Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Review
Teen Stars Daniel Radcliffe And Emma Watson Pursue Young Love In HP6
Jul 15, 2009
The first half of the latest, and delayed, HP franchise installment is abound with exciting action and bursting special effects, especially heightened if viewing the 3-D version. However, the latter half of the epic adventure seems to wind down into a slower, somber pace, much like the comedown after an exhilarating amusement park ride. Nevertheless, especially for loyal Potterites,The Half-Blood Prince is worth the ride.
The Magic Of Team Potter Returns At Last
The sexual tension, vibrating in the halls of Hogwarts, signals the end of childhood for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). Our favorite young wizards-in-training find that new responsibilities await them in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.
Now that Voldemort has returned from the dead, his army of Death-Eaters are purging Muggle-borns, from both in the world of Muggles and Wizards. The evil lord has recruited Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) for a sinister plot somehow involving Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) and an erratic vanishing cabinet.
Such dark times call Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) into defensive action. He enlists Harry to get close to his new professor of potions, Horace Slughorn (played by veteran actor Jim Broadbent). The Chose One’s mission is to recover a liquid memory Slughorn intentionally subverted.
The erased vision was of a conversation between Professor Slughorn and his young pupil and teacher’s pet, Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort). Dumbledore believes that the sabotaged memory contains vital information he needs to stop Voldemort’s reign of terror.
Harry and Ron become the newest students in Slughorn’s advanced potions class. Quickly, Harry excels in potion-making. He has an advantage, thanks to his textbook’s hand-written notations, left by it’s previous owner, the mysteriously inscribed Half-Blood Prince.
Now endeared to Slughorn, Harry retrieves the rest of the missing memory. The recalled vision reveals how Voldemort was able to resurrect himself with a rare spell, called Horcrux. A Horcrux is an object that hides the soul of someone who has passed, until a time that the deceased person can return to life.
Meanwhile, raging pubescent hormones and potent tonics conjure up budding romances and hilarious love triangles between Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione.
Nevertheless, Harry manages to stay focused to both aid his venerable headmaster in locating the dark lord’s concealed Horcrux, and keep tabs on Draco’s secretive activities. A resulting tragedy will cause the three heroic friends not to return to Hogwarts for the following school year.
The Final Adventure: HP7
The seventh and final book from the Harry Porter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has been divided to be filmed in two segments, under the continuing helm of director David Yates. The Deathly Hallows Part I and Part II are scheduled to be released, consecutively, in 2010 and 2011. This extension may be due to honor the length of the original source material.
Or, perhaps, it’s to strategically combat against any waning interest in the long-lasting, but fading, lucrative franchise bonanza. Such action would be prudent as teenagers, HP7’s intended target audience, are now so very captivated by the rivaling, and sexier Twilight series phenomenon.
The Talented Cast And Crew of HP6
The exceptional standout amongst the trio of teen leads, in The Half-Blood Prince, is Rupert Grint. His comedic talents are well-showcased when his character, Ron Weasley, becomes the object of a young girl’s affections. Only, later, to befall punch-drink love, himself, after inadvertently consuming a love potion intended for another.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane,Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Bonnie Wright, and in introducing, in the role of the young Voldemort, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, (the nephew of actor Ralph Fiennes).
Directed by David Yates ((“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”). Screenplay written by Steve Kloves, and based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Produced by David Heyman and David Barron. Executive Producer is Lionel Wigram. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures.
(Running Time: 153 min)
(Rated: PG, for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality)
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