Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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During Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, he begins having secret meetings with Dumbledore. The two are doing this to discover secrets about Voldemort as preparation for the all-too-close final battle. The first thing that stuck out to me about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is that you really still can feel Voldemort's presence even he though he never appears in the movie. The movie also really builds on Harry and Dumbledore's relationship. I really buy that Dumbledore acts as Harry's mentor, and this is the film where you start seeing the endgame coming into sight. I like how this movie really fleshes out Malfoy as a character. Up to this point in the franchise, he hasn't really acted as much more than a bully. Now, he's just a couple of years from being done with Hogwarts and has a chance at being a death eater, and is given a task that he actually seems conflicted about. It's also effective from a story standpoint because we're given hints about this task, but we're never outright told until the end of the movie. I like this because it makes him a villain with dimension to him. Jim Broadbent appears in another bit of perfect casting as professor Slughorn. As is the case with most of the franchise, the movie's visual effects are legitimately on point. The scene in the cave is probably the best in the movie. It's the first time we really see a vulnerable side to typically stoic Dumbledore, and it's the first time we're given legitimate hints to Dumbledore's backstory beyond being the only wizard Voldemort has ever feared. The battle at the end is kind of nice. I will admit that it did leave me wanting a touch more, but it didn't bother me too much because it's the start of the real stakes that are yet to come. At points, this movie might come across as dull, especially for non-Harry Potter fans. The truth is I don't mind it because I know what's yet to come in Harry Potter's story. One of the things about this movie that does make me think is that I do have to wonder if I can look past some of this movie's flaws just because I have the full context of Harry's story. There are a couple of problems I have with the movie because they are things that I didn't particularly love in the book itself. Namely, the idea of the half-blood prince actually doesn't have much context in terms of the actual plot. Yes, I know who the half-blood price is. However, much of this is used for Harry to cheat in potions class. Personally, I would have gone with something that ties a little more into Voldemort and his secrets. However, to be fair, that is a minor issue for me, a nitpick at best. Overall, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a solid entry into the Harry Potter franchise, even if I don't necessarily think it is the best movie in the series.

8 / 10