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Though HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN director Alfonso Cuaron still holds the crown for best film in the series, David Yates is making an attempt at a coup with HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Dark, gleefully funny, and beautifully shot, this adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel should please fans despite numerous changes to the 650-page source material. In this sixth film in the series, Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe) inevitable confrontation with the dark wizard Voldemort grows closer, and Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) wants the young student to be prepared. He guides Harry through a memory of a young Voldemort, but an important moment is missing. Harry must extract this memory from the new Hogwarts teacher, Horace Slughorn (a perfectly slimy Jim Broadbent), who is as eager for fame as he is reluctant to revisit this painful moment. Meanwhile, romance rules the school of witches and wizards, with Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) refusing to admit their feelings for each other. Harry also harbors a secret love of his own: Ron’s younger sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright). But despite his crush, Harry keeps an eye on Snape (Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who may be responsible for attacks on the school.
HALF-BLOOD PRINCE deftly balances the humor of Hogwarts heartbreak and the thrills of dark villains attacking the school. The cast is as talented as ever, and the youngest members--Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson--have developed their talent well. However, this film is most remarkable for its fine cinematography from AMELIE director of photography Bruno Delbonnel. Using a muted palette, Delbonnel makes Hogwarts look hauntingly beautiful in a way that fans have never seen. There’s always plenty of fun and adventure in the series, but this entry boasts impressive visuals as well.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince Reviews:
"[T]he filmmakers have found a way to refresh our eyes and enhance our appreciation for this rich, amazing creation." -- Grade: A--- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Harry is better than ever, a triumph of wonder and emotional storytelling....All the actors excel at pulling us into the film's mysteries."-- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Composer Nicholas Hooper, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and designer Stuart Craig deliver a singularly muscular and vigorous chapter while all the visual and digital effects have now blended seamlessly into the package."-- Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "With Harry, Ron and Hermione feeling the pangs of love and ominous signs that the final battle is nearing, this is the most spectacular and richly satisfying POTTER movie yet, topping all that have come before it."-- Pete Hammond, Box Office
"Dazzlingly well made...this one is played in a mode closer to palpable life-or-death drama than any of the others and is quite effective as such."-- Todd McCarthy, Variety
3 stars out of 5 -- "Bumbling, funny and gentle, the rom-com tween heartache feels nicely played by a cast more at home with cheeky humour than dramatic heavy-lifting."-- Jonathan Crocker, Total Film
"Yates in his second Potter film seems more comfortable with the franchise. He's turned out to be what the series has always felt it needed, a good steward of the material who is respectful of the novels but not overly reverential."-- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[S]pellbinding....The cinematography is stunning, and the story unfolds in a stately and unhurried fashion."-- Claudia Puig, USA Today
"[T]he three leads, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, give their most charming performance to date....HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, with its romantic triangle, its Quidditch high jinks, its gorgeous production design and its bang-up final action sequence, might be the most enjoyable Harry Potter movie yet..."Washington Post
"[T]hose involved will find that the series has matured much as the books did. This is the darkest, saddest, most sophisticated HARRY POTTER film yet."-- Tasha Robinson, A.V. Club
"Yates is generous with this ensemble, and they repay him with interest....[The cinematographer] makes gorgeous, Oscar-worthy panoramas of everything from impromptu tarantula memorials to handheld-shot, nightmare battles in tall, swampy grass."-- Zinat S., Movieline
3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]his sixth chapter is a darker, more ominous Harry Potter film....It opens and closes well, and has wondrous art design and cinematography as always..."-- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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