Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

David Yates

Writers (WGA):

Steve Kloves (screenplay)
J.K. Rowling (novel)

Release Date:

15 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry

Plot:

As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Harry Potter | Dark | Blood | Barefoot

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe	...	Harry Potter
Rupert Grint	...	Ron Weasley
Emma Watson	...	Hermione Granger
Jim Broadbent	...	Professor Horace Slughorn
Elarica Gallacher	...	Waitress
Robbie Coltrane	...	Rubeus Hagrid
Michael Gambon	...	Professor Albus Dumbledore
Maggie Smith	...	Professor Minerva McGonagall
Alan Rickman	...	Professor Severus Snape
Bonnie Wright	...	Ginny Weasley
James Phelps	...	Fred Weasley
Oliver Phelps	...	George Weasley
Julie Walters	...	Molly Weasley
Mark Williams	...	Arthur Weasley
David Thewlis	...	Remus Lupin

Also Known As:

HP and the HBP (International: English title) (informal short title)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Hong Kong: English title)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
The Half-Blood Prince (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.

Runtime:

153 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45077) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-11 | Norway:11 | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:M | South Korea:All | Singapore:PG | Brazil:12 | Iceland:10 | Canada:G (Quebec) | New Zealand:M | Japan:G | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:11 | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Taiwan:GP | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Bjorli, Norway

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

At the beginning of the film, the Death Eaters destroy the Millennium Bridge in London. The bridge is not specifically named in the book. The book is set in 1995 - 1996, according to the Canon time line. The Millennium Bridge was not constructed until 1998, and opened on 10 June 2000.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Slughorn asks Hermione what her parents' professions are, she responds dentists and he asks if that is a dangerous profession, implying he does not know what that is. However, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), the clock that locates the Weasleys lists "dentist" as a possible location, implying that wizards visit the dentist.

Quotes:

Remus Lupin: [from trailer] Voldemort has chosen Draco Malfoy for a mission.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Late Show with David Letterman: (#16.170)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Hedwig's Theme

Key points missing!

If you love the series like I do you will know that in every movie they have to cut parts of the book out. Most of the time they manage it without compromising the integrity of the film. This time they fall very short of the mark. For those that have not read the book this movie will impress. The effects are top notch and it is a very engrossing film. I understand the need to cut the movie in order to fit it into a realistic time frame. In doing so, it seems as if they cut key parts in order to allow for more comedy. They also cut out a large action scene at the end of the movie. This scene could have been added if not for the adding of a scene in the middle that was not part of the original book. Furthermore, the scene makes no sense because during which they destroy something that is key to the book in the seventh volume. Not only do they cut scenes, but they change others to suit what purpose you might ask? The unfortunate answer is I don't know. Another minor point that I noticed during the movie is, although there is not as much violence as previous movies the overall film includes adult content that in my opinion warrants the pg-13 rating.

Do not misunderstand me. I recommend seeing the movie as it is enjoyable, but trying to change a masterpiece like J.K. Rowling's book is a mistake and I think this movie suffered from it. If I didn't have the book to reference I would've rated this movie an 8, but the simple fact is I do and it unfortunately falls short.