Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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.

5/10