Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009
***½
Director: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis
With their hormones racing, Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts where Harry discovers a mysterious potions book and learns crucial details of Lord Voldemort's past. The sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series is a lightly plotted, transitional episode which sets the stage for the big finale. Steve Kloves' screenplay compresses the thick novel into a lopsided movie. The first half is slow and rarely action-packed, but the second half picks up the pace and the final 30 minutes are terrific. Episode by episode, this franchise has become darker and more CGI-heavy. Now it reaches a point where there is barely a scene that was shot on location, or in daylight. Followed by The Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
