Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)
It’s a wonderful experience to grow up alongside the child actors of the films, and even though I know I still would have enjoyed them had I been born earlier or later, I’m always glad I was the perfect age to watch each movie when it came out in the theaters. It was always a Thanksgiving tradition in my family, preceded by a month or two of my dad reading the corresponding book aloud to us, no matter how old we grew. So, even though this volume is quite violent, and there are a couple of scenes during which I have to look away, there’s still a lot to love about the very dark sixth film.
It’s almost impossible to praise Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because of the ending, but if you turned it off five minutes early, or were forced to write a review without giving away spoilers, you’d find there’s quite a bit of quality to the sixth installment of the beloved series.
Tom Felton is the star of this movie. Yes, Daniel Radcliffe is still the title character, but as far as acting demands and emotional character growth, Tom truly shines. We’ve seen him grow up rather spoiled and immature, and at the start of this movie, he’s tasked with something dangerous and upsetting. Throughout the rest of the movie, he’s enormously conflicted about whether or not to go through with it. J.K. Rowling never really wrote about peer pressure in the earlier books, so if that’s a pet issue of yours, this volume might be your favorite. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes as we see a character we were trained to dislike break down in tears and admit he’s frightened. Younger kids probably won’t understand what’s going on, but I hope they were put to bed early and told to wait a few years before joining you for movie night.
In addition to Tom Felton’s solid and unexpected performance, audiences are treated with Jim Broadbent as the “guest teacher” of the year. His character is layered and interesting, and he treats his scenes with care. Michael Gambon is also put to good use and given some meaty, upsetting scenes to deliver. They’re very tough to watch, and I can only imagine how much more upsetting they would have been if the frail Richard Harris had made it this far into the franchise. Trust me, you’re going to need to put the kids to bed early; no one wants to see Dumbledore screaming and crying.
It’s almost impossible to praise Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because of the ending, but if you turned it off five minutes early, or were forced to write a review without giving away spoilers, you’d find there’s quite a bit of quality to the sixth installment of the beloved series.
Tom Felton is the star of this movie. Yes, Daniel Radcliffe is still the title character, but as far as acting demands and emotional character growth, Tom truly shines. We’ve seen him grow up rather spoiled and immature, and at the start of this movie, he’s tasked with something dangerous and upsetting. Throughout the rest of the movie, he’s enormously conflicted about whether or not to go through with it. J.K. Rowling never really wrote about peer pressure in the earlier books, so if that’s a pet issue of yours, this volume might be your favorite. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes as we see a character we were trained to dislike break down in tears and admit he’s frightened. Younger kids probably won’t understand what’s going on, but I hope they were put to bed early and told to wait a few years before joining you for movie night.
In addition to Tom Felton’s solid and unexpected performance, audiences are treated with Jim Broadbent as the “guest teacher” of the year. His character is layered and interesting, and he treats his scenes with care. Michael Gambon is also put to good use and given some meaty, upsetting scenes to deliver. They’re very tough to watch, and I can only imagine how much more upsetting they would have been if the frail Richard Harris had made it this far into the franchise. Trust me, you’re going to need to put the kids to bed early; no one wants to see Dumbledore screaming and crying.
Helena Bonham Carter returns and has a pretty prominent part in this movie, and while she does play her role as wild and as crazy as was written in the book, she adds a layer of seduction that feels out of place and uncomfortable both for young audience members and the young actors. There’s no reason for her to press herself against Tom Felton’s back and whisper her lines with a gaping mouth, unless she thought the teenage boys in the audience would get a thrill out of it. I recently watched these movies with my young nieces, and the older one grimaced as she asked, “Why is she flirting with Malfoy?” The younger one just rolled her eyes and answered, “She’s weird.” The older one might have been feeling a little protective, as she was at the age when she started noticing which of the cast members she found attractive; throughout the movie she found several compliments for Tom Felton, which was very cute.
With beautiful scenery and stunning special effects, it’s easy to get completely wrapped up in this movie and forget that it started out as a children’s franchise. There’s violence and drama galore, as well as romantic heartbreak and interesting flashbacks that show how the villain came to be a villain. Unlike the previous movie, there’s hardly any comic relief, but those few scenes are very precious. Daniel Radcliffe gets to show off his comic timing after taking a good luck potion, Rupert Grint accidentally eats a love potion disguised in a box of chocolates, and Emma Watson tries to dodge her date by eating odorous food. This is a very good movie, but it’s just tough to watch over and over again.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, this one’s pretty violent and upsetting for kids, so I’d wait until my kids were pre-teens or older before letting them watch it.
More Daniel Radcliffe movies here!
More Alan Rickman movies here!
More Maggie Smith movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of J.K. Rowling's original novel here!
With beautiful scenery and stunning special effects, it’s easy to get completely wrapped up in this movie and forget that it started out as a children’s franchise. There’s violence and drama galore, as well as romantic heartbreak and interesting flashbacks that show how the villain came to be a villain. Unlike the previous movie, there’s hardly any comic relief, but those few scenes are very precious. Daniel Radcliffe gets to show off his comic timing after taking a good luck potion, Rupert Grint accidentally eats a love potion disguised in a box of chocolates, and Emma Watson tries to dodge her date by eating odorous food. This is a very good movie, but it’s just tough to watch over and over again.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, this one’s pretty violent and upsetting for kids, so I’d wait until my kids were pre-teens or older before letting them watch it.
More Daniel Radcliffe movies here!
More Alan Rickman movies here!
More Maggie Smith movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of J.K. Rowling's original novel here!