. The performances are very good this young. Radcliffe shows good comic timing, and Grint. And Emma Watson makes a beautiful performance here. The adult cast, as always, is wonderful. Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent are simply fantastic. Great visual effects (the second best of the series), a beautiful photograph and a wonderful soundtrack make this one of the best technically as well.

Personally, I have never been a huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise but my wife and kids really loved them so we ended up watching the last 4 installments in the movie theater at the time. In my opinion, this 6th installment might have been the most disappointing Harry Potter flick. I mean, like the previous installments, it was really well done and spectacular with some awesome action scenes but the story was rather underwhelming. Thanks to Alfonso Cuaron, they really improved the concept and the 4th installment was the best one, in my opinion, but after that, they never tried to push it even further. In my opinion, the biggest mistake was to bring back David Yates as a director. It's not that he did a really bad job with the previous installment, it's just that it would have been more interesting to have someone else trying to add something new  to this formula.  I mean, I have to admit it, it was not bad at all and it has always been neat to see the evolution of these characters but I can't say that the whole thing was spellbinding whatsoever and the end was just a really cold shower. Honestly, you spend more than 2 hours to get this conclusion?!? Also, what hell happened to Cho?!? I mean, Harry Potter's first crush was never really convincing but they did spend 2 entire movies developing this crush but, for this movie, she was completely dropped out for an even more underwhelming love story. Still, even though I don’t think it was anything mind-blowing whatsoever, it remains an entertaining blockbuster and it is worth a look, especially if you have followed the previous adventures involving Harry Potter and his buddies.

During the final moments of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince one of the characters says the following: "It was a waste of time. All of it." While it'd be a little bit harsh to say that those words sum up my sentiment toward the film, there are certain ways in which that's not far from the truth. Why? Because the most recent entry to the Harry Potter film franchise is nothing but a bridge. It exists solely for the purpose of connecting what has happened prior to this film to the story's final chapter. That would normally not be such a bad thing, except that, in this case, the bridge takes 2 and a half hours to cross, and the crossing of said bridge feels more like a meandering, aimless voyage than like a fully enjoyable cinematic experience. I'm trying to avoid hyperbole, but a big part of me wants to simply yell: "NOTHING happens in this movie!"

For the most part, the film is simply a compilation of scenes that aim to be funny while focusing largely on awkward romantic/flirtatious interactions between several of the characters. I'm not joking. That is exactly what most of the scenes are like, and to give the impression that the main story is actually moving along, we get occasional scenes in which we obtain explanations that are only going to matter once we get to the next movie, but NEVER is it unclear that not much is actually happening. During the first 45 minutes or so, I was totally thrilled because I thought that all this lightness that came with the somewhat awkward romantic humor would simply serve as a refreshing preface to the more intense moments that were to come... but they never came. It's because of that reason that, once the movie was clearly about to enter the climax, I was getting hopeful, because the pundits have praised the climax as being the film's strongest asset. Unfortunately, while I agree that it brings some much needed intensity to the uneventfulness that preceded it, it's too little too late, and it's certainly not enough either. It never feels like the stakes are high, since well, at times, it doesn't even feel like there are any stakes involved whatsoever.

The film that preceded this one (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) was very, very good. It was similar to this one in its somewhat subdued nature and in not focusing as much on action-based sequences, BUT it still felt like something was actually happening, and the film stood on its own. And, of course, Imelda Staunton's villainous presence was a wonderful asset.

There are many people (especially those who are die-hard HP fans) who will argue that it's not the movie's fault because, well, not much happens in the sixth book (which some feel is the weakest in the now completed series), but my rebuttal is that that's no excuse, because a film HAS to stand on its own, regardless of whether or not it is an intermediate chapter, and regardless of whether or not its source material isn't particularly strong. The fact that so little happens in the 2 and a half hours that comprise Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is just more evidence of the fact that it exists for the mere sake of sucking up as much cash as it can from the devotees who will flock to see it no matter what. That's been proved even more by the decision to split the final book into two films. Here's an idea: if you knew that Half-Blood Prince had such a weak plot, why not include parts of the final book in the Half-Blood Prince movie, so that the film itself doesn't feel like such a blah nexus to the final chapter?

After everything I've said, it may seem odd that I still gave it a 5, but to be honest, once again, the performances are solid, the atmosphere and set design are great, and it's still very much appreciated that the story has moved into darker thematic waters. I'm sure that the fervent fans of the books and films will totally eat the film up, because they'll love any excuse to get to watch their favorite characters interact in a set of cute, amusing situations, which is exactly what we get to see in the film. Unfortunately, those of us who are looking for something more substantial than that are going to be disappointed. This sixth entry to the film franchise is entertaining, but it constitutes a thinly-plotted component of the overall story. Despite having such a long running time, it just doesn't feel like a complete cinematic experience.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince tells the tale of the choosen one Harry Potter sixth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizadry. Harry is personally shown memories of Lord Voldemort so that he can gain a greater understanding of who he is actually facing. Harry grows increasingly close with Ginny and Hermione has conflictions as Ron begins to show interest in other girls. As the film progesses, the characters find themselves fighting for not only themselves but also for the ones they love the most in the world.

This film was surprisingly well made. From the beginning scene of Voldemorts destruction to the final emotional tribute to Albus Dumbledore, you cannot help but feel comfortable with how much these films have changed the face of the film industry. Harry Potter has revolutionized both the literary and film worlds. As we have seen the series progress we have scene a few blips on the map, especially with the last film The Order of the Phoenix. Also along the way we have seen some of our favorite characters transcend to the big screen, like Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore and even the boy wizard himself Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter franchise is internationally known, many people cherish these books, and are faithful to the books. This film was for the most part faithful to its novel companion. Harry Potter finds himself dealing with love and death at the same time. Harry for the first time in his life, finds himself in love, while he sees the world around come to a crumbling halt. Harry finally sees the path that has been laid out before him. What really came to light in this film, was not Harry Potter being heroic like every other film, but Harry Potter realizing that the people around him are going to be hurt and killed along the way. Harry in this film comes to realize that friends and those who care are willing to give themselves for you.

As previously mentioned these actors have become extremely comfortable with who they are playing. Possibly none more than Rubert Grint. He was grown into Ronald Weasley so much. Ron's wise remarks, and his attempts to cover up how loyal and brilliant he really is have become something of pure brilliance in the films. Ron was always that lovable kid in the books, the one who wasnt exceptional in everything he tried, but was a good friend, one who would lay down for Harry and Hermione. Ron has become the best acted character in the series, second only to Sirius Black who is no longer in the films because he was killed in the last one.

Many people have been debating about the importance of the characters in the film. Was the burrow scene really needed? One will always have an opinion on this. Yes it was, Ginny really came into her own in that scene. Harry knew he wasn't alone, despite being the reason the death eaters would have attacked the Burrow, the Weasleys, Ginny especially didn't give up on Harry. Ginny was brave and stood up and would have died beside Harry Potter. One would say the kiss scene lacked, but no it didn't. Harry and Ginny's passion and almost forbidden love was captured to a tee. Harry being the chosen one and Rons best friend didn't want to to overstep the boundries, but he couldn't pass on the feelings of love.

Also another thing that many people are debating was the importance of Severus Snape and how he revealed himself. No the scene where he reveals to be the Half Blood Prince was well acted, well delivered and Alan Rickman was so cold and sincere it sent chills up the spine of everyone who watched. Snape did not reveal any of the major plot elements. Harry believed that he was about to help Dumbledore, and so he let it happen. Snape also knew that Bellatrix and the other death eaters would have destroyed Harry in an instant. Snape was as ruthless and seemed as ruthless as he needed to be.

There were two major surprises in this film that really made it better. The first already having been mentioned is how Bonnie Wright was able to go from secondary part to grown up mature Ginny Weasley. Bonnie was able to look and act all grown up in this film. She was able to look like a mature 16 year old girl, who finds herself in an awkward situation. The second surprise was the performance of Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Simply amazing. His expressions, his continued acts of guilt, his continued aversions to reveal the information he gave Tom Riddle. Broadbent captured the full brilliance of man who always gave to much information.

The thing that was probably the most impressive, was how each and every characer was well developed. All though, I couldn’t help but wish Richard Harris had have been playing Dumbledore, in his final scenes. Harris has the wise look about him. R.I.P Richard Harris, and kudos to Michael Gambon for stepping up and taking on a challenging role, and finishing with style and Grace.

This film was entertaining, the scenes were moving, especially the tribute to Albus Dumbledore, fallen hero and friend of many. The cast came together, each and every character with tears in their eyes, as they looked down at their fallen mentor. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince restored everyone’s faith in the series, and built up everyone’s anticipation for a thrilling two part conclusion that quite possibly could be the best of the series if done right.

The entire time I watched this movie i felt like i was watching my favorite story come to life thru the eye of a simpleton who had given 50% effort. The story of book 6 is the pinacle of Harry Potter. I waited 3 hours for this! There were so many things they changed, or took out completely. They changed several key points to the whole vanishing wardrobe part; and that Ginny/Harry kiss...nothing like the book. Call me a silly romantic but the kiss scene after winning the house cup was one of my favorites. The thing that bothered me the most was the added scene where the Weasley's house is set on fire. There are so many things wrong with that scene. Yes i like the comradery of the scene and Ginny running to help, but there are so many things that were actually in the book they could have put there it just irks me. And what was up with Ginny being all housewife and fixing harry's shoes.
I was spose to come out of this movie on a Harry high, but i spent the next 24 hrs lisiting everything i hated about it. I was VERY disapointed.