'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' web reviews
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 3:02PM | By Franck Tabouring 
Harry and his gang are back in David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the popular series. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman star, and here is what the Web's critics have to say about the movie:
• CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler: "Instead of action it substitutes dramatic tension which builds throughout the course of the movie."
• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "Even though I wasn't bowled over, 'Half-Blood Prince' never felt like it was two-and-a-half hours long and I would have gladly sat through another five hours if parts one and two of 'Deathly Hallows' were ready right now…"
• Joblo's Jenna Bush: "You would think this would all start to get old after a while, but the truth is, it hasn't. And film number six is the best of the lot."
• LatinoReview's Ron Henriques: "Still, at the end of the day, it often feels like nothing more than a group of people waving magical twigs around."
• Brian Orndorf at brianorndorf.com: "While other films would be strung up and set on fire for such an offense, this franchise has earned the right to step back and build a healthy pocket of steam, galloping toward a showdown with Voldemort that’s now fully primed to explode."
• Cole Abaius at FilmSchoolRejects: "Hopefully, they will be able to strike a little cleaner balance with the last films, but over all I left the screening of 'Half-Blood Princ' with a sense of urgency."
And now, let's see what some other critics have to say:
• Chicago Tribune: "The latest, meticulously atmospheric and wonderfully acted Potter adventure lands happily---broodingly, but happily---near the top of the series heap, just behind Alfonso Cuaron's 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.'"
• Guardian: "Although a touch ungainly, his film is solidly constructed, with lots of fine effects."
• Telegraph: "But for fans both of the films and the books, this is an elegant addition to the canon — even if it is only there to set the scene for the final conflict in the next two movies."
• Variety: "Dazzlingly well made and perhaps deliberately less fanciful than the previous entries, this one is played in a mode closer to palpable life-or-death drama than any of the others and is quite effective as such."
Reader Comments (7)
I was very disappointed with the way some of the movie played out. I feel like they left out a little too much. Like that Harry ends up owning the Black's House. And the fight between Dobby & Kreature! I can not believe that they would leave this part out. That actually sets up the stage for the next movie when Harry has to find the real necklace that Kreature got from his previous master. And how Kreature feels about Harry being his new master & it brings Dobby back in the picture as a loyal follower of Harry Potter & a free house elf because of Potter which leads to Dobby talking the other house elves into fighting on Harry's side in the final battle!
David Yates (director) did a superb job just magnificent to watch, may be Alfonso Cuarón would have made them ROCK. I am a great fan of Harry Potter series. My favorite still remains HP3: Prisoner of Azkaban. But Half Blood was simply outstanding on levels. I'll be seeing it again Saturday on IMAX which will be even better as it's one of the original IMAX screens that loom up and over the audience as opposed to newer screens that are just big.
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What a disppointment !!! how can Jk Rowling allow David Yates to portray her book in such a unemotional way. Harry adored Dumbledore, how can he play out Harry watching Snape kill him !!! I mean in the Book he is fighting with every breath to be released from the bounding spell that Dumbledore has put upon him, so much passion.. in the film its like oh snape has just killed Dumbledore !
The best part of the book when Harry gives the DA (Dumbkedore's Army) the Liquid Luck so that they can defend the Castle as Harry knows someting is about to happen is great ! When he returns with Dumbledore from hunting the Horcrux the fight is on, its exciting its brilliant its action !!! where was the action in the film ? none ! i could go on... JK Rowling Please i hope the next two films do your work justice... The Half Blood Price film has let you and the fans down..
I can't believe that they ruined this. I thought the movie was rushed, the end of the book was so great with the fighting and action and the thing that pissed me off was they don't even show Dumbledores funeral. I think that was a major mistake and I want to thank you David Yates for not only ruining OoTP, but also my favorite book of the series HBP. Thanks and you suck as a director and I'm starting to wonder if Rowling is just a sell out because if this was my series, I'd fired him after he messed up OoTP. I can't belive she is letting this embarassment of a director ruin the films and I now have no good expectations at all for Deathly Hallows. Thanks.
I am absolutely appalled by what David Yates did to Half-Blood Prince as well as Order of the Phoenix. How does he get away with changing important plot points? First he takes out important information like the fact Harry inherits 12 Grimwald Place as well as Kreacher. Then he completely removes the battle at Hogwarts between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. Death Eaters are revealed at that point as well as killed, it is the end of the climax of this portion of the story, and he completely wrote it out. What about Bill Weasley? He gets attacked by Fenir Greyback the werewolf at that battle, but of course we don't see that because according to the latest David Yates movie, which does not deserve to be crowned "Based on the book by J.K. Rowling," that battle never happened. He also wrote out Dumbledore’s funeral, the burying of the Elder Wand with Dumbledore, and Harry breaking up with Ginny Weasley. If Yates hadn't angered true fans enough, he also added events that never occurred. For instance, the burning of The Burrow and the Harry-Bellatrix chase. What is that? That never happened, and anyone that knows the most minute details about Harry Potter could tell you that event is impossible. Not to mention the fact that the apparate from the Hogwarts grounds. I do not care what line he puts in to cover is rear-end, not even Dumbledore can apparate inside of Hogwarts, that is why Harry and Dumbledore go through Hogsmeade, and fly back to the castle on brooms. It is then that the imperioused Madame Rosemarta, who is the one that cursed Katie Bell btw, alerts the death eaters at the castle of Dumbledores return. Also, when Harry attacks Malfoy he hides the Potions book instantly when Snape orders him to retrieve it. No one is with him, and Harry knows exactly where he puts it, (not Ginny Weasley hiding it so "he won't be temped") marking it with the wizards bust, a wig, and a tiara, which we all know comes into very important play at the end of Deathly Hallows.
I had my suspicions after seeing Phoenix, however I am now convinced. There is no way that David Yates has ever touched the Harry Potter series. Anyone that actually read and comprehended the magnificent tale that JK Rowling has created, could in no way attempt to pass this monstrosity off as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
david yates is a terrible director and has ruined two soon to be three of the harry potter films. I wish there was some kind of alternate director movie that real fans could see. David yates left out some of the most important parts in the book and made the movie so boring until the last 15 minutes of it and even then it was not very exciting.
ruined a good book