Oscar® Nominee for Best CinematographyHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Reviewed by: Robbye Fielden
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Teens Adults |
| Genre: | Adventure Fantasy Mystery Romance Drama Adaptation Sequel |
| Length: | 2 hr. 33 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2009 |
| USA Release: |
July 15, 2009 DVD: December 8, 2009 |
Sorcery in the Bible
Magic and magicians in the Bible
What is the Occult? Answer
THE OCCULT—What does the Bible say about it? Answer
| Featuring | Daniel Radcliffe (as Harry Potter), Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Ineson, See all » |
| Director |
David Yates |
| Producer | Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, David Barron, David Heyman, Tim Lewis, Lionel Wigram |
| Distributor |
 Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company |
“Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry.”
As the summer holidays drew to a close, Harry Potter might have expected the stop at The Burrow, the home of the Weasley family, before his return to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, as “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” picks up the story of “The Boy who Lived,” we find Harry on an unexpected detour with Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) along the journey to The Burrow. Unbeknownst to Harry, Dumbledore has a plan to recruit a former Hogwarts’ teacher to return to the school to fill an empty teaching post. The excursion is the first of several private interactions the two will have throughout the school year as the Professor begins taking a more active role in Harry’s education. The private lessons serve as additional preparation for the impending and unavoidable culmination of the battle of good and evil portrayed in this series. Though Harry is not yet aware of it, recruiting Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) is a key maneuver in Dumbledore’s plan to equip Harry with a complete picture of the enemy he opposes, Lord Voldemort.
As the wizarding community continues to endure ongoing attacks and disappearances at the hands of the Death Eaters—followers of The Dark Lord—even Hogwarts does not experience the immunity formerly known to the students and staff. With deadly items finding their way into the school, no one is safe. In spite of the tense climate, new infatuations and romances bloom in abundance. Few of the main characters steer clear of the relationship dance. In her first Harry Potter film, Jessie Cave creates some tension as Lavender Brown while she hotly pursues Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). Even the studious Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) entertains a crush of her own when she’s not busy criticizing Harry’s copy of Advanced Potion-Making, which contains the mysterious inscription reading, “This book is property of the Half-Blood Prince.”
Harry discovered in the previous movie of the series, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” that he is destined to face The Dark Lord in a duel to the death according to a prophecy made about he and Voldemort many years before: “…one cannot live while the other survives.” In this film Harry and Dumbledore together strive to solve a bit of a mystery that could prove key to Harry’s attempt to defeat Lord Voldemort. Simultaneously, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is an uncharacteristically solitary figure in his sixth year who grows more despondent and sallow as he struggles with a mysterious task assigned by Lord Voldemort. Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) finds himself bound by an unbreakable vow to support Draco in his efforts while his true allegiances remain a mystery to both the audience and people around him. Sides are clearly chosen and good and evil defined as the movie progresses to a poignant climax.
It stands to reason that readers of this review have likely been exposed to the Harry Potter series either via the books or the 5 previous movies. Those unfamiliar with the overall storyline will likely be lost, as this movie hardly stands alone in the grand scheme of the tale. Based on this presupposition that this audience is indeed already familiar with the content of Harry Potter, this reviewer will not present a detailed evaluation of the witchcraft and wizardry theme. Though a controversial topic within the Christian community, reviews on this site of the earliest Harry Potter movies provide ample arguments against the series. Additionally, this reviewer is of the opinion that presentation of the topics in question is done in a way that portrays a fantastical version of witchcraft and little more. Thus, the review below will only attempt to offer some insight into the accuracy of the movie as it pertains to the book, a summary of material other than the witchcraft theme that may be a moral consideration for some, and some general opinions about the movie quality and entertainment value.
The scenes found in previews of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” had this fan of the books in high hopes that the movie would follow quite closely with the storyline. Surprisingly, this latest installment contained more deviation than any of the previous five flicks. Certain characters, such as Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour, are entirely excluded. As usual, it’s an impossible to task to capture J.K. Rowling’s details in a film of reasonable length, so primarily only the key points are present and accounted for. The journey to get to each important moment is not always along the original path that readers know, so prepare yourself to enjoy the movie as it was scripted and directed instead of holding rigidly to Rowling’s telling. The director was time conscious and included some scenes that were intended to summarize a great number of the book’s details for the viewing audience.
[***SPOILER WARNING for this paragraph***] For instance, director David Yates included a scene in which Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), attack The Burrow. While this was not in Rowling’s rendition, the scene was created to convey the severity and proximity of the ongoing attacks in lieu of Hermione’s routine reading of The Daily Prophet and subsequent reports on the arrests, disappearances, and injuries sustained within the community. Additionally, the mention of a Muggle bridge collapse in the earliest chapter of the book comes to life in the movie in an effort to express the darkness that has overtaken the community, Muggle and wizard alike.
Despite the continued dark times depicted, this movie earned a PG rating. There is surprisingly little intense fighting and only one instance where significant blood is drawn in a battle. Another less bloody, but still violent scene involves one student stomping on the face of another who is unable to defend himself at the time. Outside of these scenes, and the occasional spell-throwing wizard clashes, the course language is minimal. There are several questionable moments involving teenage kissing and kissing in secluded/unsupervised areas. Also, many of the young ladies of the film are portrayed as pursuers and some even use magical love potions to attempt to reel in a crush. Depending on an audience member’s personal convictions on these issues, caution may need to be exercised.
[***SPOILER WARNING for this paragraph***] A topic that may prove troubling for sensitive viewers is that of the death of Professor Albus Dumbledore. To add additional strife to an already emotional event, the murder is committed by his colleague, Severus Snape, after Draco Malfoy is unable to complete this task which was assigned to him by The Dark Lord. While the scene is handled with dignity, the death of such a beloved main character may come as an extreme shock to some, perhaps especially to young viewers.
One of the fantastic advantages of the mounting battle of good and evil in this series is that the sides are more delineated as time progresses. There is a clear line drawn between those who side with Lord Voldemort and his evil deeds and those who are standing together for that which is good. It is clear in the movie that those who rule in an evil manor do so by fear while a sense of peace and love is consistently portrayed in opposition to that evil. A key scene in the movie depicts many on Harry’s side casting light from their wands to dispel The Dark Mark cast by a Death Eater. This scene alone allows for many conversation starters about good versus evil and light versus dark. It brought to mind the verse in Psalm 139:12 that says “…even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
The topic of death contained in the movie also provides a way to discuss with others the assurance of a life after death. While the movie does not address the afterlife, the death of an important individual is significant enough to lend itself to a discussion. The audience is not told what happens to a person after death in the wizarding world, but what happens at death is a concern for every human in our world today. Christians believe that we will spend eternity in Heaven because we have experienced the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.
Overall, this movie is extremely well made. Viewers will be impressed with the quality of the film and not a single actor leaves much room for improvement. In many ways this installment merely moves the story along and acts as a bridge to the last book (which will appear as two flicks), so some may find the lack of action frustrating. Yet the story contained in “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” is priceless in terms of the big picture.
Violence: Mild / Profanity: Mild / Sex/Nudity: None
This film is not recommended by Christian Spotlight due to its themes of witchcraft, sorcery and occult magic which are rooted in rebellion against God.
Is Harry Potter Harmless?
Ever since the popularity of JK Rowling’s first book took hold, the debate rages. What is a Christian to think of the Harry Potter worldview and philosophies? What’s wrong?
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Harry Potter series reviews
- “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001)
- “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002)
- “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004)
- “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)
- “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
- “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)
- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” (2010)
- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (2011)
Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
I then checked the books: were they more insidiously pro-witchcraft? The answer was “No!”: the witchcraft theme is a device upon which to hang the above themes, and the type of witchcraft depicted is readily found in Disney’s “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella” (albeit in the guise of a “fairy godmother”), “The Wizard of Oz,” and many other films and TV series, none of which, to the best of my knowledge, have attracted the ire of so many Christian leaders.
While I appreciate their concerns, the question about whether this is authentic witchcraft or mere fantasy is firmly answered by plot devices such as flying on broomsticks and the game of Quidditch, for example, and the presence of Cave Trolls, giant spiders, flying, fire-breathing dragons, werewolves et al.
However, to the film itself; is it good? Yes. Is it a children’s film? I would not take any child under the age of twelve to see this (even older, if they’re particularly sensitive). Again in this film, we see Harry and his friends pitted against the Death Eaters, with a search for several objects in which Voldemort has placed something which, if not found and destroyed, renders him virtually immortal.
There are scenes in the film in which Harry must befriend someone who is a manipulator, using people for his own ends; Harry must befriend him in order to identify how many of the said objects there may be. What is telling about this is that Harry and friends are shown as honorable, albeit with all-too-human flaws (making the characters much more realistic, which grounds the stories with identifiable types), while the Death Eaters (those who follow Voldemort) are becoming more SS-like with each story progression.
The climax of the film is particularly moving, more so than the previous film: the death of a major character is handled well (though not so well as in the book, when said character sacrifices self to preserve someone else (ring any bells?)) I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but like (I suspect) most HP fans, was disappointed that some of the book’s more intricate story-lines were omitted for the sake of brevity.
On a more evangelistic note, we should realise that this is a cultural phenomenon and, rather than condemn it out of hand, we should watch all the films, read all the books, and challenge those non-Christians we know who read/watch them, to consider not the transient escapist fantasy of Harry Potter, but the eternal reality of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. It is an approach I adopted with several teens, who then asked me questions about Jesus.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Positive—In response to a previous comment about the film being full of “moral and ethical questions,” it seems the viewer has missed the entire point, that Draco was acting under threat of death by Lord Voldemort. None of his actions that might be considered “evil” are in any way glorified, but instead are condemned and depicted as morally sickening (Draco’s increasing guilt and horror contrasted heavily with Tom Riddle’s careless discussion of murder).
For my part, as a fan of the franchise, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I believe it is cinematically the strongest of the movies and certainly one of the most enjoyable, because it allows the audience to depart from Harry’s perspective and encounter more of other characters. For the first time, Snape is more than a one-dimensional figure, and we also experience rising empathy for Draco. But some changes were made that diminish the impact of the book’s conclusion. Namely, there is no “epic battle” over Hogwarts. The Death Eaters enter for seemingly no purpose whatsoever and then leave without resistance. Rowling’s version of events is much superior and makes more sense. (Equally pointless, the assault on the Burrow—although entertaining visually, it is unimportant to the plot.) Yes, this is much darker than previous installments although it does have wonderful scenes of humor and sweetness to combat the sinister aspects. Parents of very young children who have not read the books might want to consider how the death of a main character, as well as frightening scenes of peril, brutal wizard duels, and zombies, might influence them.
I have never been intimidated by the films or the books, and believe their messages revolve around important things: courage, redemption, obedience, friendship, and a willingness to sacrifice your life for others. If you are a Potter fan, you will either love this adaptation or be irritated by the changes, but your opportunity to see more of the “real” Severus Snape should not be missed.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Positive—This is a response to Ellen, 20, who took offense to the films depiction of “underage drinking.” I would like to point out that the legal drinking ages in the UK (where the film likely takes place) are: …16 years old in a pub or bar, and 18 years old to purchase alcoholic beverages in a store. As Harry and his friends are supposed to be around 16 in the film, they are aren’t drinking underage.
Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
I didn’t think this movie was darker than the last one. There were actually some really funny parts like when Ron drank the love potion. I didn’t think the movie was inappropriate or offensive. Ron and Lavender kissed a few times and Harry and Ginny kissed once. I know that witchcraft is forbidden in the bible, but the movie and books are just for entertainment and fun, so I don’t think anyone should be angry with the author. (If anyone is wondering, I’ve heard they’re making a 7th movie.) Overall, this movie is AMAZING and the actors did the best acting I’ve ever seen! Hopefully, everyone that sees it will love it.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” is easily one of the worst Harry Potter movies. It has no suspense what so over and the only really exciting part is when their in the cave! I was expecting this movie to be as good as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but it wasn’t. All the big time critics loved it so I was expecting it to be great but I found it hard to enjoy. It was so involved in teen romance that it forgets to show us any action or magic. The book wasn’t like that, it was full of exciting action and stuff that I was excited to see the movie but it fell flat. In other words it was hard to enjoy and keep you entertained.
To save money and your time rent the first five movies and just use your imagination for this movie because it simply isn’t that good. Yes, the special effects, cinematography, acting were good and the movie is funny but the script is what needed a lot of editing on. They could of skipped a few parts in the script to add the battle at the end of the book and a few of the memories in and it would of been perfect but instead it went topsy turvy. How is anything in Harry Potter show christian virtue? It shows that you should always be honest and have perseverance in whatever your doing. And family, too. It shows that the Weasly family helps people out even in hard times. I know what your thinking. How could anyone watch Harry Potter because it uses witchcraft. Well, not exactly is my answer.
In the books and movies it shows that you should control your magic to good things not bad things like Voltermort in the books who uses them to make him immortal (hard to explain, read the books or watch the movie). But Harry uses them for good not for Voltermort who kills people constantly. There’s a big difference right there, and I just want to get the word out because if your sensitive to the Harry Potter stuff I want you to at least read the first book and see what you think. So finally here’s my conclusion. “Harry and the Half Blood Prince” movie is a rental and is not worth seeing in theaters. So save your money on a different movie that coming out soon like “Where the Wild Things Are.” I would give this movie 2.5 stars out a five stars.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½