Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince picks up right where Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix left off. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), devastated over the loss of his godfather Sirius Black, and Dumbledore (Micahel Gambon), who just had an epic battle with Voldemort within the Ministry of Magic, face the media. All the lies and coverups within the Ministry have vanished with one universal realization: the greatest dark wizard of all time has returned. That doleful and ominous idea drives the movie forth for the next hour and twenty minutes, leaving our beloved characters with nothing more than devastation and heartbreak at the movie's end.

Thus, one of the biggest conundrums I've seen in a while: How can the darkest book of the series become a PG movie? That question alone almost sent me running in the opposite direction of the theatre. Well, that, and the knowledge that the ending of the movie would be nothing like what Rowling had written. As a die-hard Potter fan, I was scared. I braced myself for utter disappointment as I walked into the theatre last night. I left feeling equal parts relief, joy, and embarrassment at how wrong my initial perceptions turned out to be.


To be fair, I don't think that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a PG movie. I may not be the bravest person in the world but I have no shame in saying that I was terrified in the climactic moments of the film. This is not a movie made for children.

The juxtaposition between good and evil is apparent in the movie, but it's not as black and white as you'd expect. The C-plot of The Half-Blood Prince revolves around Harry Potter's school rival Draco Malfoy. Harry is convinced that Draco is up to no good, and for once, he's right. Voldemort has recruited Malfoy for a mission, and the morality doesn't weigh easy on the boy. Tom Felton gives his best performance yet, silently building up Draco's emotional struggle until it crescendos, showing that there is dark and light in us all.

Hogwart's newest professor, Professor Horace Slughorn, played by the great Jim Broadbent, goes through a similar moral struggle. Slughorn is a man of status and prestige who would do anything to protect himself. When Harry and Dumbledore ask for his help destroying Voldemort, Slughorn struggles to prioritize the greater good. While his dilemma seems less complicated than Draco's, they share a common theme. Albus Dumbledore said it best: "We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." These themes of morality help to make this the most grown up Potter movie yet.

The Potter children themselves are growing up and starting to develop more complex relationships. The small and not-so-small romantic entanglements serve to remind the viewer that life does go on. The moments of joy and laughter help us, and the characters, push through the gloom. Director David Yates seamlessly weaves Dumbledore and Harry's mission with the adolescent crushes of our three principle characters. We go from light to dark and back to light again. Yet Yates doesn't forget that jealousy and heartbreak for these couples can be just as cheerless as a world terrorized by Death Eaters.

The most pleasant surprise of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was that I actually enjoyed the scene that wasn't in the book. Normally, I'd consider it an atrocity to change the good word of Rowling. The Burrow scene, as it will come to be known, served an unlikely purpose. Ginny Weasley's (Bonnie Wright) love of Harry Potter has been obvious, although subtle, throughout the previous films. In The Half-Blood Prince, Harry starts to notice his best friend's younger sister. This occurs in the very beginning, and I am afraid to say that it comes out of nowhere. All of a sudden, the viewers are told of Harry and Ginny's mutual affection and I, personally, never felt it. That is, until the Burrow scene. I won't spoil what happens, but I will say that it's clear that Harry and Ginny would do anything for one another. This selflessness is the pinnacle point of their - dare I say it - love.

All five previous movies couldn't live up to my expectations. They couldn't bring Rowling's characters and themes to light. What separates The Half-Blood Prince from its predecessors is that love makes this movie go round. I connected in a way I never thought possible. Rowling's greatest theme finally shines through. Mutual love, respect, and admiration between the characters makes me believe that Harry and his team have a chance of defeating Lord Voldemort. Not even just a chance, it's a certainty. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince made me believe that love will ultimately prevail.



- Kim Wetter, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image Courtesy of Warner Brothers)