Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By Laura YoungMPAA Rating: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action
Release Date: July 15, 2009
Running Time: 2 hours and 33 minutes
Plot Synopsis: The return of Lord Voldemort signals a new era in the lives of Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts, with heightened security measures being instated to protect the students against an attack by Voldemort's lethal followers, the Death Eaters. But Harry suspects that evil plans are brewing within Hogwarts and grows suspicious of fellow classmate Draco Malfoy's after-class activities. Professor Dumbledore enlists Harry's help in engaging the former Hogwarts' Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn, who holds the key into unlocking the true objective behind Voldemort's return.
Sex/Nudity: Love seems to be on the minds of the older students of Hogwarts, but none of it gets any steamier than longing glances and a kiss or two: Lavender Brown becomes infatuated with Ron Weasley and kisses him. Harry and Ginny Weasley share a kiss towards the end of the film.
Violence/Gore: Draco Malfoy discovers Harry eavesdropping on him and kicks him in the face. Ron starts foaming at the mouth and nearly dies after mistakenly drinking a poison. A young student is found lying unconscious on the floor after being cursed. The Weasley's house is set on fire and destroyed by Death Eaters. Harry fights with Malfoy and knocks him out with a Sectumsepra spell, and severely wounds him, causing him to bleed quite a bit. Dumbledore convulses while drinking a potion created by Voldemort. Inferi (living corpses) attack Harry while in a hidden cave. Professor Dumbledore is killed by Snape.
Profanity: A few mildly saucy phrases such as when Ron says that Lavender is upset and has her "knickers in a twist" and later comments about all the "snogging" he's been doing.
Drugs/Alcohol: Harry and his friends go to a pub with Professor Slughorn and drink beer-like substances called "mead" and "butterbeer." Harry watches as Hagrid and Slughorn get drunk at Hagrid's house.
Which Kids Will Like It? It's safe to say grade school and tweenage fans of the books and of the movie franchise will be thrilled with this latest installment in the series. Although the film is rated PG, the overall tone of this Harry Potter film is dark, and some sequences are quite haunting and could potentially be frightening to younger children.
Will Parents Like It? Adult Harry Potter aficionados will have fun watching the story progress alongside magical special effects and will be bemused by the Hogwarts students' newfound interest in romance and dating.
Kaboose Review: Since the release of the first Harry Potter film in 2001, the live action incarnations of the adventures of the spectacles-wearing wizard and his gang of friends and mentors have captivated audiences worldwide. So there is no doubt that this newest addition to the Harry Potter movie franchise will be a surefire hit at the box office.
As with all the Potter films, there are a dizzying array of story lines to follow, but director David Yates seems to have made this film bit more focused and easier to follow than the previous installment he helmed, 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. With a simplified plot that aims to prepare viewers for Harry's impending battle with Voldemort, the film succeeds in keeping the audience anxious for the final two films of the series.
While the Order of the Phoenix was all about action and intrigue, the Half-Blood Prince centers more on romance and responsibility. Although new security measures have been taken to protect Hogwarts' students from the very scary prospect of an attack by the Death Eaters, much of the students' interests revolve around their bubbling hormones. While Hermione comes to realize her affections for Ron Weasley extends further than just friendship, Ron is oblivious to her new-found feelings and dabbles in a disastrous relationship with a giddy younger classmate, Lavender Brown. Meanwhile a mutual progression towards romance begins to build between Harry and Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley.
When not exploring his feelings for the opposite sex, Harry is tasked by Professor Dumbledore with the imperative task of getting to know the newly reinstated Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. A man drawn to and swayed by celebrity and power, Slughorn is wooed back to his former job by the prospect of teaching the now famous Harry Potter- aka "The Chosen One." As Dumbledore reveals to Harry, only Slughorn knows a vital piece of information that will explain the objective behind Lord Voldemort's return, and it is Harry's task to divulge the secret out of him.
All the while, Harry has a feeling his long-time antagonist Draco Malfoy has been drawn to the sinister magic of the Dark Arts and has suspicions that the mysterious Professor Severus Snape is somehow involved. And during one of the final scenes of the film Harry's hunches seem to be right when he witnesses Snape kill his beloved mentor, Professor Dumbledore, after Draco (who is now a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort) is unable to go through with the task.
Although not as terrifying as the last few Harry Potter films (including the Order of the Phoenix, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) the film still contains some substantially frightening scenes involving a host of menacing characters that try very hard to harm or kill Harry, Dumbledore, and members of the Order of the Phoenix. And while this movie revolving around wizards and magic does not aim for realism, there are some very real world issues that parents should be prepared to answer questions about, such as the death of a loved one and romantic love.
Despite the fact that this film lays down some very key groundwork in terms of the motivation and plot points of the Harry Potter story as a whole, this movie does feel a bit like a tee-up to what will probably be the biggest and most intriguing films of the series--the two-part take on the final Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Probably more than any other film in the canon, this movie leaves us feverishly wanting more--much to the delight of its director.
Please check out all our reviews of films in the Harry Potter series:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Directed by: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Michael Gambon (Professor Albus Dumbledore), Jim Broadbent (Professor Horace Slughorn), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown)
Movie poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Laura Young is producer of Crafts/Holidays & Fun on Kaboose.com.
