THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
We always know that learning the truth can lead to a can of worms, but we can never be sure if it’s worth exploring until after .
PLOT
Based on JK Rowling’s sixth novel of the Wizarding World franchise, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince takes place a year after the Ministry of Magic goes public with the return of the Dark Lord Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort who is now gone into hiding at Malfoy Manor (unbeknownst to the public). He now tightens his grip by using his Death Eater army to abduct wand maker Garrick Ollivander and destroy the Millenium Bridge. Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore gains the company of Harry to successfully convince Horace Slughorn to be potion professor again. Later, the headmaster drops off Potter at the Burrow where he'd reunite with Hermione Granger and the Weasleys. When roaming around Diagon Alley before departing the Hogwarts Express, he suspects Draco Malfoy to become a Death Eater as a result of his father Lucius is held up in Azkaban as a result of being found guilty for his crimes in assisting the Dark Lord. So, he follows him into Knockturn Alley and sees him with his mother Narcissa,having a rendezvous with her sister Bellatrix Lestrange and werewolf Fenrir Greyback. At the train, Harry sneaks onto the Slytherin carriage to spy on his bully only for him to spot him and petrify him, intending to leave him behind. Thankfully, Luna Lovegood finds him before the train returns to London. At the Start of Team Feast, he announces that due to Horace's return, Severus Snape will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Little does everyone know he has made an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa to protect her son and fulfill his task should he fail. He also shares with the school to address that all the students were searched upon arrival due to the worry of Riddle infiltrating. As classes begin, Harry enjoys Potions class due to having a textbook that has helpful notes previously written with one of the alias, the half blood prince. This makes Hermione jealous when Horace awards him a Liquid Luck potion for himself to have and there is no record of said prince. Her jealousy worsens towards Ronald Weasley who has started dating Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) after becoming Quidditch Keeper. Harry does console her however when expressing he's developed feelings for Ron's sister Ginny. Hermione would also help Ron win games when using the Confundus Charm on classmate Cormac McLaggen (Freddie Stroma). As the semester goes on, Dumbledore has constructed a protection spell around the school to prevent outsiders from attacking. He also shows Harry memories of Riddle in the Pensieve, before he became Voldemort: He met him at an asylum when he was a boy, who didn't hesitate sharing his abilities. When he became a Hogwarts student, he was a student of Horace's, but there is a memory tampered with that implies him being ashamed of. Because of this, Albus instructs Potter to persuade Slughorn to divulge the true memory as soon as possible. On one day coming back from The Three Broomsticks, a pub outside of the school, Harry sees a terrifying incident in which student Katie Bell (Georgina Leonidas) acts cursed from a necklace she was meant to give to Dumbledore. Harry shares with Professors Snape & Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) he quickly suspects Draco to be responsible off of the fact alone Katie is too kind to deliver the necklace willingly. During winter break in which he spends with the Weasleys at the Burrow, he shares with members of the Order, Remus Lupin & Nymphadora Tonks (David Thewlis & Natalia Tena) of his suspicion due to overhearing Malfoy privately talk to Snape of a mission his bully is chosen for, but they dismiss it to be paranoia. Ron's father Arthur (Mark Williams) suggests that the Death Eaters are likely more interested in a vanishing cabinet from Borgin & Burke's because they might want to use it to infiltrate Hogwarts undetected. The stakes only escalate when Bellatrix & Greyback set the Burrow on fire where everyone is luckily able to escape with their lives. Once the semester resumes, Ron is given a love potion meant for Harry as a gift from fellow student Romilda Vane (Anna Shaffer). He goes to Slughorn for help in be ridding of the effects. The professor gives the two mead that was meant as a gift for Dumbledore, but Ron gets poisoned and Harry thinks quick by using a bezoar to save him. When his friend recovers at the hospital wing, he accidentally murmurs Hermione's name, revealing he's had feelings for her in return all along. This unplanned confession causes Lavender to end their relationship. When Harry confronts Draco of two attempts at the headmaster's life, they duel at the bathroom. But when he uses a spell from the half blood prince’s book, 'Sectumsepra', it causes him to be severely lacerated and bleed everywhere. Unsurprisingly, Snape arrives in time to heal him. Worried of possible dark magic to come from the book, Ginny convinces Potter to hide it in the Room of Requirement. There, they share their first kiss. With the semester coming to an end soon, Harry drinks the Liquid Luck Potion to convince Horace to give the memory as planned. He is able to do so after spending time with him at the hut of gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). After this, he is able to see at the Pensieve that Slughorn told Riddle about horcruxes, objects that can contain pieces of a soul for the sake of immortality. Albus shares with Harry that Voldemort made six. The first two have already been destroyed which were Riddle's diary and the ring of Marvolo Gaunt, the latter of which cursed the headmaster when he first came into contact with it. He then takes Potter to a cave where he must drink a toxic potion containing the third locket that is the locket of Salazar Slytherin. Once they retrieve it though, they get cornered by a horde of inferi, corpses that were previously reanimated by the dark lord, resulting in the headmaster to defend themselves by summoning a ring of fire before returning. Just as they return though, Draco uses the Room of Requirement and summons Bellatrix & Greyback from Borgin & Burke's. Knowing that they're coming, Albus tells Potter to call Snape for help. He's unable to do so in time and has to hide during the exchange. Draco disarms Albus from his wand and admits he was chosen to kill him, admitting he is afraid he'll be killed too if he fails. Snape however appears and rather than defend the headmaster, he kills him as part of staying true to his vow. Harry confronts him in heartbreak and tries to curse him with the same lacerating spell, but the professor overpowers him and confesses he was the half blood prince all along. The following morning after the whole school mourned the death of Dumbledore, Harry opens the locket that contains a letter from 'R.A.B', confirming it to be a fake and whoever took the original planned to destroy it. As Hermione shares with Potter that Ron is comfortable with him pursuing Ginny, the film ends with all three friends forgoing their final year at Hogwarts to find the remain horcruxes and destroy them which will defeat Voldemort for good.
THOUGHTS
With David Yates returning to helm the remainder of the franchise, you knew the maturity was gonna dial up but not like this, which makes this surprisingly good. Besides the color palette, the mood is darker for embracing how high the stakes are getting before the epic finale. Everything you are witnessing is done with such patience and when something happens, you're still surprised on the execution of it all. You already know the visual effects is fantastic in bringing life to the fictional magic from the moment you see the Death Eater symbol being created in the clouds and the production design on the locket's cave is just as intriguing as looking at Hogwarts itself. However, I don't think you can appreciate such aspects without the impressive Oscar nominated cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel, as it makes you feel all the tension that is being set and the anticipation of the worst & best that's yet to come. Being aware that the end is near, you come to wonder what does this do differently from the past. What you can pick up from here is how we can come to accept how life is so hard to go on from teen to adulthood because there are many challenges you cannot do alone. With so many obstacles you have no idea on how they're going to appear, you just can't help getting a helping hand because it's the most instinct we can have. However, what matters more is being able to appreciate those who are there from the start and come from the heart rather than those who do not have one. This is indeed the case Harry Potter goes through here because Daniel Radcliffe expresses another case of angst & vulnerability. Going into this school year, he knows that he's not going to go through it quietly and will uncover another truth he wish he didn't know. Nevertheless, he progresses because that is how bad he wants to find normalcy for the first time. At this point, he's not sure of the whole list of people he cannot trust, but there's no doubt how clear it is for those he does. Because he goes through changes, it doesn't ignore the fact others are doing the same too. If anything, a most notable one has to be Hermione. Emma Watson normally shows her to be the most headstrong because she always knows what to do with all that she knows. The difference is here is that she is almost struggling to know what to say because even her emotions are getting the best of her now with feelings she never thought she'd feel. Due to how she went to the Ball with Krum, you would think she would want to give Cormus a chance due to echoing being such a jock. Surprisingly, that chance is given to someone she never she'd care for until now. Looking back, it seems to me that she becomes so intimately attached towards Ron because she's grown to respect being himself which for the most part is adventurous. We've always known Ron to be immature a quarter of the time, but Rupert Grint reminds us he still has a heart of gold. He took a chance with Lavender because he was flattered someone took notice of him much sooner. But he was more into Hermione all along for the same reason she cared about him. When he woke up saying her name, it set things in stone they were meant to be whether many fans like it or not. Because of this dynamic, it only surprises us more in who becomes Harry's true love. Considering that he and Ginny kept a distance from each other since saving her in the Chamber of Secrets, we could've not expected her to be the love of his life all along. When it comes down to it, I think he's liked her for embracing her own independence as shown through Bonnie Wright's performance. It's truly proven when she joins his side in chasing down Bellatrix. Before their kiss, that moment sealed things as well. As much as we all enjoy Evanna Lynch for making Luna the most upbeat, Ginny will always be the one for her own fierceness since she is also the one who encouraged getting rid of the textbook. It also is a relief that Ron gives them his blessing he knows it'd be wrong to prevent them from being happy when they deserve it. Since we know Harry's friends within his age group will be his ride-or-die, it is still a shock to know his adult friends will be the same. Michael Gambon was able to give another satisfying take on Dumbledore for being a great leader in helping Potter find the final puzzle pieces that can the extended war that should have not been. The headmaster has his regrets in not seeing the signs of evil in Tom Riddle, greatly played by both Hero Fiennes Tiffin & Frank DIllane. Through the flashbacks, every glare they gave represented he was bound to take the route we've known him to take, thus being the polar opposite to Harry we've always known. Because of this, Albus is doing everything he could to do the absolute. He gave his all in protecting Harry until he couldn't, which is why we mourn for his defeat because without him, Harry would be at his most lost. His death is different from Gandalf in Lord of the Rings because it is not undone and he always moved us with the genuine compassion he had for everyone, even those that are bound to corruption like Draco. Despite losing him, it warms my heart knowing Harry powered through without him which makes it clear it wasn't in vain. Having said that, it's not too surprising to know he wasn't the only teacher with regret. Enter Jim Broadbent who made Horace stand out for being the most sociable of characters. That is biggest trait because he lives without hate. Every bond he makes with people mean everything to him because there is no shame in befriending everyone around him. With such a motive, he is impossible to hate. However, it is a surprise that he inadvertently gave strength to the dark lord. He genuinely believed that Tom would not pursue creating horcruxes and once he found out he did, he did not want to be held accountable. In my eyes, I believe in his innocence because it's such a rare thing to talk about in his shoes and it doesn't seem like every wizard/witch does that. Knowng this, it puts me in relief to notice he wasn't punished for it. Having said that, the surprises keep coming when it came to another teacher making quite an impact. We always know how deceptive Alan Rickman has portrayed Snape due to how protective he's been to Potter up until this point as a double agent. Because the actor knew the truth that would unfold in the Deathly Hallows, he finds the right balance in keeping us off guard in what his motive is and we still don't here. The big question about this story is why did he write those notes on the textbook, make an alias and leave it where it was? Well for sure, he left it because he didn't need it anymore and he wrote those notes because he wanted to make improvements like anyone else would. He made this alias because he uses his half blood status as a strength whereas others in his generation saw it as a weakness. Since he didn't expect anyone to find the textbook, it does surprise him that Potter of all people would get his hands on it. He tells him who he is because that is his way convince him who he thinks he is and if he is, so does Voldemort. And with other familiar faces taking part in dirty deeds, it brings much intensity on where the upper hand is. We always knew that Draco had a chip on his shoulder when we first met him. But here, Tom Felton gets to let us see how enforced of a situation this is for him. He never asked to be part of the dark side and has to roll with it to save himself which troubles him deeply. He has to fill i father's shoes not just for the time being, but also for the remainder of his lifetime which is visibly difficult for him to bare because he does not want it in his conscience to be a killer. He is taking the same wrong steps that Voldemort did and this time, he is being pushed in instead of being guided a way out. Most of this is due to his mother Narcissa, played by the late Helen McCrory, who has to make the decisions a survivor would do that is continuing to take the wrong path. And since Helena Bonham Carter remains sadistic as Bellatrix and Dave Legeno being frightening in his given time as Greyback, it feels like there is no other way. They may have know it now, but the end was near for them instead of those they wanted to destroy. And because Harry & his friends knew that, it maintained all the hope we've been feeling from the start which pays off in the finale. This movie holds up very well as a strong continuation, but there are some things that don’t make sense to me upon re-watching. From the start, Slughorn said he doesn’t stay anywhere for more than a week, but chooses to carry like 20 pictures of his many friends with him when he travels? I like the gesture but even for a wizard/witch, it’s best to travel light. It then gets odd how neither Draco nor Narcissa spot Harry at the destroyed Ollivander’s. I know he’s intending to keep a low profile, but it’s weird he ain’t even looking at the place he got his first wand. Then again, it’s weirder for them to take a trail where they’re bound to get noticed when they’re trying to not be. If the Malfoys don’t know how to apparate, that’s embarrassing. And why was Luna still on the train? I’m glad she saved Harry, but there was no need to search for Wrackspurts with her Spectrespecs just when the train could return to London. Also, why hasn’t it taken so long for Harry’s generation to learn of Liquid Luck? Considering that Hermione is still the bookworm in his group of friends, it’s crazy she never talked to him about it before. That’s more confusing than the textbook recipe being wrong that Snape had to tell it right. I even find myself surprised with the fact Hermione didn’t bring a textbook to study while supporting her friends at Quidditch practice. No one may have noticed, but it would’ve been useful on her end since she loves to learn so much. And ain’t it crazy Harry doesn’t tell Hermione about the Unbreakable Vow? If he wants someone to back up what he heard, she’s the ideal person to talk to about such bonds. And Greyback makes no sense in comparing Draco that he’s weak like his father when that ain’t entirely true. Lucius almost killed Harry over freeing Dobby. Even if he didn’t know that, that was too big of a claim. On top of that, why does Bellatrix attack Harry at the Burrow if she didn’t even know he had to be saved for Voldemort? It’s one thing to say she was toying with him but if Snape had to tell her, it’s embarrassing for her to forget something essential, especially since she was on top of Draco for the need to kill Dumbledore. Ignore this, then you’ll still be in awe of this movie as much as I was. In conclusion, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a fantastic entry in the franchise for finding unusual creativity in raising the stakes before the inevitable finale. If you’re a fan of the franchise and have been impressed from the beginning, I promise you’ll enjoy this as well.
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