At the start of the sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince, the forces of darkness under the command of Lord Voldemort
are running amuck. Emboldened by their victory in battle with Harry and his
allies at the end of the previous film, dark angry wraiths can be seen in the
skies over muggle England, attacking people on London’s Millennium Bridge, which
is destroyed in the onslaught. As if this weren’t bad enough, Diagon Alley, the
Wal-Mart for wizards, has also suffered a vicious attack. This naked aggression
against both the magical and muggle worlds is simply unheard of, and it’s a clear sign of the increased power of the dark lord, as well as the epic battle to come.
If only it would just get here, already. While I enjoyed this latest HP film--which is very well-made overall--after the enthralling magical battle between Harry and Voldemort at the end of The Order Of The Phoenix, this latest installment feels more like a stalling tactic. Just when I thought things were finally going to take off into a battle royal between the two sides, we’re back at the Hogwarts School with everybody trying to act very civil towards each other--even if they’re sworn enemies. The saving grace for me was that Half-Blood Prince features more of Helena Bonham Carter’s delicious scenery-chewing as Voldemort sidekick Bellatrix Lestrange, a wicked woman who really enjoys her evil work.
The film looked and sounded great on Blu-Ray--the almost washed out color of
certain scenes on the DVD reveal some startling depth and details in the Blu-Ray
edition. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel appears to be trying to invoke a sense
of increasing doom through this monochromatic theme, and it works very well. And
while the end of the movie finally sets the stage for the coming conflict,
the Half Blood Prince--which had its release delayed by almost a year--still
feels like filler. It felt like the opening salvo in the end game was actually
fired with the climatic battle in Phoenix, and that the Half Blood Prince merely
an annoying diversion before the final showdown can finally begin.
--SF
Main Review Page | Fantasy Reviews | Harry Potter/Half-Blood Prince on Blu-ray
