I have liked all of the Harry Potter movies to various degrees. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is no exception. It is a worthy entry in the Harry Potter canon and sets up nicely the future battle with Lord Voldemort.
These are dark times for Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). Voldemort practically killed him in the previous film. He is shaken, but determined to win the final battle. His exploits though are bringing him new fans. A waitress at a diner seems especially interested in the young wizard. Before Harry can take it any further, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) whisks him away with an important task.
Their journey takes them to the house of Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). He is a former teacher at Hogwarts. The duo convinces him to come back as the potions instructor. He will play a pivotal role in the entire film as his secrets slowly get revealed.
Meanwhile, the Dark Eaters seem more empowered than ever. They are causing chaos wherever they go including destroying a bridge. Voldemort is mostly on the sidelines for this go around. His presence is felt in the dark clouds. Draco (Tom Felton) is given more responsibility in his role in the grand scheme of things. Draco seems more conflicted than usual in what this all entails.
Director David Yates is settling in nicely as the director of the Potter films. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” carries on the dark atmosphere of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”. Yates though balances out the darkness with some well placed humor. This movie is probably the funniest Potter film to date.
Much of the humor is derived from the romantic entanglements of Harry and his two best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Gint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Harry has growing feelings for Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), Ron’s sister. Unfortunately for Harry, she is already taken. Ron starts dating Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), which makes Hermione extremely jealous. One of the funniest scenes involves a love potion that Ron unfortunately falls under. It is welcome relief with all the evil that is starting to envelope Hogwarts.
Harry and Ron get thrown into the potions class taught by Slughorn. Harry gets a book that is most helpful with spells and potions. This book formerly belonged to the Half-Blood Prince. Harry also is set on a mission by Dumbledore to get close to Slughorn. Slughorn taught at the school when Tom Riddle attended. Riddle of course became Voldemort. Slughort shared information with Tom that changed the course of history. Dumbledore is desperate to get this information.
The supporting characters play a huge role in this adventure. Broadbent is well cast as Slughorn. He is goofy and eccentric. He is also troubled by the past. Broadbent gives great humanity to the role. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape once again brings great depth to Snape. You just don’t know what side he is ever on. Early in the film, he makes an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother. She is concerned by what Valdemort is forcing him to do. We do not realize what this entails until the very end of the film.
Dumbledore is most like Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings” in this chapter. He is more forceful and cunning. This is Gambon’s finest performance in the role. Dumbledore shows early memories to Harry of Riddle before he got to Hogwarts and while he was there. This is where Slughort comes into play. He is suppressing a memory that involved Riddle and they need to know exactly what was said.
Dumbledore and Harry go on a dangerous mission to get an item that might defeat Voldemort. Some of the best special effects are displayed here. They encounter some nasty looking ghost like figures. Dumbledore gets to show off his magical power.
The movie ends on a dour note, but there is hint of optimism in the air. Harry has the resolve now to take on Voldemort. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is an exciting, dark and often amusing film. It will rank as one of the best Harry Potter films.