After the horrible Order of the Pheonix, I was really not expecting much out of this movie, though seeing Yates excellent British show State of Play did give me some hope, but then the awfulness of getting out of the theater (car fire at Hollywood and Highland, and then traffic from the Hollywood Bowl made it way too long of a wait), but even with all that I enjoyed it. Certainly it is not as good as Azkaban, but it is a very well done, directed, and especially shot movie (having Amelié’s cinematographer Bruno Belbonnel made a huge huge difference, and gave the film a very unique look, though I would love to see his initial look which Warner turned down), though that is not to say it does not have it’s problems. I would have put this film right up there with Azkaban if it had not been for some arbitrary changes from the book that I felt hurt the film. The first is the addition of a mid movie battle, which other than some cool chase visuals serves no purpose except to destroy a location that was not destroyed in the book. The second is the removal of the epic battle at the end of Pheonix, where Harry’s friend’s like Neville and Ginny really get to shine and we get to see Aurors battle with Deatheaters. The Producers claim it was removed to avoid repetition with the next film (which makes no sense since the next film, also to be directed by Yates has been split into 2, and the final battle will be 2 films away) and makes the end seem to fall pretty flat, I really did not mind the ramping up of Hermione’s feelings for Ron which was so well played that it worked, nor the loss of Dumbledore’s funeral, which would have been an incredibly sad way to end the film, and have to wait at least a year for the start of a resolution. Most of the film is really enjoyable, especially all the snogging and relationships going on, and the effects look great. Quidich looks amazing, and now they have effects for a purpose, say a reveal of the brooding Draco Malfoy, and I love that people seem to be able to block spells now. And the acting improved all the way around. Michael Gambon after Prisoner of Azkaban had become too over the top, and here he is much more sedate, in his fatherly relationship with Harry, and his performance is so much the better for it, making it his second best performance in these films. I also loved subtle things in the movie that they added. Since they did not show much in the classroom they did not show the students learning how to cast spells without speaking, but if you watch Malfory, he starts having to say spells, and by the end can do the same spell without speaking, a subtle, but wonderful nod to the stuff left out from the book. Other than the changes my only real complaints are that I felt the film was too short, I could easily have stood another half hour, and as with the previous films I think they should have recast Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) because she is way too over the top here, just annoyingly so. Overall this film is a must see for any Harry Potter Fan, and I do look forward to seeing it again in the near future and see anything I missed.

Went and saw the film a second time, this time in it’s IMAX 3D release. I was skeptical of the 3D because I had not been too impressed with the sharpness of the film UP in 3D, but right from the opening Warner Brothers Logo and Harry Potter logo the 3D was fantastic. In fact it blew me away that it was not shot in 3D, but a process that was done in Post, because it looked amazing. Sure there were some problems, like the fact that the screen was so big that you sometimes had to turn your head to see characters on either side of the frame, and that would throw the 3D off, but that is not the worst of it. The worst part is it is only for the opening 10 minutes of the film, and then it ends, and is never seen again. And this open was not the part that should have been 3D! I mean what about 3D quidich? That would have been amazing. Or the final big scene going for the horcrux? That would have been cool, but it just being the open did not justify the $17 per ticket price tag, nor did seeing a film shot in 35 MM digitally projected on an IMAX screen, because unlike other digitally projected films I have seen of late, I could see anti-aliasing and if I quickly moved my head some strange color patterns which were distracting. Sure the blow up looked pretty damn good, but not $17 per ticket good. And really the 3D was a gimmick used to draw people in, but it ends so soon that it is really a rip off!

This film starts just as the last film ends, with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) being led away from the ministry of magic by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) as newsmen take photographs, and Harry looks stunned. We then see Death Eaters fly through london, causing havoc, and knocking down the MIllenium Bridge (which would not have been built when this movie take place) and going into Diagon Alley, kidnapping Mr. Ollivander and destroying his wand shop. Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) is then compelled to make an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory) to help her son Draco (Tom Felton) and carry out the task the dark lord gave him if he does not. Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) performs the magic. We catch up with Harry as he rides subways at night, reading his magic newspaper, and getting hit on by a beautiful waitress when Dumbledore comes to take him someplace. They go to find former potions professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Dumbledore wants a memory that Slughorn has of Tom Riddle, who became Voldemort. He knows that Slughorn likes to “collect” students in clubs, and he uses Harry as bait to get Slughorn to agree to come back. Dumbledore then sends Harry to the house of the Weasleys, where he sees his best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) as well as Ron’s younger sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) who has started to notice . They all go to Ron’s brother’s Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps) joke shop, the only thing still open in Diagon Alley, and end up following Draco and his mother to Borgin and Burkes an antique shop in the bad section, where Harry believes Draco has been brought into the Deatheaters. On the train Harry ends up sneaking into Draco’s cabin, and spying, but Draco notices, and ends up freezing him, and beating him, only being found by Harry’s strange friend Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch who is just amazing in this role). Harry is convinced that Draco is planning something bad, and no one can change his mind.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

The school now has tightened security, and Aurors patrolling. Slughorn is made Potions teacher, and Snape finally gets to become defense against the dark arts teacher. Ron and Harry were not going to take potions because they could not pass with their grades from Snape, but Slughorn has loosened things, and they are allowed in, and fight over books in the cupboard, Harry getting a very old copy of the book, said to belong to the Half Blood Prince, which is scribbled in notes on the potions within, and also with many new spells written in it. Slughorn gives the class a challenge, and the one who makes the best of the potion will win a vial of liquid luck. Harry follows the books instructions, which are much better, and let him make a perfect potion, winning the luck, much to Hermione’s chagrin, since she followed the instructions perfectly and failed. Slughorn says he only had one student in the past who did this well, and declares Harry a potions genius.

Hermione is of course disturbed by the potions book, and the name Half Blood Prince, and wants Harry to return it, but Harry and Ron do not agree!

Ron is up for the Quidich team, and Harry is now the Captain, so they have tryouts, but it looks like Cormac McLaggen (Freddie Stroma) who quite fancies Hermione will take the goal position from Ron, but Ron does OK, and Hermione discreetly hexes Cormac so he misses one ball, and Ron makes the team. This also makes Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) like Ron even more, much to Hermione’s chagrin.

Dumbledore has given Harry the mission of being picked by Slughorn, so they can get his memory, so Harry does all he can to ingratiate himself, which while in town also makes him have to see Ginny making out with Dean Thomas (Alfie Enoch) which neither Harry or Ron like too well, but it does get him closer to Slughorn, and him and Hermione invited to one of Slughorn’s parties.

At the party we see more of Harry’s feelings for Ginny, and Harry tries to get more out of Slughorn about Tom Riddle who killed his parents.

Harry spends Christmas at the Weasley’s, almost kissing Ginny, before the house is attacked by death eaters led by Bellatrix. Harry and Ginny end up together out in the fields, but are saved by Remus (David Thewlis) and Tonks (Natalia Tena), though the Weasley’s house is burnt down.

Dumbledore starts showing Harry his pensieve memories of the young Tom Riddle, how he first met him in an orphanage, and he also ends up showing him a faked Slughorn memory, where Slughorn does not tell Riddle something about some dark spells, but Dumbledore knows this is false, and gets Harry to work harder on getting the memories.

Hermione and Ron grow apart, as he spends his time snogging Lavender brown.

Harry is also suspicious of Draco, especially when they run into Katie Bell (Georgina Leonidas) under the imperious curse sent to bring a cursed necklace to dumbledore, which she touched and almost died.

Harry tries outright to get the memory from Slughhorn, but scares off Slughorn, but when Ron is accidently zapped by a powerful love potion meant for Harry, Harry takes Ron to Slughorn, and Ron is almost killed by poisoned wine, except for the intervention of Harry and his knowledge gained from the book of the Half-Blood Prince.

In the Hospital Ron mumbles Hermione’s name in from of Lavender, causing her to cry and run away, and make Hermione very happy.

Harry ends up following and finding Draco crying in a bathroom, and the two fight, and Harry uses a curse he learned from the book of the half-blood prince, and almost kills Draco, but Snape comes in and saves him.

Ginny takes Harry to the room of requirments, where Draco has been going and experimenting with a vanishing cabinet, which has it’s sister in the Borgin and Burkes, and she hides the potions books by the Half Blood Prince, also giving harry there first kiss.

Harry decides to use his good luck potion to get the memory, and when he takes it, he heads to Hagrid’s (Robbie Coltrane) running into Slughorn on the way, as he is stealing plants. He gets Slughorn to go with him, and they end up at Hagrid’s, where Hagrid’s giant spider Aragorn has died, and Slughorn takes some of it’s venom, and then goes to Hagrid’s hut and drinks. When Hagrid passes out, Slughorn gets melencoly, and Harry uses Slughorn’s love for his mother to get him to give the memory.

Dumledore and Harry learn from Slughorn’s memory that Tom Riddle has broken his soul into 7 parts using the information slughorn gave him on how to make horcuxes., which allow a person to be immortal until all parts are destroyed. Already Tom’s diary and Ring were 2.

Harry witnesses Snape saying he does not want to do what he agreed to do, but Dumbledore insists that he agreed. Dumbledore gets Harry to go with him to find another, making him promise to obey him. They enter a cave at a desolate coast, and must cross a lake and find a potion filled urn. Dumbledore gets Harry to promise to feed it all to him, no matter how he cries, and Harry reluctantly does, as Dumbledore gets weaker and weaker, and Harry manages to get a necklace from the urn, but when he tries to get Dumbledore water from the pond they are attacked by inferi, and Harry is dragged under the water, only saved by Dumbledores fire spells.

They come back, but Dumbledore is weakened, and he sends Harry to get Snape. Draco appears, and knocks away Dumbledores wand, and wants to kill him. Bellatrix and the other death eaters arrive, having come from the Vanishing cabinet, and egg on Draco. Snape arrives and steps in, and performs Avada Kedavra, killing Dumbledore and knocking him from tower. The Death Eaters leave, Bettatrix breaking windows, and then burning Hagrid’s hut. Harry tried to stop them, but Snape knocks him down, and blocks his attacks, telling him he is the Half-Blood Prince who created those spells.

The Students mourn Dumbledore, and Harry is comforted by Ginny.

Harry, Ron and Hermione talk at the top of the castle, with Harry telling them the Horcrux was fake with a not from an R.A.B. in it to Voldemort, and that Dumbledore died for nothing. Harry plans on leaving the school to hunt the rest down alone, but Ron and Hermione are going to go with him, no matter what. They see Hawkes, Dumbledore’s Pheonix fly away.

••••

Really one of the better films, I just wish they had not made the changes they did. I did not think Chris Columbus got the books, but at least he did not change them, and basically shot them. Curon understood the story, so his changes were OK, because they got the feel, but no one else seems to have really gotten it, and they have made more and more arbitrary changes which to me lessened the movies.

Still very worth seeing, and I will certainly see it again. Looking forward to the Blu-ray for sure.