Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Directed by David Yates
Warner Bros. 07/09 Feature Film
PG

In the sixth film version of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter saga, love is in the air at Hogwarts, the Dark Forces are on the move, and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) — now designated as "the Chosen One" — receives his marching orders from the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts School, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

In the opening scenes of the film, we become aware that Lord Voldemort is back as his followers, the Death Eaters, fly around London and even cause the city's Millennium Bridge to collapse. They are not only bringing trouble and chaos to the Muggle world, they have infiltrated Hogwarts. Harry's longtime rival, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), has been enlisted to do some dirty work for Voldemort, and the boy's mother shows up to convince Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) to not only protect her son but back him up if necessary. Snape agrees to take a "vow that cannot be broken" about these evil plans.

Meanwhile, Hermoine (Emma Watson) continues to excel in her classes but still has not come to terms with her romantic attraction to Ron (Rupert Grint) who is being aggressively pursued by Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave). Their romance amuses Harry who is dealing with his own feelings for Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright). Hermoine, on the other hand, finds Ron's behavior with Lavender to be infuriating.

Harry has now moved into a special relationship with Dumbledore, who wants him to help him learn more about the Voldemort's student days at Hogwarts, when he was known as Tom Riddle (Hero Fiennes Tiffen). Key to unlocking some of the mystery is Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), a former professor proud of his famous students who has been coaxed back by the lure of teaching Harry; he's now the potions instructor. It seems that he had some secret meetings with Tom Riddle, and Dumbledore is convinced if they can get the right memory out of him, it will help them in the battles ahead.

David Yates, who directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is at the helm of this film which serves as a set-up for the next two films based on the last Rowling novel. As such, this story is not as self-contained as the previous films in this series, but it makes up for that by adding more humor and character development of the three teenagers. The drama is spiced up with the effects of a love potion on Ron, a plot involving poison, the high-flying action of the Quidditch scenes, and Harry's perilous journey with Dumbledore to an isolated cave set deep within a windswept cliff.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat