Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

[Steve Rhodes]

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ** 1/2

Director David Yates's HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is 
consistently visually stunning -- a real feast for the eyes.  The story --  
not so much.

Always entertaining but rarely more than mildly so, the movie takes over an 
hour of just taxiing around the cinematic runway before it attempts liftoff. 
The result is a movie that is never disappointing but rarely soars.  And the 
ending is jarringly abrupt, serving mainly as a commercial for the next 
movie in the series.

On the good side, this adaptation of another of author J.K. Rowling's novels 
will satisfy the fans while never boring those who have never read any of 
the books.  A warning is due however.  If you haven't read any of the books 
and haven't seen at least some of the movies, HARRY POTTER AND THE 
HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is likely to leave you baffled throughout much of the 
movie, since it makes huge assumptions in how much knowledge you have going 
into the theater.

For the record, I've seen all of the films, with my favorite being HARRY 
POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the previous one in the series, and 
have read none of the books.  While I admire the film series, they generally 
seem to be preaching to the choir, assuming that the audience is filled, as 
it is usually is, with avid readers of the books.  I did notice this time 
that, while my packed audience cheered loudly during the opening credits, as 
if a rock star had just stepped on the stage, the reaction during the ending 
credits was surprisingly muted, with only scattered applause, which is not 
like the reaction at most early screenings for Harry Potter movies.

The cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel is consistently fabulous.  The best 
visual sequences aren't the special effects shots, of which they are many 
extremely impressive ones, but the more simple ones.  Rarely has heavy rain 
felt so dark and ominous and evoked such a strong, overwhelming sense of 
mood.  I could watch this movie again and again -- so long as I concentrated 
only on the spectacular images.

There is nothing wrong with the story itself, but it is rarely compelling 
for non-Potter devotees.  The best part of the plot is the introduction of 
an evil character called Tom Riddle.  Riddle, at age 16, is playing with 
just the right amount of creepy wickedness by Frank Dillane.  I won't tell 
you more about him, lest I give away too much.

The weakest parts of the narrative are the excessively chaste romances.  In 
a movie populated with kids, most of whom appear to be about 
twenty-years-old, why are the filmmakers so scared that showing more than a 
microsecond kiss will scandalize the viewers? After all, the film is pretty 
happy to frighten the little kids in the audience, of which there will be 
many.  One kid close to me screamed out, "Mommy, I don't like it!" during 
the terrifying opening sequence in which a major pedestrian bridge in London 
collapses, causing hundreds of people to perish quite realistically.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is a don't-miss movie for Potter 
fans.  That much is certain.  For others, it is worth seeing if you are 
willing to commit to spending the full two-and-one-half-plus hours.  You 
don't want to start watching it unless you are willing to see it all, since 
the second half is when the story finally starts picking up.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE runs 2:33.  It is rated PG for "scary 
images, some violence, language and mild sensuality" and would be acceptable 
for kids around 9 and up.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. 
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Cinemark 
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.

Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve.Rhodes at InternetReviews.com

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