Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

/</gih3/>/giHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: review</h3>

We delve further into Voldemort's past

The wizarding community is on high alert after news of Voldemort's return, meanwhile Dumbledore is preparing Harry for his inevitable confrontation with the Dark Lord.
This is by far the darkest of the Harry Potter films to date, and rightly so. The death eater's are on the march, killing people and destroying landmarks.
Whilst the Order of the Phoenix was a rather light hearted affair for the most part, Half Blood Prince highlights the constant menace Voldemort is projecting, with a few terrific action scenes, coupled with some state-of-the-art special effects Hollywood could learn a few things from.
Its not all doom and gloom though, romance is in the air at Hogwarts, and lanky Ron Weasley is the target, much to Hermione's discomfort.
Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is given more to do this time around, compared to his almost non-appearance in the last film. Voldemort has given him a mission to complete, under the watchful eyes of Severus Snape (an always amazing Alan Rickman).
So there is rather a lot going on with this one, what with the return of Quidditch and Dumbledore and Harry's private lessons. So inevitably the titular Half Blood Prince plot is shoved to the side in favor of romance and impending doom. In J.K. Rowling's source text, Harry finds a battered potion book which has been scribbled in by someone called the Half Blood Prince. Soon Harry is a star at potions, thanks to the instructions in his text book by a mysterious ex-student.
However this plot point is lost amongst the other story arcs, and is only really mentioned in passing towards the end.


Still, there's plenty to love. An attack on the Weasley's domicile by the death eaters is incredible to watch, even if it doesn't feature in the book. And the cinematography is amazing to behold as we see Dumbledore and Harry fight off a hoard of Inferi.
In a lot of ways, this is the best Harry Potter film to date. The characters are given more time to develop in scenes, unlike in previous HP outings where we were to assume every single member of the audience had read the books. So this time Harry,Ron and Hermione are given time to converse, really talk to each other without it being exposition all the time.
Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn-Harry's potions teacher- is perfectly cast. He has his mannerisms down to a tee, and the supporting adult cast (Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Bonham Carter) do not disappoint.
Those who know which character gets killed off at the end will be happy to see it is directed perfectly. David Yates knows how to pull at the heartstrings of those who are watching, the music builds to such a crescendo that even the most iron-hearted will be unable to hold back the tears.
It is all set up perfectly for the Deathly Hallowsa massive book that has been split into two films, as we see Harry and his friends go after the Horcruxes.

<big>☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆</big><big>9/10</big>

Recommendations: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry and the Hormones: Spells, spells, snog, snog, fly around, see you next time!

One Word Review: GREAT

The latest Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a visual treat and injects new humor, sexual urges and an imminent sense of doom to the ongoing story. The cast has matured along with the story, taking on a teenage angst over the opposite sex which makes the teacher’s lesson on love potions a standing-room-only class. All three principal characters (Harry, Ron and Hermione) have love interests, both true and casual and the antics to separate the two add much-needed humor to the dreary previous effort, HP and the Order of the Phoenix.

This is truly Dumbledore’s movie, the elder wizard Headmaster of Hogwarts school. He is the leader of the forces of good, Harry’s inspiration and keeper of all the memories and secrets needed to win the final battle. This movie is the transition between the elder wizard and Harry, the Chosen One. In the end, the magic wand is passed to the younger generation, charged with the quest to destroy the seven soul vessels of Voldemort and defeat his army of evil.

The Story

We start off with dark dreams as storm clouds reveal death-eaters, descending as black smoke trails, swooping over London and destroying the Millennium Bridge. Harry is underground, riding the London subway and chatting up waitresses. At least we are spared his irritating Muggle relatives and their rude ways. However, the wise Dumbledore arrives just in time to whisk Harry away from the waitress and on to seduce a former teacher of potions into rejoining the Hogwarts staff. This new character, well played by Jim Broadbent, has the secret knowledge told to the dark Lord way back in the old school days which will prove critical if the forces of good have any chance of victory.

Of course, it takes the whole fall school year to figure this out as Hogwarts is sealed up in a protective spell to ward off death-eaters. The kids goes about their normal studies while outside, people keep disappearing. The dark Lord Voldemort gathers his minions (as most evil dark lords tend to do) and Dumbledore does the same, expecting a repeat of those fateful days when the Potters were murdered and only Harry, their only child, saved the world by somehow destroying Voldemort from his crib.

So, like all the other movies, we have plots to uncover, schoolmasters to challenge, alliances to make, spells to learn and courage to find. In the end, although a major character dies and Hogwarts becomes an empty shell, Harry and his helpers stand together, prepared to take the battle to the enemy for two more movies.

The Genre

The family fantasy genre, especially this franchise, has been a lucrative area for Hollywood. Harry Potter is climbing up the all-time franchise box office list, already in the top five. The audience in my screening were older kids, teens and adults, all familiar with the characters and plot. Repeat business is the backbone of these types of movies and, even though the story is essentially the same in each movie, the audiences buy into the family concept, coming back for the latest update on these kids and their lives.

This genre acts out kid’s fantasies in a safe, familiar setting. Parents enjoy the same elements too, knowing this experience is something the family can share together. Whenall the elements come together, like in Harry Potter, you have box office gold.

The Overall Quality

The Half-Blood Prince is full of great acting and a sure hand at the wheel. The camera angles are much higher, giving a spectator’s view of the action. There are witty remarks; inside jokes meant for the audience (Why are you three always around when something happens?) and moments of absurdity (the funeral scene for Hagrid’s spider). The humor has a light touch and honesty true to the characters. The filmmakers resisted the trap of many franchises (say James Bond) to get campy or too obvious with the characters. They remain true to the books and restrained in tone and violence. This movie also returns to the PG rating, from PG-13 of the previous two movies.  Even so, there are scary moments and desperate predicaments galore.

The MarketBOB GQS Score: BULL

MarketBOB’s sentiment indicators, the GQS (Genre, Quality, Story) indicate this new HP sauce the filmmakers cooked up is fit for a BULL! As you can see from the chart below, every HP movie’s opening week was a positive week for the markets except for the Order of the Phoenix, which cast a gloom over the franchise and the markets in 2007. Happily, the latest movie returns to the high quality and audience-pleasing formulas of earlier efforts.  Expect a rising market this week, but after that, a possible reversal as we have seen with many movies repeating at #1 for a second week.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I give the film: 3.5/5

As strongly as I still stand for what I said about Watchmen being an unfilmable text, the complete opposite can be said for the books of Harry Potter. Yes, I believe that the magical worlds created by J.K. Rowling on paper should definitely have its place on the silver screen. And I'm glad to say that this movie version does depict the fantasy realm rather successfully, save for some minor glitches along the way.

Being the 6th book in this formidable franchaise which has been all-too-familiar with the legions of fans worldwide, Harry this time around discovers an old book that belongs to a person named the 'half-blood prince' during his Potions class with new character, Professor Slughorn. Meanwhile, Death Eaters are wreaking havoc again, threatening to penetrate Hogwarts, and even destroying a bridge in the Muggle world. Harry is also introduced - by the ever-trustworthy Dumbledore - to more dark secrets pertaining to Lord Voldemort, which proves pivotal in his fight against the Dark Lord.

Evidently, there are many events going on, and director David Yates does his best in melding all of them into a coherent narrative for the audience to digest. The action pieces are what's worth mentioning here: being the most expensive film in the series so far, the money is put to good use here in this effects extravaganza. Giving the fans a beloved treat - Quidditch!, finally - the magical sport was filmed with both adrenalin and flow. Besides the impressive fire sequences, each location and set seemed to be detailedly laid-out. Be it the playful shop of Fred and George's, or the dream-like scenes of Dumbledore visiting a young Voldemort - all of them were meticulously orchestrated to perfection.

Of course, as it always happens with the Potter books-to-films translation, there's bound to be this rushed pacing to flesh out the entire story (although the movie did hit the 2 hour 30 min mark), which, in the end, leaves the audience a bit short-changed. Exciting moments like the attack of the Weasley's residence ended as quickly as it came, creating almost no tension at all. Which is a shame, seeing that it was a supposed to be a devastating moment, with the congregation of so many conflict-driven characters.

But the film did pile-up on one thing, though, which was the teenage romance blossoming among our younger leads. Those moments provided appropriately humourous distractions amidst the dark goings-on. Although, I felt, Harry and Ginny could've shared much more chemistry. Plus, the lack of focus on the titular Half-blood prince is also extremely jarring.

However, one particular gripe, is the handling of the death of a main character. Mirroring a similar situation in Order of the Phoenix, the director doesn't seem to put in much elaboration on the passing of the person. I'm sure the audience would've wanted to see how the leads dealt with such an event. But, that might be asking too much for a film that is trying its best to appease every fan.

FINAL SAY:

I would not be too quick to say that this is the best in series of films, but it is indeed a competent installment to ready us for the concluding film of the Potter books, Deathly Hallows, which will be separated into two movies. Smart move, Warner.

Wilson Ng - http://wilsoniscurious.blogspot.com/

Last updated: 2010-03-14 04:20:09 by wilsoniscurious

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Starring:

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Gint, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon

Director: David Yates

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Rated: PG-13

Harry Potter Comes back to Hogwarts Academy for his 6^th year, While in an advanced potions class he gets a text book that says property of the half blood prince. Harry tries to figure out who the half blood prince is as well discover more about the past of the dark Lord Voldemont who killed his family.

The Half-Blood Prince the 6^th film in the Harry Potter series is another finely done film, with the special effects used primarily to enhance the world that Harry lives in rather than being done for the sake of just doing special effects. The subtlety that is used is what separates the Harry Potter films from the likes of Transformers and in a good way.

After 6 years this Harry Potter focuses more on teenage romance and relationships than the others which is a natural progression.  The majority of the film is spent with Harry(Daniel Radcliffe) trying to befriend Professor Horrace Slughorn (Jim Boradbent) to find out more about Tom Riddle who later becomes Voldemont. As well as Hermionie (Emma Watson) pining over Ron Weasley (Rupert Gint). We also find Draco Malfoy (Tom Falton) being the chosen one by Voldemont in a plot to kill Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

The 6^th installment of the Harry Potter franchise is highly entertaining with the only issue being that the Half-Blood Prince feels more like a transition movie leading into “The Deathly Hollows” Than a film that stands alone on its own merits. Luckily the world of Hogwarts is more than enough though to make this worth watching.

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The Wait is Over for Arguably the Best ‘Potter’ Film Ever

The wait is finally over, all you Potter-philes out there. I used to be a bigHarry Potter fan, up until The Goblet of Fire. I grew up, as the rest of my generation of fans did. Moved on to liking movies of better quality than films about a boy wizard who fights evil. So prior to seeingHalf-Blood Prince, the sixth book-turned-movie by J.K Rowling, without watchingOrder of the Phoenix (although I did read all of the books), I was mildly confused.Prince opens with a pack of Death-Eaters (evil wizards and witches who follow the dark Lord Voldemort),among them Bellatrix Lestrange, attempting to convince Severus Snape (former Death-Eater and Hogwarts teacher) to form an "Unbreakable Vow" (a vow which if you go back on your word, death ensues) with Draco Malfoy's mother Narcissa to look after Malfoy and be sure that he finishes the "task" (which I won't reveal, since it plays such a major role in the film) that Voldemort has graced him with. But even not being a Potter fanatic, catching even the smallest glimpse of the screen will have you drooling. The cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel (I know, whenever we hear that name we now think of Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary) s breathtaking, Oscar-worthy, even, respectively. Which comes as no surprise since he was nominated twice before by the Academy.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is once again about Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) fight with the evil Voldemort, however this time around he receives a mysterious journal that reads inside "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince". Harry also learns more of Voldemort's (then Tom Riddle) past along with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon, brilliant) in hopes of defeating the evil Lord once and for all. Although that's only half the story. The big issue on everyone in America's minds is the stars' ages. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are all pretty much in their twenties, starting off the series while they were all close to eleven, whilst the characters they portray are far younger. That might've been why the movie felt a bit rushed, to finish the films before the kids have officially "grown-up". Nevertheless, Half-Blood Prince is a masterpiece.

Compared Twilight has nothing on Potter, the series being in an entire league of its own, and knowing that it is so. In addition to Harry's dilemma, Hermione Granger (the gorgeous and talented Emma Watson, a perfect example of the kids' "growing up") has feelings for Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) that only continue to grow. So when Ron begins to be noticed by girls after he (semi-spoiler alert) helps to win a Quidditch match, it's no wonder that she becomes jealous.

Also introduced in the movie is Horace Slughorn (played to perfection by Bridget Jones's Diary's Jim Broadbent), the new potions professor at the magic school. He originally joined the school around the same time as headmaster Albus Dumbledore did, as potions master, but later resigned in 1981. During his time there, he met Tom Riddle (Voldemort, remember?) who asked him odd questions about magic that are later revealed in the movie. Embarrassed at the memory he had gathered of the incident, he fixed it to make it right. So now when Harry tries to enter those particular memories years later, he can't seem to see Slughorn's answers to Riddle's questions.

If you're unfamiliar with Harry Potter, then yeah, you will be extremely confused at this sixth installment. Am I a major? No, yet after seeing Half-Blood Prince I am once again. David Yates (Order of the Phoenix) and screenwriter Steve Kloves' (who adapted every Potter film except for Phoenix) will renew your faith in the great old movie series that you at one time loved. The humor, romance, sadness and all-around dark vibe make the wait worthwhile for arguably the bestPotter film ever. This is the arrangement's Raiders of the Lost Ark, its Return of the King. And just before the final two parts of the franchise, Half-Blood Princewill pull you back into a group that you may have long lost touch with.

4.5/5 stars.

-Nick

harry potter and the half blood prince

by far the most visually stunning of all the harry potter films.  the castle has never looked cooler, nothing has ever looked cooler, in fact.  there was some really big magic like we had not seen yet and a diabolical murder that we had not seen anything like as of yet.  these stories are starting to get pretty serious.

i can’t say this is the best potter yet, but it’s close.  the only thing i didn’t really like is some of the dialog between the characters that didn’t have anything to do with the main plot line seemed a little…forced.  maybe, forced is a good word.  maybe contrived.  it just didn’t seem natural to me.  but nothing about harry potter is really very natural at all, is it?

the kids are all to the ages now where they are really starting to develop love type relationships with each other and some of the other students.  and this film really does try to build some of that teen angst, but they are just too busy with the main story line to spend too much time on it and the dialog suffers.

but in the end, this is a really, really good film.  you will raise an eyebrow or two during some of the dialog but coming right up is some kick ass magic or an amazing pan from one side of the castle to the next.  the weasley home looks really cool in this one too.  the inside of thier home they show a shot from the bottom of the staircase and it reminds me of that picture with all the staircases going all directions.  very cool.

/</gip style="font-size: 1.05em;"/>/gifour old shrivled and charred hands out of five.

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Cal Reed

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

Premise

Harry, Hermoine, and Ron are back again with the rest of the Hogwart's gang to unravel the mystery of Tom Riddle.


Review

It's a good thing I read the books or else I would be more than a little annoyed (and probably lost) about the amount of stuff they don't explain in this movie. As it is, I'm annoyed at how much they cut out. Don't expect to see Myrtle, the centaurs, or much of Luna. And they didn't show Alan Rickman nearly enough. Anyone who has read the books knows why that is particularly annoying in THIS installment of the HP movies.

Beyond that, it's a Harry Potter movie... enough said. There is teenage angst, dead bodies, wizard fights, and more teenage angst. The acting is great and it's fun to watch. At this point, I'm only going to these movies because I'm a collector and I like things to be finished.

This late in the game, I think HP would have been better off as a series instead of movies. They wouldn't have had to cut nearly as much.

Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

After spending two and a half hours trying to find a comfortable position in which my usually ridiculously long legs could rest on the seat in front of me (they couldn't, at least not without me stretching vigorously) I realized, these kids barely go to school. Seriously, they go to like one class a movie, and it doesn't even seem like that hard of a class.

And that's the problem with every Harry Potter movie. Every one of them (especially this one) is excruciatingly long and still distressingly short. After reading the immense amount of stuff that happens in the book (yes, i did read it - don't tell me you didn't either) this movie just plays like the cliff notes.

I know every single one of you knows the storyline but here it goes anyway. For some reason Harry likes to live in the subway system, riding the trains all day, when Dumbledore whisks him away to recruit an old friend to take his old teaching spot. Horace Slughorn, played brilliantly by Jim Broadbent, likes to know famous students, like Harry, and decides to take his old post as potions teacher. Which means Snape gets the post of defense against the dark arts teacher! (Gasp!) The movie barely focuses on this but more on Dumbledore and Harry's growing bond in the face of Voldemort. And on the 20 different relationship subplots between students (*barf*).

The movie is certainly rushed and leaves out the entire point of the title. I can give it away because it has absolutly no bearing on the plot of the movie. Severus Snape (coincidentally one of my favorite actors in the series) is the half blood prince. He doesn't say why, he just says he is. and that's that. Nothing changes. Harry doesn't go "oh my gosh everything makes sense now!" because it doesn't. They had to throw that part in there because it's in the title.

And here's the worst part of the movie, there is enough feelings to fuel a season of vh1's something of love show. As long as its PG. Relationships are pushed into happening much faster then they should be. If you didn't read the book it doesn't make any sense how fast they fall in love with each other.

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" ranks at about 3rd place in my list of Harry Potter movies, (I'll have to see Chamber of Secrets again). If you read the book you kind of have to see it and if you haven't go for Luna Lovegood, Severus Snape, and Horace Slughorn. Horace was a great addition to the cast and the other two are amazing in themselves.

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Last updated: 2010-03-02 09:12:44 by JoeandChrisO

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is an enchantment. It’s full of humor and suspense, young love and friendship. It’s packed with action and mystery. It’s dark and scary. It’s, well, magical. The movie begins with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) sitting in a café making eyes at a young waitress. Some flirting ensues and she tells him that she gets off at 11 and he can take her out after her shift is over. A smile flashes across his face and he quickly checks his breath. Right from the start we are reminded that Harry Potter is a story about teenagers and not a group of superheroes. Yes, they may be wizards, but they are adolescent wizards that are curious about the opposite sex, involved in sports, and worry about the next exam, just like any Muggle teenager.
Throughout the movie we see many budding relationships and even a few hearts broken. There is one scene in particular involving Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) after he has eaten a box of chocolates laced with a powerful love potion that reminded me what it was like to be a teenager in love. Harry comes into their room to find Ron staring intently at the moon and professing his love for Romilda Vane, who he has never even met. The scene is hysterical and showcases Rupert Grint’s comical chops, who is given some of the funniest moments in the film.
Ron’s main romantic interest is Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), and she seems more interested in “snogging” than any matters of the heart (and that is ok by Ron). Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) has quickly grown up and is dating Dean Thomas, but their relationship appears to be on the rocks. And that keeps Harry hopeful as he soon realizes that he is falling for his best friend’s sister, which creates some complications of their own. Hermione (Emma Watson) grows jealous of Lavender and discovers that she has feelings for Ron. And the relationship wheel goes round and round.
But the story is not all about puppy-love. Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) assigns Harry the task of growing close to the newest Hogwarts professor, Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Professor Slughorn was a previous teacher of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. He Who Must Not Be Named) and is hiding a memory that could help unlock the mystery of Lord Voldemort’s power. While in Professor Slughorn’s class, Harry discovers a textbook that belonged to the mysterious Half-Blood Prince with plenty of notes to help Harry succeed in his potion making. But who is the Half-Blood Prince and is it wise to use the secret spells and potions written in the margins? Harry should know by now that it’s probably not, but hey, if it’s getting him an A in the class, why not?
In the meantime, someone is attempting to assassinate Professor Dumbledore. Harry quickly assumes it is Draco Malfoy and follows him through the dark corridors and halls of Hogwarts. Malfoy is played by Tom Felton who appears paler and more washed out in this film with dark red rings around his eyes. Felton plays the role with a brooding emotional intensity and helps to fuel the dark undertone of the film. What Draco’s role is I will not reveal, but I will say that at the end, we do not blame him for his choice.
While the movie is full of adolescent goings-on (romances, Quidditch matches, etc.), this is a much darker Potter movie. The cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel is bathed in dark saturated grays, blues, and reds. And the lighting reminded me of that in “The Third Man,” with side and back lighting adding to the aura of mystery. Director David Yates has done a wonderful job of combining the warm, lighter elements with the very dark, sinister underpinnings of the film. The story has a lot packed into it and can at times seem too scattered. I’d be interested to see how those who haven’t read the book were able to keep up with the multiple storylines in the movie.
But I do think that the movie holds up very well as just that – a movie. I’m sure we’ll hear from many Potter fans shouting that the movie doesn’t have this or that in it or that it adds too much. But the movie should stand apart from the book. There is entirely too much information in a book for it all to translate to the big screen, and when a book is adapted for the screen, you have to view it as its own entity.
And as such, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is a wonderful film. It’s packed with action, romance, and some great performances. The Potter series has been able to surround its movies with an extraordinary supporting cast. Alan Rickman as Snape; Michael Gambon as Dumbledore; Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange all turn in performances that stand out (although Helena Bonham Carter’s stood out the most to me).
Oh, there’s so much more to this movie that I’ve left out! I haven’t even mentioned the Death Eaters, the young sinister Tom Riddle, or the underground lake where Harry and Dumbledore battle little Gollum look-alikes. “The Half-Blood Prince” is one of the best Potter films (up there with “The Prisoner of Azkaban” for the title of “Best Potter Movie”) and will have you wishing Hogwarts and wizardry were real. But alas, they are not, and we are only able to enjoy them through the magic of movies. But with movies like this, that’s just fine with me.
 
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 153 Minutes
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter); Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley); Emma Watson (Hermione Granger); Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore); Alan Rickman (Severus Snape); Jim Broadbent (Horace Slughorn); Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange); Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy); Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley); Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown); Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (Young Tom Riddle); Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall); Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid)
Directed by: David Yates; written by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling; produced by David Heyman and David Barron. A Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince

Writer: Steve Kloves
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson

A great set up for the two movie finale, this is the second best Potter movie next to "Prisoner Of Azkhaban". I like that the films are getting darker and the three major actors have grown up and give more in depth performances. The writer Steve Kloves (Fabulous Baker Boys) is outstanding at adapting these books into dark, powerful and suspenseful movies.

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Vincent Snavely

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (review originally published July 2009)

Here we are again with an installment to this potentially epic saga that has produced another bittersweet result.
The visuals are lush: Bruno Delbonnel\'s photography is impressive but yet pleasingly subtle, the art design (particularly that of the cave) is glorious, and the effects are admirable. Nicholas Hooper\'s score, though not as sweeping as John Williams\' early work, yet again proves to be an elegant addition. The scene that takes place within the cave is incredibly engaging and is given the scale it deserves.
As enjoyable as much of the film is, for those of us who know better, there is an unpleasant aftertaste that arrives when the credits come up. We know the source material. We know all the plot devices and characters. We know every line of dialogue and every intricate bit of action that\'s expected to occur. Yet we don\'t care about any of this as much as we care about the emotions that come with them. David Yates and his cast and crew do what they can with the script they have been given. However, Steve Kloves yet again (as he did particularly in installments 3 & 4) chooses to make undesirable omissions.
My distaste for his contribution to this series does not stem from the exclusion of subplots and supporting characters or the supposed misinterpretation of what I think people and places should look like. Give me more credit than that. I accept the film as its own entity. What I cannot remain ignorant to is when there are certain emotions that should exist that simply aren\'t there.
When the climax of the film came I realized it had not been earned. There was simply not enough build. Here was a chance to explore what sent the \"greatest dark wizard of all-time\" on his descent into hell and we miss out on it. There is no sense of discovery and mystery on the past of this satanic character. All we really learn is the bare necessities to allow the story to continue. 
There is no speculation and curiosity, or even any thorough explanation, on the identity of the \"Half-Blood Prince\" that the film draws its title from. It merely becomes a matter of fact. There is no hint at the heart-breaking betrayal that occurs. There are no pains of weak desperation.
Instead time was allotted on an unmotivated destruction of the Weasley\'s home that ultimately was never assigned any true purpose.
I have trouble contriving any other explanation other than that Kloves and anyone who finalized his script underestimated the attention span of their audience. There was a depth that could have been explored but was only glanced at, tears that could have been shed but merely lingered in the eyes, and a horribly dark horizon that could have been painted by the end but was only hinted at.
The only potential Oscar nominations: Art Direction and Cinematography.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (2009)

BOTTOM LINE: The sixth film in the series continues on a darker narrative path, with a very even and mysterious tone with glorious visuals. However, as with the other films in this franchise, this is very light stuff indeed story-wise, making it hard to recommend to any one looking for a story with a bit of meat on the bone or a genuine cinematic experience.

THE GOOD: The Harry Potter films have become just as big a gold mine as the novels they are based upon and “The Half Blood Prince” continues this tradition with a much richer visual texture, darker overtones, and a somewhat quieter and subdued tone that is both welcome and unexpected. This time out Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is entrusted by Dumbledore to find out more information about his nemesis Lord Voldemort and his connection to new wizard teacher Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), all with the unexpected help of a text book formerly owned by the “Half-Blood Prince”. As with the other films, the twenty odd minutes specifically devoted to the Harry-Voldemort story line are quite fascinating, and subsequently set up a rather interesting climax to come in subsequent films. All round, the recurring cast are becoming rather good in their roles. Radcliffe looks quite comfortable as Harry, much more assured and confident as he has ever been in the role. Grint and Watson are likewise as strong, as are the entire supporting cast. The film is quieter, taking on a more sombre tone and has a moment or two that could be classified as scary; the cursed female student frozen in mid-air by an evil force certainly sends tingles down your spine. The film looks absolutely glorious visually, and is perhaps the first of the films to not look overly CG-ish and more natural. The appeal of these films is certainly for kids, although adults do enjoy them as well and on this front, this new Harry Potter film works.

THE BAD: The story is very light for a feature film. Not having read the books I cannot say if scenes have been omitted or not, but my general impression of this film, and the others before it, is that they have about a 20-30 minute section which holds the meat of the story (which is actually quite interesting), and the rest of it is devoted to the uninteresting teenage games played between the characters and the requisite and boring Quidditch match. As a result, unless you are really in to this stuff, there is hardly any meat on the story-bone. Despite the immaculate attention to visual detail and the overall good execution of performance, direction and editing, the base material barely qualifies as a cinematic experience. Harry Potter fans will probably be up in arms over this analysis, particularly given its appeal, but not every one is a fan.

RATING: 6.5/10

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Moon Minis - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Stale melodrama thrives in the sixth film based on J.K Rowling's magical septology about a boy fighting an unstoppable force named Voldemort. If you've seen the first five, carry out the tradition here, but those who weren't drawn into the Potter universe with the other films will absolutely hate Half-Blood Prince. In fact, fans may well take offense to the film's horrid pacing and lack of substance. Even the actors seem bored at times. Could it be the ridiculously abundant dialogue? Possibly, and the fact that the wizard battles are few and far between.

Taking into account the length of the film - a 2 and a half hour jaunt through wizard school rife with more relationship problems than conflict - much of the running time seems wasted on inane details that do more to confuse the casual Potter fan than explain much of anything. And for a film that supposedly centers on the half-blood prince, there's very little mention of him. A tedious watch that does not bode well for the conclusion of a very compelling book series, you'd do best to stick with the text as there's more to enjoy there than this slow film can provide.

Last updated: 2010-01-17 08:08:16 by user01

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [2009] --- 6

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/



Now since this is the first Harry Potter movie I am reviewing, let me clear up some things before I get bombarded with questions.

Yes I have read the books. The first 2 books. All I have to say about that is I might as well have just watched the movies they followed the books so closely. So I gave up reading after the second book.

Secondly I am not a hardcore fan. I cannot name all four of the houses, I just know that there are 4. And I am a fan of the movies, but I am not an insane hardcore follower that I actually own a cape, a snitch, a broomstick, etc.

Now that that’s out of the way, lets procede.

This is the 6th installment of the movies. The first few were excellent, but as they progress they seem to get more and bleaker as the story goes on. Either that or I am just getting used to the magic side and am starting to get bored with it.

I did like the entire part about how Harry obtained an old book and in it was the correct way on how to prepare potions. I was really intrigued up until he had to get rid of the book, after that it all seemed to flow downhill.

There really was no good redeaming quality in this film. You learn a bunch about Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort. And what he has done to himself and how he has survived. It is interesting, but dull. It doesn’t even impact you at all, its just kind of like a professor who has a boring lecture to teach told you. you just accept it and move on, there was no “OMG! ARE YOU SERIOUS!” moment, it was just here you go, move along, move along.

I was also not shocked to see that Snape was bad. I thought it was extremely obvious from the first movie, but none of my friends thought so except me. Especially with what he did (I won’t ruin that part). It was a little bit of a shock, but it was just like when you found out what Moldyvort did to himself. It was just another move along moment.

This director sucked. End of story. The most important parts of the film he just kind of didn’t care to convey any type of emotion of anything. It’s like he used to be a police officer or a lawyer. Just here are the facts. Now get on with your life.

All in all it was tolerable, but I am not looking forward to the next movie. I will still go see it, but I am by no means excited to see it like I was almost every movie up to this one.

Base Score = 6
+1 for Harry Potter
+1 for getting that awesome old potion book
-1 for not having good director
-1 for not feeling anything on the most critical moments of the film
=6/10

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Last updated: 2010-01-13 12:55:05 by Tolll

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Plot: Harry Potter returns for his 6^th year at Hogwarts.  Meanwhile, Voldemort and his followers grow in numbers, causing mayhem in both the wizard world and muggle world.  Harry and Dumbledore attempt to unlock Voldemort’s dark past in order to learn how to defeat him.

To be able to produce six movies of quality in the same series in less than 10 years is pretty damn impressive.  I like some better than others, but there has never been a bad Harry Potter movie.  Although some of them have hovered around the line of greatness, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince gets pretty close to finally breaking it.  This is my favorite of the series so far.  The movie has its share of problems, but the good outweighs the bad by a lot.

Now I don’t consider myself a die hard Potter head, but I’m a pretty big fan.  There are a lot of diehards who always complain about how much is taken out of the books.  This annoys me a great deal because I think they do a remarkable job of adapting these 700 page epics into a solid 2 and a half hour movie.  This one was no different.  People need to realize that what works in a book may not work on film.  The filmmakers certainly took their share of liberties with the ending to Half-Blood Prince…and I loved it.  The climax is beautiful.  Its subtlety really works for the movie, where the book’s ending was more glorified and had a larger cast of characters.  That worked for the book, this works for the movie.  The fact that they cut out a lot of characters and events in the film’s climax makes the tension between the characters that really matter even stronger.  This is all credit to the director David Yates who also directed the previous installment.  The ending was strong in that one as well, and he delivers once again here.  I’m thrilled he’s attached to the final film.

There were some minor disappointments of scenes they cut from the book that I want to mention.  For example there is no Defense against the Dark Arts classes with Professor Snape as he tries to teach Harry and company how to use magical spells by thinking them.  This was a nice part in the book, and I think it would have made the ongoing Harry/Snape conflict even stronger.

The movie’s biggest weakness though is that its main plot suffers from too much time spent on teenage romance.  Not that they didn’t do a good job with the adolescent shenanigans, because they really do, but it should have been cut down to focus more on the main story which is Dumbledore and Harry exploring Voldemort’s past through memories.  When Yates does focus on this story, he does a great job.  We do learn about one of Voldemort’s dark secrets, but it’s not enough.  They really needed to incorporate 1 or 2 more memories from the book to clearly show what Harry needs to do in order to rectify Voldemort’s wrong doings.  It will seem a bit confusing to the outsiders who only watch the movies.  Also there are scenes from the book that further develop Voldemort’s character, which were unfortunately cut.

So what’s the best part about this movie?  The acting is phenomenal.  The acting has always been good in the Potter flicks, but everyone really steps it up here.  Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter has always been strong, but this is his best yet.  Newcomer Jim Broadbent as potions Professor Horace Slughorn was brilliant.  He’s crucial as his character essentially drives the film’s main plot.  Whether he’s being jovial or remorseful, Broadbent really nails all sides of the character.  More screen time with Alan Rickman as Professor Snape is always a good thing.  But the man who really steals the show is Michael Gambon as Professor Dumbledore.  His run as Dumbledore through out the series has been inconsistent and uneven, but he makes up for it here.  One scene I’ll remember for a while is when he is forced to drink a potion.  It’s a very intense performance.

Fans and non-fans will like this one quite a bit.  I do have to warn you though, if you are a casual Potter fan, make sure you have seen all the previous movies and pay attention to this one.  Like I said, I have been very impressed with this series.  I love that the same actors have remained throughout all six movies and will return for the last one.  I have very high hopes for the final, which is split in two parts.  Unfortunately if the finale fails, the entire series will fail, but I am confident David Yates and company will deliver a knockout.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Last updated: 2010-02-01 18:35:47 by danjewish

harry potter and the half-blood prince

have you ever sat for a day dreaming of what house you would be sorted into? i have. i hoped for ravenclaw, because i’m so smrt. plus cho is there. that’s a pretty big bonus. you can deduce from this little diatribe that i love harry potter. i want to go to hogwarts and have an owl, or possibly a frog; i want to wave my wand and enlarge things.
of the six movies out so far, the half-blood prince is my favorite. as this is the first harry potter movie i’ve ever written about, i feel like i have to comment on the entire series; so here it comes. it’s going to be long, i have much to say: it’s emotional. you’re going to read it.

the harry potter movies group together, of sorts: the first 2 are directed by chris columbus, scored by john williams. yes, john williams. he’s a bloody legend. how did they get him? i want to know how. the 3rd film was alfonso cuarón directing, john williams again doing the music. the 4th was totally different from the rest, with mike newell directing, and patrick doyle doing the score. this was a mistake. 5 and 6, which are actually relevant to this review, are directed by david yates and scored by nicholas hooper.

now, you can see the series is all over the place. each director brought his own feel and the music didn’t even stay the same with the director at all times, which really messes things up. that said, the third film was where i think the series really got the attention of adults: it was different, it was fast, it was awesome.

through this long parade of movies, there’s two things that, to me, were of the largest impact to the series of films: michael gambon became dumbledore, and the books got longer. you can tell the books became longer because the tempo of the movies totally changed. in film 4, goblet of fire, the tempo was just bad. many times i just felt like the actors were reaming off their lines as fast as possible because there wasn’t time to do more than that. i wondered if the director had a whip, and was whipping them. “no, don’t read the line like that. less emotion. more like an auctioneer” is what i imagined the director saying, in my head. it was upsetting. i was sad. i won’t comment much upon michael gambon, except to say he sucked. he wasn’t dumbledore, i don’t know what he was. a mean old man, perhaps.

so anyways, about the half-blood prince: j.k. rowling spent a lot of time and energy in book 6 on teen love, and this was completely missed in the movie. i kept hoping ron would scream out EXPECTO PENIS to hermione, but it never happened. it’s a good spell. that said, the rest of the movie was great. michael gambon finally did what he was born to do: die as dumbledore.
actually, i liked gambon in this movie, he represented what i thought dumbledore should be, for the first time. moreover, the music was absolutely brilliant, setting tone and atmosphere. i loved it. yates also brought humour to this movie. a lot of it. this was a great move, and i only wish it happened earlier in the series; the juxtaposition of the dark tone of the plot and the light carefree humour just feels good. like petting the soft underbelly of a kitten. you can do it all day.

because i’m getting tired of writing, i’m only going to make one more positive point: they fixed the tempo in half-blood prince that had become mucked up since goblet of fire. it wasn’t too fast, and while they still skipped some things i feel they shouldn’t have, j.k. rowling’s work was mostly intact. or maybe it’s just because the book was shorter.

so all of these words result in me giving this movie a 6.6/7. skipping the funeral was, to me, a big no-no. as well, sometimes the movie lagged a little bit, though not enough to really bore me.

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Last updated: 2010-01-09 00:38:31 by user03

Movie Review: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

 HP6 is very much Daniel Radcliffe's movie  

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP6) is a difficult film to review.  As part of the overall Harry Potter series, it’s perhaps one of the better ones.  But as a standalone film in its own right, it is rather weak.  Nevertheless, I’m sure it will satisfy the millions of Potter fans worldwide that are still crazy about the series even though it has been a couple of years since the final book.

Like the previous film, HP6 is directed by David Yates.  However, unlike most of the previous films (at least from memory), there’s no initial padding this time, no new introduction to the characters.  Yates wastes no time and gets right into the story from the get-go.  Hence if you are seeing a Harry Potter film for the first time (as unlikely as that may be) or if you are not a fanatic and some of the details in the series are a bit fuzzy (much more likely), it may take you a while to figure out or remember what the heck is going on and who everyone is.  I suppose if you are watching the 6^th film of a series as the first, you deserve to be confused, but for people like me who have read the books and seen the earlier films once each and is not nuts about it, you kind of wish there would be a little padding at the start to get you up to speed.

HP6 is a reflection of the coming of age of the characters and the dark times they live in.  Yates recognises the tone of the story he is working with and that the majority of fans that have grown up reading Harry Potter have become a lot more mature.  I’m sure if you go and watch the first couple of films in the series you’d be shocked how different they are.

Visually and stylistically, it’s probably my favourite of the series.  It’s incredibly dark, grey and gloomy, with almost a complete absence of warm colours.  At times, the mood of the film plays out like a horror movie, and for the first time in memory, there are seriously creepy moments (that may even frighten adults).  There are a couple of scenes I can definitely see giving younger children nightmares.

That said, Yates has still injected some of that typical JK Rowling humour into the film, and I’m surprised to say that it has blended in rather well, particularly in the middle parts.  There are also the inevitable romances that have no choice but to come into play, though Yates does his best to make them seem less forced.

It’s been too long since I read the book to recall if the film is completely faithful to it, but I believe the main touchstones are there.  However, whilst in the book series you have to wait until the final book to learn the truth about the titular character’s (the Half-Blood Prince, not Harry Potter) intentions, in the film it is made pretty clear from the start.  The hints were too obvious.  At least they were to me.

As for the acting, I don’t know what is going on, but for the first time in the series I can honestly say Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were all decent.  Same as for Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, Jessie Cave who plays Lavender Brown and Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood (who does a particularly good job).  Seems like the kids have learned how to act, although I cannot help but say that most of the kids who have been mainstays on the series (with the exception of Emma Watson) must have been hit with either a weird, ugly or awkward stick while growing up (in some sad cases all three).  Let’s just say there were quite a few ‘what happened to him?’ moments.

One thing I should mention is that HP6 is really Daniel Radcliffe’s film.  From memory, he’s never had to carry a film like he had to in this one (having always had Grint and Watson to share the load).  This time, he has substantially more screen time than the other two and he takes it in his stride.  I’m not sure a younger or less experienced Radcliffe would have been able pull it off, so full credit to him.

As for the adults, new Potions teacher Professor Slughorn, played by Jim Broadbent, dominates the film along with Michael Gambon’s Albus Dumbledore and Alan Rickman’s Severus Snape.  All three do a solid job.  Unfortunately this means that most of the other adults have little more than cameos.

So that’s the reaction of the minor fan in me to the film.  However, the truth is, HP6 is a film that has no proper beginning and no real end, starting and finishing with unattended loose ends.  It’s also a film with a story where, let’s face it, nothing really happens.  It’s not much more than just a filler for the final film(s).  And if you really think about it, not enough of the film is focused on the Half-Blood Prince for him to be the titular character.  Apart from the mandatory Quidditch sequences, a short scene in the middle and the final climax, there is actually very little action.  Much of the film is focused on the personal growth of the children, their hormones and their relationships.  Hence I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people found the film boring or pointless.

Nevertheless, even if there are some glaring issues with it, as a semi-Potter fan, I found the film rather enjoyable.

3 out of 5 stars

PJM

Last updated: 2010-01-06 22:34:16 by user04

HP6

I am a big fan of the Harry Potter franchise. I wrote this film review from the point of view of someone who has not read the sixth book. (…because I haven’t really read the book, honest)

The film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince surprisingly focuses more on the hormonal changes experienced by the main characters. This is not a very wise move in my opinion, unless the director David Yates wants a Twilight-wannabe movie. People who watch the Harry Potter movies expect to see wizard duels, potions, and magic. Good thing the director did not go as low as open shirts for the teenage wizards. Nevertheless, I must commend the director on the fresh and mature approach when portraying teenage adolescence.

The previous movies portray Harry Potter as an average wizard with talented friends and allies on his side and more than enough luck. I felt that Harry finally stepped up and proved himself a formidable wizard. This film is the harbinger of the best yet to come. I can only imagine how intense the two-part movie finale will be.

There is an immense maturity and coming-of-age for the Hogwarts wizards. Characters, both heroes and villains, face very mature and difficult decisions. In the battle against good and evil, Order of the Phoenix versus the Death Eaters, sacrifices DO have to be made.

The actor, Jim Broadbent, gave an awesome performance as Professor Horace Slughorn; which I feel is a very difficult character to portray. Actor Bonnie Wright playing Ginny Weasley grew up to be a fair lady in the film. I hope she gets more exposure in the next two movies. As with the previous Harry Potter movies, Alan Rickman, gave a brilliant interpretation to the most mysterious and interesting character in the series, Severus Snape.

The cinematography is splendid. The special effects are stunning, none more so than the scene when the Burrows was attacked. Towards the end of the movie there is the obvious sense of forlorn and despair. Soundtrack is first-class, as always.

A bit disappointing though is the ending. All the events of the first two hours build up for that decisive moment only to fall flat and end in a cheesy way. It is as if the climax of the film were for nothing. The climax does not make full sense when quite few of the plots where not tied properly. I suspect they are withholding all the good stuff for the two-part movie conclusion.

I think the general rule is if you have not read the book, then you will find the movie very perplexing. The director may have assumed everyone has read the book so he excludes a few characters and storyline. Realistically speaking though, no director can fit the whole book in a two and a half hour movie. With that said, the book and the movie go hand-in-hand; one cannot live without the other (wink wink).

I particularly do not read the Harry Potter books but I listen to the audio books. Do not get me wrong, it has nothing to do with laziness, I love reading books. However, there is something magical (pun intended) about the Harry Potter books read by British actor, Stephen Fry. I find him amusing and relevant because he changes his voice for different characters; and he has a British accent, which is appropriate for a “British” book. More importantly, Stephen Fry reads the book from the heart. I am now on Chapter 4 and I cannot wait to finish it. Try it.

So to appreciate the film: read the book before watching it or watch it first then listen to the audio book afterwards. Perfect.

 

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Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince

Ok, let me make it clear that I’m not a Harry Potter fanboy, but I do like the books. Having said that, I believe the volume that this film comes from I’ve only read once or twice, but even those couple of times allowed to me to know that this film could have been better had certain things not been left out.
Let me start this review by saying that although the previous film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was good, I felt it was a bit too dark, but then again, I’m not fan of dark film for the most part. As I was sitting in the theater watching this, I was pleased that the director, David Yates, decided to bring back the, pardon the pun, magic that seemed to disappear after the first two films. The humor and fun is part of what has made the series of books, along with excellent writing by J.K. Rowling (she has a cameo in the film, btw).
We have watched Harry, Ron, and Hermoine grow up on screen right before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday they were wee little tykes hanging on to Hagrid’s robes causing mischief, and here they are today on the cusp of saving the wizarding world. What I find intersting is how that has the actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, respectively) have grown with their characters. Although, they need to hurry and get the last one..well, two films out before they end up old and gray playing teenagers.
Draco Malfoy has been more of an annoyance to Harry than anything over the years, excluding the duel they have in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Here he seems like a total different character, as in the book, and we get another Harry/Draco duel, this time no Snape or Lockhart to break it up. I do have to wonder about the state of Hogwarts’ bathrooms, though. Those things have taken so much abuse, its a miracle they are still standing!
Another thing that was missing from the last film was Quidditch. There was quite literally an outcry for it to be included in this film, and, while some may argue it does nothing to move the story along, I disagree. Not only does it set up Ron and Lavender’s relationship, it also keep the light-heartedness of the first half of the film going.
In all the previous films, Dumbledore has been nothing more than a wise figure who seemingly watches over Harry (and all of the Hogwarts students, for that matter). Here, we actually get to see him do a bit of action, though it still isn’t much. I did notice that he reminded me of Gandalf in a later scene where he isn’t wearing his hat.
Jim Broadbent was a welcome addition to the cast and, though he may not have the perfect body type for Slughorn, he captured the mannerisms of the character just as I imagined him. Just as Dolores Umbridge stole the show in the last film, Slughorn does the same here. It is a shame that they took out a good portion of his better scenes.
As I’ve mentioned, there are many scenes that were not in the film that should have been. Yeah, I know some of you are out there saying that they can’t very well put the entire book on film. This is true, but a couple of the scenes are so important, it leaves one scratching their head as to why they took them out,especially when you consider how impressive they could make them look on film. With a running time of just over 2 1/2 hours, it is a bit long, but every film in this series has been, so its just continuing the tradition. I just think they could have done a better job with the editing and deciding what parts of the book to include and which to cut out.
Teenagers are just plain horny creatures, but seriously, is it really necessary to have just about every scene with them "snogging"? Maybe I just led a sheltered life during my high school days, or I’ve become a old fuddy-duddy over time, but that just seemed a bit much. One or two here and there is fine to establish that they aren’t kids anymore and whatnot, but good grief! There is such a thing as too much.
I didn’t particularly care for the young Tom Riddles. Critics are gushing over these boys, but I just wasn’t impressed. I think they would have done better with the boy from Chamber, or they could have found better actors. I’m not sure what it is about them, but something just rubbed me the wrong way, and not in that evil, creepy way, but rather in the way that they just weren’t likable or believable.
So, what do I ultimately think fo thid film? Well, I liked it, didn’t quite love it, though, but that’s only after one viewing. Ask me again after I have the DVD and see it a few times if I love it or not. I still maintain that my favorite Potter film is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As I said earlier, they seemed to bring back the lighter tone that the earlier films had, which really made this much more entertaining for me, and I don’t want to hear this mess about it being a dark book and whatnot. There is only so much moody, morose-ness one can take.  I’m disappointed n the ending, though, but rumor has it that they are going to have a very important key scene start off the next one. We’ll see next year (unless they postpone it in lieu of the third Twilight). So, while I always say these reviews are just my thoughts and you need to make your own decision, I can’t say it enough. Critics oft times don’t know what they’re talking about. This is a very good film, despite its deviance from the source material and you should see it , especially if you’re a fan of the series. Unlike with the other films in the series, I actually left looking forward to the next film, of course, this is the only one that leaves the viewer with a feeling of there being another film.

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