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“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”
is the 6th outing of the magical young man
who has continued to steal the attention
of boys and girls around the world. Based
on the writings of J.K. Rowling, the series
follows the exploits of Harry Potter who
was orphaned as a baby when the Evil Wizard
Voldemort killed his parents.
Harry survived and was left to be raised
by his Aunt and Uncle, who along with their
son Dudley are absolutely horrible people.
Harry doesn’t even learn of his wizarding
background until the age of 10, whereupon
he is invited to join the esteemed Hogwart’s
School for Wizards. Throughout the books
and the movies, our characters have grown,
right along with the audience.
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What’s not to like about Harry Potter?
The books are ripe with adventure and mystery,
and are written in such a way as to help children
make the transition from ‘kiddie books’
to more adult fare. (And in some parts of the
country, I understand they’ve helped some
adults make the transition, too. Hee Hee.) The
great thing about the movies, unlike many books
made into films, is there is a concerted effort
to stick to the story with as minimal changes
as possible. This has become exceedingly more
difficult as subsequent books have gotten larger
and larger, but the film’s running times
have stayed largely the same. But I have to give
kudos to the producers for doing such a phenomenal
job.
In this 6th installment, Harry (Daniel Raddcliffe)
is now 15 and has lived through several altercations
with the now returned Voldemort (who was long
thought of as being dead… and still is by
most of the wizarding community) as well as several
summers of living with his obnoxious relatives.
He has seen a friend die right in front of his
eyes at the hands of Voldemort and is now working
on the sidelines with the Order of the Phoenix,
who is trying to bring the truth of the Evil Lord’s
return. His best friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert
Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), are
still standing with him, even as they refuse to
face the feelings they have for each other. Even
Harry must deal with feelings for another character
than many fans have wished would develop. Harry
also discovers a schoolbook that was once owned
by someone called ‘The Half Blood Prince.
In it he finds all sorts of annotatios that help
him through his schoolwork, though he wisely begins
to question whether or not the book is good for
him… or bad.
Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who in the past was
Harry’s school age nemesis, grows here into
a full-fledged threat as we learn that Voldemort’s
followers have chosen him for a very special mission.
A mission that even audiences do not fully realize
until near the film’s end. We also learn
more about how Harry might eventually be able
to defeat Voldemort once and for all, a pivotal
plot point to set audiences up for the final two
movies. Thankfully these final two movies are
a two-part version of the final book. It appears
that little will be left out of the events leading
up to the final confrontation. To say anymore
would be a disservice to the film, which is full
of twists and unveilings.
“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”
is an amazing film in every way. Like the books,
each film has ‘grown up’ as it were,
to become an even darker entity than its predecessor.
The producers have wisely turned over the reins
to different directors, which has helped to give
each film a different ‘feel’, just
like the books offer. Though the last two installments
and the two final ones are all directed by David
Yates, I feel the stories have gotten to a point
where some consistency is needed. And Yates does
a fantastic job with this one. I see no reason
he wouldn’t for the last two. The cinematography
is gorgeous, though the many darkened scenes require
a rather simple color palette. And the sound and
special effects? Perfect.
Warner Brothers is releasing a couple of different
editions of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince,” but I would highly recommend grabbing
the Bluray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack. This
allows for you to be able to see the movie anywhere,
no matter what kind of player you’re faced
with. Though it goes without saying the Bluray
is the most amazing of the three, as the images
and sound are amazingly crisp and clear. Every
frame of the film looks beautifully sharp and
the sound mix fully pulls you into the viewing
experience. We’ve already watched it 4 times,
and it gets better with every viewing.
The Bluray also allows you to experience Maximum
Movie Mode, which is an interactive tour of the
film’s production that you can view while
watching the movie. You have the opportunity to
access a lot of picture in picture features as
they are introduced to you by Daniel Radcliffe.
It’s one of the best new features I’ve
seen utilizing the Bluray capabilities. There
are also many deleted scenes, one in particular
standing out as it should have been included in
the finished film. It is a long musical montage
that features all of the main characters and I
felt it beautifully set up the events that were
about to occur. You’ll also find some short
Q&A’s with the cast, as well as several
nice behind the scenes featurettes. The two biggest
features offered a look at the new Harry Potter
World being built at Universal Studios Florida
(which my family is DEFINITELY going to find a
way to visit), and best and worst of all…
a sneak peek at “Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hollows.” Best because it is so cool…
worst because it is too short. I’m ready
to see it now, but we have to wait for Part 1
to hit theaters in November of 2010 and Part 2
in July of 2011!
My wife and I, while fans of the films, are latecomers
to the books of Harry Potter. Most recently we
have begun to listen to the audiobooks performed
by Jim Dale. I highly recommend this experience
if you get the chance, it’s like listening
to the movie as he does so many wonderful voices…
but with all the details!
Oddly enough, there are a lot of detractors to
the series out there. Many religious groups seem
to think the books and movies are evil, and teach
our children to believe in something other than
God. They see their kids going around pretending
to be Harry and casting spells against their imaginary
enemies and somehow this is a bad thing. This
is complete and utter hogwash. Have these people
forgotten ‘Cowboys and Indians’, ‘Cops
and Robbers’ or playing ‘Army?’
Playing ‘Harry’ is no different. Kids
have imaginations that should be nurtured, and
that’s what the Harry Potter series does.
If a child has a problem understanding the difference
between what is real and imagined, I believe the
problem lies with the parents (though they’ll
scream and holler otherwise).
Then there’s the film ‘purists’
that believe that any movie that makes money is
a commercial sell-out intended to be a cash cow
with no redeemable cinematic value. I’d
like to remind these ‘intellectually challenged’
people that while there is room for films that
teach or enlighten, there is nothing wrong with
films that merely entertain.
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma
Watson, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie
Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan
Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis,
Julie Walters
Extras: Maximum Movie Mode (BR Only); JK Rowling:
A Year in the Life; What’s On Your Mind?;
Additional Scenes; One Minute Drills; Sneak Peak
at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Sneak
Peak at “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”;
DVD & Digital Copies of the Film.
Specifications: 1080P High Definition (2.40:1);
5.1 Dolby TruHD
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 12/8/2009
MPAA Rating: PG
http://www.harrypotter.com
We'll give Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
(Bluray) an A.
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