Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Review

By: Aidan Sturdivan

The movie starts out by showing the death eaters flying around town. They are looking for something or someone. They fly into a store shattering the glass, knocking over the surrounding pedestrians. Dumbledore and Harry then take a portal to an old man’s house. Dumbledore tries to convince the man to return to Hogwarts’s. After a while of going back and forth he finally agrees to return. Harry then takes another portal to the Weekly’s house. He meets with Herminie and Ron and have a good couple of laughs.

The start of this movie is very intriguing. There is many things that the viewer can pick up on and understand. But there is also some foreshadowing that reveals some key points later in the movie. The information that the viewer does not have in the beginning keeps them clued in and wanting to see what happens next. By giving some information and not giving other it keeps the you guessing what the movie will later reveal.

They then board the Hogwarts’s Express to begin their journey to Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy suspiciously lurking around an alley. Then on the train ride there, Harry sneaks into Draco’s cabin and tries to ease drop on him. After Draco realizes that Harry is there Draco uses a spell against him and knocks him unconscious. He then kicks him in the face giving him a bloody nose. Once they get into the school Dumbledore gives his opening speech to all of the students.

This part of the movie is a great introduction to how Hogwarts’s is going to be. It shows what that Draco is going to play a major role in the end of the movie.

Casting

The directors casted this movie almost perfectly. Ron Weesly is spot on from how he is described in the books. His red hair and round face create the warm and welcoming face the is so vividly descried in the book. His whole family is done just as good as Ron. They all have the signature red hair and even the twins look identical.

As for Hermione Granger, she is a girl with long brown hair and a half blood. Which means that one of her parents were non magic and one was magic. She fits the role extremely well. The book says that she is smart, beautiful, and capable. In the movies she is all three and more. The way she is portrayed is just as one would imagine. She came from a small town but that doesn’t stop her from preventing major events.

By far the best cast is Harry Potter. He fits his exact description in the book. He is a young man with short black hair and a scar on his fore head of a lightning bolt. He got the scar from when his parents were under attack from Voldemort. His mom had to sacrifice her life to save his. The only thing left with Harry was the scar. The way he speaks also fits the part. He asks questions with an anticipation and speaks in a way that makes the viewer want to listen to everything he has to say.

The last part that was casted well was Severus Snape. He is the potions/ dark arts teacher. He has long black hair and speaks in a slow intriguing manor. He has very long pauses in between words making the viewer wonder what is coming next. He has a creepy feeling to him. Whenever he has a speaking part in the movie either eerie music starts playing or it drops dead silent. His deep voice and speech patterns create an awkward encounter no matter who he talks to.

Plot

The story line is clear for the most part. If you read the books then the story line is clear as day. But if you have only watched the movies then it can get a little bit confusing. I personally read the books so it makes sense to me. The story line is perfectly clear and entertaining if the books have been read. Every event that happens makes you want to keep watching the movie. Each one of the 8 movies has an ending that keeps wanting you to watch more. Overall the movie is entertaining, captivating, and well written.

Will it Last?

How well does the movie age? The Harry Potter series and this movie in particular has aged very well. They are not related to current events so that means no matter what is going in the real world they will not go outdated. The books are still selling at massive rates and that means that the movies will stay popular until the book stop being read. There is no clear time period stated in the movies. Also there is no extreme examples of technology which shows why the movie has the potential to be relevant for a long time. Whether you lived in the 1900’s or 3000’s there would be no way of telling from the movie.

Rating

My review of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a fresh one. The movie kept my interest throughout the entirety of it. It was casted with patience and care. By doing this the movie stays entertaining and keeps the viewers’ attention. The movie will age well because it has no time period and doesn’t relate to any controversial current events. All of the events in the movie happen with purpose and excellent timing. The ending of the movie concludes the main problem they were trying to solve but still leaves the audience wondering what will happen in the net movie. The viewer is on the edge of their seat during the movie to see what is going to happen next. My final thought about the movie is that I would 100% recommend this movie and the rest of the movies in the series. For my rating I rate the movie 9/10 apples.