Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
July 25th, 2009 | Categories: Reviews | 6 CommentsTagline: Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Summary: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) begins his sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his dark past, as well as deal with the trials and tribulations of blossoming romances among his classmates
5 Words/Phrases: Reasonably good adaption of book to movie; a few scenes were not wholly necessary; great special effects; the “trio” all have matured and improved their acting; the pace of the movie was quick but didn’t feel rushed
Most Impressed By: The set of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes; the amount of comedy throughout the movie; the depth of character Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) had; Evanna Lynch’s perfect performance as Luna Lovegood; the mesmerizing lunacy of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter); the return of Quidditch; the believable love triangles/entanglements; Emma Watson’s improved acting as Hermione Granger1
Least Impressed By: Michael Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore; the lack of Merope Gaunt (I would have liked to have seen her, even if only for a few minutes); the character of Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) and her simpering idiocy; the lack of screentime Ron was given; the lack of the more important memories in Dumbledore’s Pensieve
Overall Rating: 9/10
- Emma had so much less hyperactive eyebrow jumping this movie, which was a relief. [↩]
Tags: movies
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Hi, I'm Manda. I'm a college student studying communications and languages. I like to read, shop, bake, and travel. I have a tendency to listen to my favorite songs on repeat for hours on end. Sometimes I catch myself thinking in a language other than English. 
I kind of liked this movie, but if they had added more flashbacks about Voldemort instead of unnecessary scenes, I would have liked it much, much more!
I think you’ve pretty much covered the main points I would have made. :) Though I actually don’t mind Gambon’s Dumbledore any more. I’ve gotten used to him, and it works for me now.
I still haven’t seen the movie…from the sounds of things, this is one of the better adaptions of the series, so I should really get around to watching it.
I totally agree on Merope Gaunt!!!! So pivotal to the over all meaning of HP, love!
I actually like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, not perfect but as good as you can get after the late Richard Harris.
Lavender was also as good as you could get for a character that really should have been developed a bit more earlier on.
I would have liked to have seen more about the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore. But alas, there is only so much you can fit in.
Amen to EW acting improvement!
Ginny was bloody annoying, the romance seemed just as out of place in the film as it did the books.
Awesome review. I really do agree with you. :)
I agree 100% with both you and Alice. I was also very upset with how they drastically changed the ending. If I separate the movie and book, the movie was great, but, when I don’t, I get very irritated at that. :(