Reviewed by Justin Bateman
Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman,
Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Tom Felton, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter | Written by Steve Kloves
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £28.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 153 minutes | Directed by David Yates
Harry (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) are back at Hogwarts and there’s a new potions teacher, Horace Slughorn (Broadbent). Harry finds a book on the subject which belonged to a mysterious figure calling himself the Half-Blood Prince, and Draco Malfoy (Felton) is up to no good, although Harry doesn’t know exactly what. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters are causing havoc in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds and Professor Dumbledore (Gambon) is trying to obtain some vital information from Slughorn to help in the ongoing battle against the evil Lord Voldemort.
Another year, another Potter film and two years on from the previous instalment it’s more of the same from director David Yates. It’s a slightly strange film to review in the sense that everyone with any interest in going to see it will know the story so it’s more about how it’s told, what it looks like and what survives the cut from novel to screenplay. At first glance, it seems that everything has survived because at more than two and a half hours long this is a monster of a film. Extreme length isn’t always a bad thing but here it does feel a bit ponderous and at least one sub-plot could have been shelved without any damage to the plot.
The Half-Blood Prince is darker than any of the previous films, both figuratively and literally and Yates has captured the sense of foreboding well with some eye-catching use of shadows and swirling special effects heightening the mood. It’s also the funniest of the Potter films, with Ron’s love life and Harry and Hermione’s reaction to it proving consistently amusing, both in the dialogue and the way it’s delivered. Watson, Grint and Radcliffe are far more accomplished actors nowadays, a far cry from their hesitant, hammy early years. Alan Rickman turns in his usual excellent snarling, sneering performance as Snape and as usual doesn’t get as much screen time as his talents deserve. But the real plaudits must go to Jim Broadbent who steals every scene he’s in with a masterclass of facial expressions and comic timing.
In the end though, the lack of truly scary or thrilling set pieces and somewhat pedestrian pace means that this is nothing more than a solid addition to the Harry Potter canon. It’s well acted, well written and well produced and while there’s plenty to satisfy the fans, there’s not enough for it to be considered anything like a classic.
EXTRAS **** As many of the studios are doing now, the Blu-ray release comes with a bonus copy of the film on DVD, as well as a digital copy for your computer or mobile device. On disc one, there is a Blu-ray copy of the film, which can also be watched in Maximum Movie Mode – an "interactive viewing experience" where the director and cast members will occasionally pop up, PIP style, to explain the scene, or their character, a little more, along with picture galleries, a look at special effects etc. The second disc, again on Blu-ray, has a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes, many of them presented by members of the cast: Behind the Story, Editing with Daniel Radcliffe, Special Effects with Matthew Lewis, Oliver Phelps and Tom Felton, Owl Training with Jessie Cave, Stunt Training with Rupert Grint, Costume Designs with Evanna Lynch, Art with Bonnie Wright, Behind The Camera with James Phelps, Make-Up with Emma Watson, JK Rowling: A Year In The Life, and What’s On You Mind: Hosted by Tom Felton. Plus there's a featurette called One Minute Drilles, in which members of the cast have just one minute to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits. There's also eight deleted and extended scenes. The third disc is the DVD and digital copy. Overall, what really stands out in the extras is just how involved the young cast has been in putting it all together – it's great to see their devotion to the series.