Film Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Part 2

I hope everyone who is taking part in NaNo this year are almost ready for their last full week of writing. This is your chance for the final push. Good luck and remember you're a winner no matter what you end up with.

Now it's time for the second part (of five) in my sort of live-blog of the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the first part of this film we saw things getting very dark as Harry made a return visit to The Burrow (via a meeting with Professor Slughorn), Fred and George were doing a roaring trade, and Draco's even more dark and moody than he was before (because he's got A Very Important Job To Do). Wooooo!

This part sees Luna being wonderful (as usual), Harry gets good at Potions (much to Hermione's displeasure), mini-Voldemort is really creepy (as if we expected anything less), and Harry is sure that everything really is Draco Malfoy's fault this time. Woooooo!

32. Harry doesn’t appear to be going anywhere this year, as Draco’s covered him up with his invisibility cloak. Luckily for Harry Luna is on the case with her funky Quibbler glasses on. Harry is not a pretty sight, he’s all covered in blood.

33. Aww Luna, “It was like being with a friend”, Harry: “You are a friend.” Aww.

34. Luna has got to be one of my favourite characters. I love her reasoning that noses aren’t so different from toes so they can’t be that hard to fix.

35. Ginny always sounds kind of flat when she’s speaking. I always wish there was a little bit more emotion or pause in her lines.

36. Snape’s the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. That’s an interesting change.

37. We don’t get any time to dwell on it though. Instead Dumbledore is giving them all a little history lesson on Tom Riddle, reminding them all that he went to the very same school that they all currently attend. It’s really not such a cheerful opening speech for the year. Ron says as much.

38. See that corridor they’re all walking along. I’ve been there! When I went to my cousin’s wedding we went to Gloucester Cathedral for a little wander around and I recognised it as soon as I stepped in.

39. While I’ve been squealing about recognising the corridor Ron and Harry have been identified as having too much fun so sends them off to Potions with Slughorn.

40. Why’s Lavender Brown in this class? She’s not in this class in the book, gives her more chance to moon over Ron though.

41. I like Hermione’s little moment with the love potion. Spearmint toothpaste, huh? ;-)

42. I like the sound of Felix Felicis. I’d find some of that quite handy sometimes.

43. Scenes like this are done really well, with all the students trying to make their potions. It reminds me of the Dumbledore’s Army scenes from the last time. Hermione’s hair getting steadily frizzier amuses me too. I think that’s what I look like when I’m trying to cook.

44. Hermione is not impressed by Harry’s potion being better than hers. It’s okay to not be perfect all the time Hermione.

45. I like the time that Harry and Dumbledore spend together in this film and the book, like here when Dumbledore asks about Harry’s love life. I think Dumbledore should’ve played a much bigger part in Harry’s upbringing and kind of wanted to. He’s very much a father figure for Harry.

46. You can probably tell this is one of my favourite Harry Potter films, but I love these trips into the Pensieve. Despite missing out some bits from the book it’s almost exactly as I remember it.

47. I like all the little nods to things that will come up later; the seven stones on the windowsill, the postcard of the cliffs. And the boy who plays Riddle is brilliant. He really does look like a little mini serial killer.

48. Dumbledore had no inkling that the person he was speaking to was a dangerous little boy, otherwise perhaps he might have shoved baby!Voldemort into the burning wardrobe and ran away. Oh, and Slughorn was good friends with Riddle, hence his reappearance at the school. Could be handy.

49. That has got to be one of the least practical birdcages ever.

50. Oh look, it’s the Room of Requirement. And Draco’s found another of those big cupboardy things.

51. But lets have some Quidditch first instead. Harry’s Captain but apparently he needs Ginny to get everyone to listen to him. Also if being on the team last year doesn’t guarantee a spot this year, why is Ginny standing behind him instead of with the other people trying out in front?

52. This is another of those scenes that looks really good in this film. I love these little montages because they give you lots of quick little glimpses into characters and the magic world.

53. Apparently Hermione has mastered wand-free magic, which she uses to give Ron the edge on the competition, smarmy Cormac McLaggen. All the same she’s a little bit bitter about the fact that Harry’s getting all his potion skills from the Half-Blood Prince.

54. Now she’s found out she’s pestering him to find out who the Prince was. Oh and it’s winter and snowy and there’s lots of nice knitwear.

55. Gotta love Ron’s reaction to seeing Ginny making out with Dean. And then his face when Hermione asks what Ginny would do if she saw Hermione and Ron snogging, hehe.

56. Slughorn is so dippy. Poor Ron, or Wallanby, who does not get an invite to Slughorn’s Soiree.

57. This bit is quite creepy and it all happens in daylight as well which makes it creepier because we can see what’s happening. Katie Bell’s been cursed by something. Something that appears to be a necklace. It’s quite pretty really, though the ability to kill you kind of limits its wearability.

58. So many great lines in this film: “Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?” And then Ron saying that he’s been wondering the same thing for the last six years.

59. Harry’s accusation of Draco would maybe carry some more weight if he didn’t follow it up with “I just know”. Doesn’t really back you up there.


60. Yay, it’s the Marauders Map again. Ron’s going on about Dean and Ginny. Harry’s digging a hole for himself, which leads to Ron contemplating Hermione’s ‘nice skin’. Just ask her out Ron! Harry can’t take the awkwardness any longer and tells Ron he’s going to sleep, hehe.

Next time on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Slughorn has a party, Ron needs some help to get on the Quidditch team, everyone celebrates Christmas, and Harry has an important job to do in the quest to defeat Voldemort. Wooooooo!