Harry Potter & The Half-Blooded Prince

July 16, 2009
by
2 mins read

by Rick Grant
Grade: B / Rated PG / 135 min
This edition of the Harry Potter saga waxes overly long, boring, and lacks excitement. However, since I’m not a fan of the genre, I must be somewhat objective to the millions of Harry Potter fans. Of course, viewers must suspend their disbelief that a teenage boy can fly a broom supersonically and perform real magic.
The series is imaginative, but in her sixth book, J.K. Rowling lost some of her edge in her basic premise that the forces of good magic are under attack by the Dark Lord’s army of evil magic practitioners with Harry Potter and his posse caught in the middle.
Potter returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his 6th year. He goes there via Dumbledore’s supersonic flight-zoom and he’s there. While taking a course in potions, he discovers an old book marked “this is the property of the Half-Blooded Prince.”
Intrigued, Potter uses the notes in the book and it gives him an advantage. But, the notes steer Potter toward the dark side of magic and later he discovers the identity of the Half-Blooded Prince-a spy for the Dark Lord.
Meanwhile, the Dark Lord’s forces are attacking Hogwarts on a regular basis, lead by the witch, Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter). Dumbledore realizes that a showdown with the dark forces is imminent and he must get Potter ready for the onslaught.
Dumbledore recruits his old friend Professor Horace Slughorn to teach magic potions at Hogwarts as Potter must negotiate the petty romance and jealously between Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) over Ron Wesley’s new love interest.
Ron takes a love potion and is enchanted to a stupid degree. But Professor Slughorn gives him an antecdote to the potion. Yes, Potter’s posse is experiencing the raging hormones of adolescence which appeals to the younger Potter fans. Hogwarts is like any high school, dripping with romantic drama.
Nonetheless, Potter heeds Dumbledore’s warning and is spying on Wormtail (Timothy Spall) who is under the witch, Bellatrix Estrange’s spell. Potter uncovers a plot to assassinate Dumbledore but he doesn’t know when or where. In the meantime, Potter is drawn more to Ginny Wesley (Bonnie Wright) while he councils Hermione on her jealously of Ron’s new girlfriend.
Ah yes, teen angst mixed with puppy love can be a very disorienting experience for Potter and his pals. Dumbledore sees into his future and it looks bleak. Potter is stalking Wormtail to get any details of the murder plot, and the magic world turns with Hogwarts under attack.
Directed by David Yates with Steve Kloves adaptation of Rowling’s novel to screenplay. Yates created the murky anti-world of Hogwarts with glorious attention to detail, and a million candles.
Rowling’s book series has done wonders to get kids reading and interested in literature, even if it is in the realm of adolescent fantasy. The movies, like all films based on popular books, are separate entities from the books, giving the readers glimpses of the books’ expansive detail.
For those diehard fans who have read all the books, this movie will only enhance their interest and enjoyment of the Potter series. Of course, Daniel Redcliffe is getting a bit too old to play the role. This could be his last Potter film.
Then again, when the studio throws ridiculous amounts of money at him, he can scale down his looks to a younger age to play the role. Rowling hit the jackpot with her books that captured the imagination of a wide range of ages of Potter fans. It’s a safe bet there will be another film after this one goes ballistic.

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

Welcome to Rockville 2025
SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
omaha-steaks-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

The Jock

Next Story

RatDog comes to St. Augustine: An interview with Mark Karan

Latest from Movies

April Theater, Dance and Film

April 1-6 “Les Miserables” Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts fscjartistseries.org April 3 “A Year With Frog and Toad” Thrasher-Horne Center thcenter.org April 3-11 “Beautiful: The Carole King Story” Alhambra Theatre & Dining alhambrajax.com April 3-13 “Oklahoma!” Artist Connection Theatre artistconnectiontheatre.org April 4 “The Great Gatsby:

Cartoons Are For Kids

Animation is cool Words by Waverly Loyd I asked someone their favorite animated movie, and they said, “I’m an adult. I don’t watch kid’s movies.” And I thought, “Wow, you must be so fun to be around.” (derogatory) Apart from the fact that watching animated movies is good for

Good Girls Go to Heaven, Groupies Go Backstage

The Rise and Fall of Groupies Words by Ambar Ramirez The show begins like any other. Overhead lights dim, stage lights flare and the crowd roars. Backstage, a woman adjusts her smudged eyeliner and pulls her fur-lined coat tight as she watches the band take the stage. She’s not

March Theater, Dance and Film

Through March 2 “The Trojan Women” Flagler College–Lewis Auditorium flagler.edu Through March 9 “Mean Girls” (teen version) Amelia Musical Playhouse ameliamusicalplayhouse.com “Funny Girl” Players by the Sea playersbythesea.org Through March 16 “The Drowsy Chaperone” Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine limelight-theatre.org Through March 30 “West Side Story” Alhambra

This Year’s Best Pictures Ranked Best To Worst

Words by Waverly Loyd Ladies, gents, and theydies alike. The cinephile superbowl is here. The 97th Academy Awards is inching closer with a whopping 48 films receiving nominations. With some controversial takes that have most netizens scratching their heads (*blows a kiss at Emilia Pérez*) and some truly
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s