Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread

scott1598 · 07-13-09, 06:03 PM

Movie:
”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009) (Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent)

Release Date:
7/15/2009

Rating:
PG (for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality)

Running Time:
153 min. (2h. 33m.)

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:177 Rotten:34 (84% as of 7/21/09)
RT Link...

Info:
IMDb Link...

Trailer:

Poster Art:

The Bus · 07-14-09, 12:39 AM

What a relief! I went into Half-Blood Prince with some trepidation. Order of the Phoenix was simply one of the most dreadful movies I've seen in theaters in recent years. I didn't know if I should be laying the blame on David Yates or Michael Goldenberg. Well, this movie gives me the answer: It's Goldenberg's fault. The screenplay for Phoenix excised all the things that made Phoenix palatable.

For the newest installment, Steve Klove returns. Like all adaptations, you can't fit in everything you can from the book into a film. But Klove retains, improbably, so much of the heart of the characters from the book that the movie could almost work as a stand-alone romantic comedy. My only complaint is that the ending is cut short and the

Spoiler:

loses some of the impact. I don't think an extra 5 or 7 minutes there would've killed the film.

Overall, this is the strongest installment of the series and a great way to go into the final two films. Of the people I saw it with it, all but one loved it (she was a first time Potter viewer). Highly recommended to fans!

RocShemp · 07-14-09, 12:49 AM

Hmm. I dunno how to feel about that review. I never read the books but Order of the Phoenix was my second favorite movie. Prisoner of Azkabhan is my favorite thus far. The one I hated the most was Goblet Of Fire. It was just so disjointed.

How does Half-Blood Prince compare to Prisoner of Azkabhan?

Solid Snake PAC · 07-14-09, 12:59 AM

I've never seen any of the others but Priosoner of Azkabhan was damn good...Cuaron was on a role with that one.

chris_sc77 · 07-14-09, 01:07 AM

I liked films 1,3, and 5.
Films 2 and 4 sucked.

I swore i'd never see another Potter in theaters after 4 but 5 was very good and I may change my mind after seeing the good reviews for this one.

RocShemp · 07-14-09, 02:20 AM

I wouldn't say Chamber of Secrets sucked but it was definitely not on par with Prisoner of Azkabhan or Order of the Phoenix.

I'd rate them from best to worst:

Prisoner of Azkabhan
Order of the Phoenix
Philosopher's Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Goblet of Fire

Suprmallet · 07-14-09, 03:09 AM

Yeah, that would be my ranking as well. Chamber of Secrets isn't bad so much as it is pointless, but so is the book, so that's not the movie's fault. Goblet of Fire was just poorly made.

The O · 07-14-09, 08:25 AM

I think "Half-Blood Prince" is excellent.

Merkin Muffley · 07-14-09, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

Yeah, that would be my ranking as well. Chamber of Secrets isn't bad so much as it is pointless, but so is the book, so that's not the movie's fault. Goblet of Fire was just poorly made.

"Chamber of Secrets" was always my least favorite, but they helped redeem it in the end by making its climax retroactively important.

RobLutter · 07-14-09, 03:08 PM

Chamber of Secrets is a 1.5 hour plot in a 3 hour movie.

That film needed a better director and a shorter runtime.

Goblet of Fire wasn't terrible but it should have been better. Maybe because it's a lot of peoples' favorite book of the series... it was impossible to measure up.

I actually thought Order of the Phoenix was one of the best of the series. Not sure why people don't like that one.

As I've told my friends though... the winner hands down is Prisoner of Azkaban. Instead of making the book into an exact replica on-screen that film made a MOVIE. Great cinematography, design, and pacing... and Cuaron knew exactly what was needed in the plot and what could go to the wayside and not hurt the film. It's TIGHT.

pinata242 · 07-14-09, 03:16 PM

Great reviews so far in here and from Brian and Jamie. I'm looking forward to it. Taking my older daughter to the 9:30am tomorrow (early bird special

).

Suprmallet · 07-14-09, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merkin Muffley

"Chamber of Secrets" was always my least favorite, but they helped redeem it in the end by making its climax retroactively important.

A good point.

RocShemp · 07-14-09, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The O

I think "Half-Blood Prince" is excellent.

ALthough you're review had already swayed me, this charming picture you included sealed the deal:

fumanstan · 07-14-09, 05:35 PM

I caught it this morning and I'm not sure if it was because I was tired from not getting much sleep, but I found it fairly boring. I haven't read the book since it's release, so I don't really have that to compare to but i'd say about 90% of the movie is just silly relationships going back and forth, leaving a lot to be desired. The Half-Blood Prince subplot felt like it was barely touched, and the ending seemed rushed once Harry and Dumbledore seek out the Horcrux up until the end. Quidditch seemed like it was injected just to add a little bit of action in the middle of the movie but didn't serve that much more of a purpose.

I did think they did a good job with Draco and Snape, but the other characters, like Dumbledore, Ron, and Hermonie all felt on the weak end.

Also, Tonks didn't look as cute as she did in the last movie

awil1026 · 07-14-09, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fumanstan

Also, Tonks didn't look as cute as she did in the last movie

Well, that's not good.

The Bus · 07-14-09, 06:13 PM

She definitely did not. I thought it was just James Phelps in a wig at one point.

The Bus · 07-14-09, 06:14 PM

But it's made up by the fact that Bonnie Wright is kind of hot.

(Yes, she's 18).

the big train · 07-14-09, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fumanstan

Also, Tonks didn't look as cute as she did in the last movie

She's not supposed to.

outcastja · 07-14-09, 06:51 PM

This opening is going to be huge, don't know if it can break Transformers Wednesday opening record but I think it will have a good shot. Here in Socal there are a lot of theaters that have 5+ midnight showings which are all sold out.

NitroJMS · 07-14-09, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outcastja

This opening is going to be huge, don't know if it can break Transformers Wednesday opening record but I think it will have a good shot. Here in Socal there are a lot of theaters that have 5+ midnight showings which are all sold out.

I counted about 20 sold out midnight shows here in Pittsburgh. However, the other recent ones were always front loaded so who knows if this will have legs.

pinata242 · 07-14-09, 07:12 PM

I'll say the same thing I said to a friend-of-a-friend on Facebook:

TF2 made $300M in 14 days. No HP has made $300M since SS.

HP won't have the weekend TF2 had. My local IMAX showed TF2 every 3 hours for 72 hours straight. They did that because Dallas was doing it and they hate each other. HP has nothing like that.

fumanstan · 07-14-09, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the big train

She's not supposed to.

It doesn't make it suck any less! But no, wasn't there some stuff in the book about how the return of the Death Eaters had been taking it's toll on the Order?

Still, the colorful hair was gone and she had the hair cut of a dude. She was hardly recognizable, but at least there was a brief line about her relationship with Lupin.

Goldberg74 · 07-14-09, 08:31 PM

The lone decenter at RT is blaming the lag time inbetween the books and the movie and not the merits of the movie itself.

Quote:

Manohla Dargis - New York Times

"The lag time between the final books and the movies has drained much of the urgency from this screen adaptation, which, far more than any of the previous films, feels like an afterthought."

I'm just pissed that it wasn't released back in Nov '08.

... but I will be seeing it in the next few days.

Anubis2005X · 07-15-09, 03:53 AM

Saw it tonight, loved it. I would've liked to have seen Snape actually lose it at the end like i feel he did in the book, but I'm just being ultra picky. Can't wait to see the next one!

Suprmallet · 07-15-09, 07:09 AM

It's the third best film of the series, behind Azkaban and Phoenix.

View Poll Results: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread
	7	6.31%
	15	13.51%
	45	40.54%
	10	9.01%
	11	9.91%
	7	6.31%
	2	1.80%
	1	0.90%
	2	1.80%
	0	0%
	1	0.90%
I live a typical muggle life and have no interest in seeing this world full of magic.	10	9.01%
Voters: 111. You may not vote on this poll

07-13-09, 06:03 PM	#1
scott1598 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: I want to go to there. Posts: 13,536	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Movie: ”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009) (Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent) Release Date: 7/15/2009 Rating: PG (for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality) Running Time: 153 min. (2h. 33m.) Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh:177 Rotten:34 (84% as of 7/21/09) RT Link... Info: IMDb Link... Trailer: Poster Art: __________________ "stranger than fiction" DVD collection "almost famous" SteelBook™ collection "Even though I am no better than a beast, don't I have the right to live?" Last edited by scott1598; 07-21-09 at 10:43 AM.

07-14-09, 12:39 AM	#2
The Bus DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Delaware Posts: 42,898	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread What a relief! I went into Half-Blood Prince with some trepidation. Order of the Phoenix was simply one of the most dreadful movies I've seen in theaters in recent years. I didn't know if I should be laying the blame on David Yates or Michael Goldenberg. Well, this movie gives me the answer: It's Goldenberg's fault. The screenplay for Phoenix excised all the things that made Phoenix palatable. For the newest installment, Steve Klove returns. Like all adaptations, you can't fit in everything you can from the book into a film. But Klove retains, improbably, so much of the heart of the characters from the book that the movie could almost work as a stand-alone romantic comedy. My only complaint is that the ending is cut short and the Spoiler: death of Dumbledore loses some of the impact. I don't think an extra 5 or 7 minutes there would've killed the film. Overall, this is the strongest installment of the series and a great way to go into the final two films. Of the people I saw it with it, all but one loved it (she was a first time Potter viewer). Highly recommended to fans! __________________ Panda Killer XBL/PSN/Steam: Chiwotweiler \| hd dvdaf \| last.fm \| Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 "Wearing Shakira's ass for a hat interests me more than anything else in the universe." - Hokeyboy

07-14-09, 12:49 AM	#3
RocShemp DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 7,816	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Hmm. I dunno how to feel about that review. I never read the books but Order of the Phoenix was my second favorite movie. Prisoner of Azkabhan is my favorite thus far. The one I hated the most was Goblet Of Fire. It was just so disjointed. How does Half-Blood Prince compare to Prisoner of Azkabhan? __________________ So there's simultaneously a super secret team of giant robots and a super secret team of technologically enhanced super soldiers, and neither team knows about the other? The governments in these movies must be far more effective than our actual government. Well, damn it, I want some realism and mature adult themes in my giant robot and super soldier movies! - Suprmallet

07-14-09, 12:59 AM	#4
Solid Snake PAC DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Denton, Tx Posts: 3,204	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I've never seen any of the others but Priosoner of Azkabhan was damn good...Cuaron was on a role with that one.

07-14-09, 01:07 AM	#5
chris_sc77 Suspended Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bellefontaine, Ohio Posts: 5,628	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I liked films 1,3, and 5. Films 2 and 4 sucked. I swore i'd never see another Potter in theaters after 4 but 5 was very good and I may change my mind after seeing the good reviews for this one.

07-14-09, 02:20 AM	#6
RocShemp DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 7,816	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I wouldn't say Chamber of Secrets sucked but it was definitely not on par with Prisoner of Azkabhan or Order of the Phoenix. I'd rate them from best to worst: Prisoner of Azkabhan Order of the Phoenix Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Goblet of Fire __________________ So there's simultaneously a super secret team of giant robots and a super secret team of technologically enhanced super soldiers, and neither team knows about the other? The governments in these movies must be far more effective than our actual government. Well, damn it, I want some realism and mature adult themes in my giant robot and super soldier movies! - Suprmallet

07-14-09, 03:09 AM	#7
Suprmallet Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: USS Enterprise Posts: 21,740	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Yeah, that would be my ranking as well. Chamber of Secrets isn't bad so much as it is pointless, but so is the book, so that's not the movie's fault. Goblet of Fire was just poorly made. __________________ Living Dead: So what you're saying is... no one died in the middle of your store when you told them they couldn't have a $10 plasma TV? I find that a little hard to swallow.

07-14-09, 08:25 AM	#8
The O DVD Talk Reviewer Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: East Coast Posts: 154	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I think "Half-Blood Prince" is excellent. __________________ Twitter

07-14-09, 03:08 PM	#10
RobLutter Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 466	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Chamber of Secrets is a 1.5 hour plot in a 3 hour movie. That film needed a better director and a shorter runtime. Goblet of Fire wasn't terrible but it should have been better. Maybe because it's a lot of peoples' favorite book of the series... it was impossible to measure up. I actually thought Order of the Phoenix was one of the best of the series. Not sure why people don't like that one. As I've told my friends though... the winner hands down is Prisoner of Azkaban. Instead of making the book into an exact replica on-screen that film made a MOVIE. Great cinematography, design, and pacing... and Cuaron knew exactly what was needed in the plot and what could go to the wayside and not hurt the film. It's TIGHT. __________________ ~ Rob Lutter / www.orangeanime.com Last edited by RobLutter; 07-14-09 at 03:12 PM.

07-14-09, 03:16 PM	#11
pinata242 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Owasso, OK Posts: 16,751	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Great reviews so far in here and from Brian and Jamie. I'm looking forward to it. Taking my older daughter to the 9:30am tomorrow (early bird special ). __________________ XBL: pinata360 Wii/DS: Click for codes! PSN: pinata242

07-14-09, 05:35 PM	#14
fumanstan DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 22,209	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I caught it this morning and I'm not sure if it was because I was tired from not getting much sleep, but I found it fairly boring. I haven't read the book since it's release, so I don't really have that to compare to but i'd say about 90% of the movie is just silly relationships going back and forth, leaving a lot to be desired. The Half-Blood Prince subplot felt like it was barely touched, and the ending seemed rushed once Harry and Dumbledore seek out the Horcrux up until the end. Quidditch seemed like it was injected just to add a little bit of action in the middle of the movie but didn't serve that much more of a purpose. I did think they did a good job with Draco and Snape, but the other characters, like Dumbledore, Ron, and Hermonie all felt on the weak end. Also, Tonks didn't look as cute as she did in the last movie __________________ XBox Live: Fu Man Stan "I've never derived "joy" from either comicbooks or torture porn, so you can imagine how I feel about the mainstream marriage of the two in The Dark Knight" - baracine Last edited by fumanstan; 07-14-09 at 05:43 PM.

07-14-09, 06:13 PM	#16
The Bus DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Delaware Posts: 42,898	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread She definitely did not. I thought it was just James Phelps in a wig at one point. __________________ Panda Killer XBL/PSN/Steam: Chiwotweiler \| hd dvdaf \| last.fm \| Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 "Wearing Shakira's ass for a hat interests me more than anything else in the universe." - Hokeyboy

07-14-09, 06:14 PM	#17
The Bus DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Delaware Posts: 42,898	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread But it's made up by the fact that Bonnie Wright is kind of hot. (Yes, she's 18). __________________ Panda Killer XBL/PSN/Steam: Chiwotweiler \| hd dvdaf \| last.fm \| Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 "Wearing Shakira's ass for a hat interests me more than anything else in the universe." - Hokeyboy

07-14-09, 06:51 PM	#19
outcastja DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 1,400	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread This opening is going to be huge, don't know if it can break Transformers Wednesday opening record but I think it will have a good shot. Here in Socal there are a lot of theaters that have 5+ midnight showings which are all sold out. __________________ "You think it's healthy to obsessively collect things? You can't relate to other people, so you fill your life with stuff...I'm just like all these other collector losers." - Ghost World Ticking away the moments... I Heart Morgan Webb

07-14-09, 07:12 PM	#21
pinata242 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Owasso, OK Posts: 16,751	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread I'll say the same thing I said to a friend-of-a-friend on Facebook: TF2 made $300M in 14 days. No HP has made $300M since SS. HP won't have the weekend TF2 had. My local IMAX showed TF2 every 3 hours for 72 hours straight. They did that because Dallas was doing it and they hate each other. HP has nothing like that. __________________ XBL: pinata360 Wii/DS: Click for codes! PSN: pinata242

07-15-09, 03:53 AM	#24
Anubis2005X DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,507	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread Saw it tonight, loved it. I would've liked to have seen Snape actually lose it at the end like i feel he did in the book, but I'm just being ultra picky. Can't wait to see the next one!

07-15-09, 07:09 AM	#25
Suprmallet Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: USS Enterprise Posts: 21,740	Re: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (D. Yates, 2009) — The Reviews Thread It's the third best film of the series, behind Azkaban and Phoenix. __________________ Living Dead: So what you're saying is... no one died in the middle of your store when you told them they couldn't have a $10 plasma TV? I find that a little hard to swallow.