Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Rating:

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Directed by: David Yates

The Skinny: Increasingly not-so-young Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts to find that something sinister is being planned by some mysterious people. Could it be Voldemort for the sixth consecutive time? Tune in to find out!

The Good: We kid, but the Harry Potter movies have kind of hit their own unique stride and, even though as the stories get more complicated the movies tend to assume more and more foreknowledge on the part of the audience, they are mostly enjoyable. Half-Blood Prince sees the franchise mature in every way—the three leads (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint) are so comfortable in their characters' skins that they have a relaxed naturalness that really sells the movie's occasional bursts of humor (and there are quite a few, despite the dark marketing campaign, and they are surprisingly spot-on). The visual effects have also gotten a lot better (remember the shitty Mer-men from Goblet of Fire?), and the hormone-charged halls of Hogwarts are funny and uncomfortable in equal measure. Overall, the story seems to be heading towards its inevitable end with its dignity intact.

The Bad: Again, if you haven't read the books don't expect to understand anyone's motivation in Half-Blood Prince. People do things because the story needs them to, and hardly anything is explained. This really hurts the final reel "shocker" (we won't spoil it, just suffice it to say that Dumbeldore is killed by Snape) because the emotional weight of what's happening stayed on the page and didn't make it to the screen. But what is onscreen is mostly engaging.

Quick Fixes: We know this is just the way the Potter universe works, but having a spell that is tailored made to fix everything at all times sucks all the danger and tension away. "What? You've being attacked by an Albino spider with Asberger's? Just use the Antus Spiderus Asbergerus spell, silly!"

Arbitrary Critic Rating: We give this 3 Jeffrey Lyons and half a Ben Lyons.