Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

Another solid entry, I like how high the stakes are getting, and as a movie it is a lot more coherent than earlier entries. I don't really love any of the characters, but the ending is pretty moving and I love how hopeless it feels going into the finale.

I do have some complaints though. I understand that the movies get darker as they go, both in content and visually, but honestly who decided to completely wash this movie out? Some of the scenes look almost black and white, it's like they slapped on an instagram filter to dull it. It's not that I need vibrancy, I just need some colour depth, everything looks so bland.

I love Voldemort as a villain, and I wish we could have seen more from him here. We have already seen him, so this isn't like Jaws anymore. Just show us the scary bad guy.

Finally, this movie is called the half blood prince, and the reveal of who that is falls completely flat. I am not well-acquainted with the books, but if Ron at the end was like, bloody hell Harry, I'm the half blood prince, it wouldn't have made a single difference. Harry learned some cool potions, and the identity is revealed in the climax of the movie and falls completely flat, doesn't change the story at all.

I did love the bigger role Malfoy plays here, since the cowardly high school bully is a great villain. Harry gets to almost murder him with zero consequences, which feels good. Ron constantly snogging and making Hermione jealous is also fun. I think a big part here is that they are older and better actors. I like that the end goal is finally clear, and I have no doubt that I will enjoy the final movies.

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