ALARIS' REVIEWS

23rd July 2009
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)

To say it up front, if you haven't watched the previous five Harry Potter films, you'll be completely lost as far as the plot goes. If you've watched the films, but haven't read the books, you'll be left puzzling over some pretty big gaps in the story. If you've watched the films, and read the books, you'll be wondering 'where the hell is the Half Blood Prince?'.

Which is probably why some people are just calling it Harry Potter 6 .

Don't get me wrong, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is still a solid piece of fantasy entertainment - if you're not expecting it to stand alone. Unlike some of the earlier films, such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), the sixth film in the series is very much a piece in the middle. The boy wizard, Harry Potter, is rapidly losing safe havens as the dark lord Voldemort continues to grow in might. Harry and his loyal friends must uncover a secret buried in the past, to reveal the power behind Voldemort's resurrection.

Like the previous film (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007), also directed by David Yates, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is visually impressive, with plenty of seamlessly rendered castles, spells, curses, and mysterious artefacts. All the main cast give their usual competent performances, easily delivering the characters we've become familiar with.

The first three quarters of the film trots along pleasantly, exploring amusing interpersonal territory with good humour and welcome camaraderie. However, the story changes gears pretty abruptly, plunging into the darker territory which comes with the later Harry Potter novels. It feels almost as though the producers realised partway through that they'd spent 3/4 of the film on 1/4 of the story, and had to cram in the rest before the credits rolled.

My biggest gripe would be the notable absence of information about, say, the Half Blood Prince, but I'm hoping they plan to include that material in the next film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010).

I still found Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince very enjoyable, and I'm glad to see such an impressive series of fantasy films continuing to deliver on story, characters, imagination, and message.

Verdict: A solid new Harry Potter installment for fans, and an enjoyable - if completely incoherent - fantasy film for everyone else.

If you liked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), you might like this.

Special Mention: Where the Wild Things Are

When I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, one of the trailers which screened was for Where the Wild Things Are (2009). I have to say the original picture book by Maurice Sendak wasn't one of my childhood favourites, unlike The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, or Animalia by Graeme Base.

I was very dubious when I heard about the proposed film, since I had no idea how they'd turn such a short picture book into a feature film, and I always felt that the main character was a bit of a brat.

And then I saw the trailer.

If I could rate trailers, it'd get a 4.5 out of 5. Wondrous, poignant, joyous, and powerfully thematic. Even if the movie sucks, we'll always have the trailer.