Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince clearly stands above the rest of the Potter films. Everything from the character representations to the creative camera shots make Half-Blood Prince a smash hit.
For the first time director David Yates along with screenwriter Steve Kloves have captured the character of Harry Potter perfectly. Every aspect of Harry from the sarcastic comedy to the emotional time-bomb to the loyal friend was captured by the film. As opposed to previous films Harry seems like a decent guy instead of being stuck up and arrogant.
The movie was also helped along by Michael Gambon's best portrayal of Dumbledore to date. However the star of the show is undoubtedly Tom Felton. Felton had a very simple role playing Malfoy in the first five films, but in the Half-Blood Prince he brings complex emotion to the character. Especially in the final few scenes of the film, the Malfoy portrayed is incredibly believable.
The sets and camera shots were also very well done. New sets such as the cave, Borgin and Burkes, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes brought some refreshing changes to the series. The cave was especially well done, with the dark, creepy feel portrayed in the book coming off very well. The film used much more handheld shots than previous films, which were used to great effect. The film seemed much more natural, and it felt more like a glimpse into the wizarding world, than a "muggle movie".
The one main negative about the film is some very poor Harry - Ginny scenes. Bonnie Wright (Ginny) is a god-awful actor, there is no other way to put it. Unfortunately she wasn't given any brilliant material to work with either which led to some disastrous flirting scenes between her and Harry. Other than that the romance, though possibly excessive, was for the most part funny and true to the books.
Half-Blood Prince is by far the darkest of any Harry Potter film to date, and these dark scenes are undoubtedly the highlight of the film. The attack on the Burrow, the cave scene, the Sectumsempra and the final sequence at Hogwarts are all very well acted and emotionally fueled. These key scenes are not shoved into the viewers face like in previous Potter films, but they are subtly done adding an element of intensity.
Finally and possibly most importantly the film flowed like a film and unlike the fourth and fifth movies in the Harry Potter series it was not a highlight package. Half-Blood Prince is by far the slowest of the movies which gives the action and dark sequences a more meaningful impact. This slow pace didn't make the movie boring at any point, but gave it a certain balance that had been lacking in the past.
Overall Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a booming success that sets up perfectly for the franchise's two part finale "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
NEED TO SEE IT NOW
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