Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

OK, I admit it, I left work early to stand in line for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for an hour and a half.  And let me tell you, I wasn’t the only one doing so!  Us “Potter” fans were impressed, once again by director, David Yates‘, film (He also directed Order of the Phoenix). Kudos to J.K Rowling, whose brilliant (female) mind crafted these amazing tales of Harry Potter and his magical self in her books.  This film had its dark side, but I felt that it also gave a pinch of comedy and romance to spice Harry’s life up a bit.

Whether you are a Harry fan or not, it is easy to follow this movie (even though it is the 6th book in the series). Voldemort is creating havoc for not only the wizarding world, but also the Muggle (non-magical folk, like me and you) world. Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is intent on working with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) to unlock Voldemort’s past and to hopefully figure out what went wrong with this crazy guy, in order to stop him.  Dumbledore wants Harry to figure out his past, so he will eventually be able to beat him.  Meanwhile, students at Hogwarts are concerned about the dangers that lurk about the school grounds, however, this does not seem to stop the love that is floating along the hallways!  Harry finds himself infatuated with his best mate’s sister, Ginny, being played by Bonnie Wright.  Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) adds a bit of comedy to the dark film by “snogging” all over Ron (Rupert Grint) (my secret nerd crush) who has also become a recent Quidditch star.  Though she would never show it, Hermoine (Emma Watson…LOVE her!), burns with jealousy as she  watches Ron and his  shadow (Lavender)  snog all over each other.  Smells like high school all over again!  But it isn’t all fun and games.  Tragedy lies ahead for Hogwarts with an unexpected and heart-wrenching twist in the end.  It seems like the future of the wizarding (and Muggle) world is up to Harry.

The artwork and culture of the magic world that was created in this film was amazing.  I love noticing the difference between wizarding street clothes and wizarding traditional wardrobe.  I believe the wardrobe gives a sense of tradition and a sense of culture, which truly makes the movie (and books) come alive.  Graphics were, of course, flawless and I believed every minute of it.  I love getting lost in Harry Potter movies and actually believing that this is a real world with real wizards with real problems.

From a HP fan who has read all the books and has followed the movies since they came out, I was satisfied with The Half Blood Prince.  I believe there were important scenes from the book, that were key aspects to the story and helped lead the story into the 7th and final book, that were not present in this movie.  I will say that the movie flowed and moved along.  I did not find myself checking my cell to see exactly how many hours I had been sitting there, nor did I find myself shifting in my seat to keep my butt from falling asleep.  I laughed, I jumped, I blushed, I teared up, and I anticipated each scene to the next.  I give this movie five stars, maybe because I am biased and I love this story, but none the less, it was a great film.