Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
File:Hp6teaserposter.jpg Theatrical poster
Directed by	David Yates
Written by	Screenplay: Steve Kloves Novel: J. K. Rowling
Produced by	David Heyman David Barron
Starring	Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Michael Gambon Jim Broadbent Alan Rickman Tom Felton Helen McCrory
Cinematography	Bruno Delbonnel
Edited by	Mark Day
Music by	Nicholas Hooper Themes John Williams
Production company	Heyday Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	15 July 2009
Running time	153 minutes
Countries	Template:FilmUK Template:FilmUS
Language	English
Budget	GB£150 million (US$250 million)
Box office	$22,200,000 (US)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a Template:Fy fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the Harry Potter film series. It is directed by David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film, and Steve Kloves, screenwriter of the first four films, returned as screenwriter for this film. Filming began on 24 September 2007, and the film was originally planned for a UK and North American release on 21 November 2008, but on 14 August 2008, it was announced that the release date for the film was to be delayed to 17 July 2009, a date later changed to 15 July 2009. Unlike the previous film, the sixth film was not simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3-D, due to a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen several week commitment. The film will instead be released in IMAX 3D on 29 July, two weeks after its original release.

Plot

Further information: [[:Plot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]

In December 2007, Warner Bros. released its official plot summary:

Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort's defenses critical information known only to Hogwarts' former Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. With that in mind, Dumbledore manipulates his old colleague into returning to his previous post with promises of more money, a bigger office and the chance to teach the famous Harry Potter.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as adolescent hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry's long friendship with Ginny Weasley is growing into something deeper, but standing in the way is Ginny's boyfriend, Dean Thomas, not to mention her big brother Ron. But Ron's got romantic entanglements of his own to worry about, with Lavender Brown lavishing her affections on him, leaving Hermione simmering with jealousy yet determined not to show her feelings. And then a box of love potion-laced chocolates ends up in the wrong hands and changes everything. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof with far more important matters on his mind. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

— Warner Bros.,

Cast

Further information: [[:List of Harry Potter cast members]]

• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, who is now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, with the wizarding world at war.
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's two best friends. He develops a relationship with Lavender Brown.
• Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends. Watson considered not returning for the sixth film, but eventually decided that "the pluses outweighed the minuses" and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.
• Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. The legendary wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts. The revelation of Dumbledore's sexuality prompted Gambon to "camp up" around the set when off camera, but his on-screen performance is expected to remain unchanged from the previous films.
• Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the newly appointed Hogwarts Potions master. Broadbent described his costumes as "tweedy", and his character as "comic", while Radcliffe noted that "[Slughorn's] tragedy will outweigh the comedy".
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the former Potions master, who finally achieves his goal of becoming Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
• Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, a rival of Harry's, whom Harry suspects of carrying out a task for Voldemort across the year. Son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and nephew to Bellatrix Lestrange. Unknown actor Tony Coburn will play young Lucius Malfoy in a Hogwarts flashback.
• Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister in her fifth year, for whom Harry develops romantic feelings.
• Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, a dreamy girl with odd ideas and a friend of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny.
• Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, older sister of Narcissa Malfoy, aunt to Draco, and cousin of Sirius Black, whom she murdered in the previous film.
• Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and younger sister of Bellatrix. McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in Order of the Phoenix, but had to drop out due to pregnancy. Naomi Watts was previously reported as having accepted the role, only for it to be denied by her agency.
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Harry's first friend from the magical world.
• Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor. McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
• David Thewlis as Remus Lupin, former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lupin is a werewolf and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
• Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, who is in a relationship with Lupin in this film.
• James and Oliver Phelps as Fred and George Weasley, Ron and Ginny's elder twin brothers.
• Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Arthur and Molly Weasley respectively, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny's parents. They treat Harry like another son.
• Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew, former member of Harry's father James's group of friends, he betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort. Now one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, despite being weak magically. He goes by the nickname "Wormtail".
• Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, a friend of Harry, Ron, and Herminone, who helps them in times of need.
• Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown, Ron's new girlfriend. Watson described her as "perfect for the role," although Cave did not attend the open auditions. An open casting call was held for the part on 1 July 2007. Over 7,000 girls turned out for the audition and read from a scene with Madam Pomfrey, Hermione and Ron. Yates said he planned to test Grint with the top five choices for Lavender, reading certain lines and kissing, to see which pairing had the best chemistry.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane each play Tom Riddle, the child who becomes Lord Voldemort, at age eleven and as a teenager respectively. Tiffin is the 10-year-old nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the adult Voldemort in the fourth and fifth films. Christian Coulson, who played Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, expressed an interest in returning; Yates responded that Coulson was too old, nearing 30, to be playing the role. Jamie Campbell Bower, who appeared in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, previously noted that he had his "fingers crossed" he would be cast as a young Riddle. Bower was, however, later cast as the teenage Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. An open casting call was held for the part in July 2007, with applicants reading from a scene involving Riddle trying to persuade Horace Slughorn to explain what Horcruxes are.

Dave Legeno appears as Fenrir Greyback, the most savage werewolf ever to live and greatly feared in the wizarding world. Leader of the werewolves. Ralph Ineson plays Amycus Carrow and Suzanne Toase plays Alecto Carrow, while Lord Johnpaul Castrianni and Rod Hunt play Yaxley and Thorfinn Rowle respectively. Tom Moorcroft portrays Regulus Black. Tony Coburn plays a young Lucius Malfoy.

Both Clémence Poésy and Chris Rankin were interested in returning, but in October 2007 Poésy noted that she will not be reprising her role of Fleur Delacour, and Rankin has stated that he thinks Percy Weasley will be cut. After Bill Nighy expressed an interest in appearing, Yates confirmed that Nighy would be his first choice for the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, providing the character made it into the final screenplay. Yates told Wizard that he was "struggling with [fitting Scrimgeour in the script] at the moment, and he's in one moment and he's out the next."

Early auditions took place in England in April 2007, though reports would not state for which role the audition was. One actor who auditioned for the role was Icelandic Jón Páll Eyjólfsson, who went to school with screenwriter Steve Kloves. Official casting news was scarce even as filming began. It was reported that Jack Davenport, Stephen Rea, Peter Rnic, Stuart Townsend, and Joseph Fiennes were each offered unspecified roles, although representatives of Townsend and Fiennes denied the reports. Warner Bros. announced in a press release on 16 November 2007 that casting for the film had been completed.

Production

Development

Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many others had been offered the job, and previous directors had expressed an interest in returning. Alfonso Cuarón, the director of the third film, stated he "would love to have the opportunity" to return. Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell declined a spot to direct the fifth film, and was not approached for this one. Terry Gilliam was Rowling's personal choice to direct Philosopher's Stone. However, when asked whether he would consider directing a later film, Gilliam said, "Warner Bros. had their chance the first time around, and they blew it."

From the fifth film, Yates retained composer Nicholas Hooper, who, judging by the background music on the Official Harry Potter website, included a reworking of John Williams's Hedwig's Theme, which has recurred in all scores including Patrick Doyle's. Also maintained were costume designer Jany Temime, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, creature and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman, and special effects supervisor John Richardson from the third film. Since February 2007, Stuart Craig, the production designer of the first five films as well, has been designing sets, including the cave, and the astronomy tower, where the climax of the film takes place. Academy Award nominated Bruno Delbonnel is the film's cinematographer. David Yates remarked Bruno's work on the film as "The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes...It's very layered, incredibly rich."

Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may influence the script of the film.

Sets

The film's production designer is Academy Award winner Stuart Craig. Several new sets have been introduced in this film, including Tom Riddle's Orphanage, Astronomy Tower and the Cave. In one of the sneak peeks for the film, Stuart Craig said that Tom Riddle's Orphanage is based on buildings in Docklands, Liverpool and it is designed from Victorian-Georgian architecture. The exterior of the Orphanage uses Victorian glaze bricks, to give the set a very hard structure.

He noted that the film used several CGI sets, noticeably the interior of the Cave where Harry and Dumbledore both go for hunting Horcruxes. The exterior of the cave scene was filmed in Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland. The interior of the cave is made up of geometric crystal formations. Craig noted "Apart from the point at which Harry and Dumbledore first arrive and the island formation on which everything inside the cave happens, the set is entirely virtual, designed in the computer. We'd had our first totally virtual set on the last film, so we approached this one with a bit more confidence."

Filming

File:Hero Fiennes-Tiffin in Harry Potter preview.jpg

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Tom Riddle Jr.

Following a week of rehearsals, principal photography began on 24 September 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. Before filming commenced, there was belief that filming might move from the UK, where all of the previous five films have been shot. This is North Scotland reported that the filming would take place in New Zealand, due to the "more agreeable economy and climate" and lack of Scottish funding. The Sunday Business Post in Ireland noted that the film's producers and WB executives had been scouting there, specifically Leinster and Munster because they "believe they have now exhausted possible locations in Britain." They are "particularly keen on Ireland, as the landscape is similar to Britain and will appear similar to the settings of the previous films." The crew also scouted around Cape Wrath in Scotland, for use in the cave scene. Filming returned to Glen Coe and Glenfinnan, both which have appeared in the previous films, to preserve the continuity of the landscape.

On the weekend of 6 October 2007, the crew shot scenes involving the Hogwarts Express in the misty and dewy environment of Fort William, Scotland. A series of night scenes were filmed in the village of Lacock and the cloisters at Lacock Abbey for three nights starting 25 October 2007. Filming took place from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, and residents of the street were asked to black out their windows with dark blinds. On set reports indicated that the main scene filmed was Harry and Dumbledore's visit to Slughorn's house. Further filming took place in Surbiton railway station in October 2007, Gloucester Cathedral, where the first and second films were shot, in February 2008, and at the Millennium Bridge in London in March 2008.

Though Radcliffe, Gambon and Broadbent started shooting in late September 2007, some other cast members started much later: Grint did not begin until November 2007, Watson did not begin until December 2007, Rickman until January 2008, and Bonham Carter until February 2008.

Visual effects

Tim Burke and Tim Alexander are visual effects supervisors for the film. Tim Alexander said completing inferi-attack scene took several months. He said, "It's certainly much bolder and scarier than we imagined that they'd ever go in a 'Potter' movie. Director David Yates was cautious of not making this into a zombie movie, so we were constantly trying to figure out how not to make these dead people coming up look like zombies. A lot of it came down to their movement — they don't move fast, but they don't move really slow or groan and moan. We ended up going with a very realistic style." He also noted that inferi are skinnier, waterlogged and grey.

About Dumbledore's ring of fire, he noted that the effect would look as if someone sprayed propane and then lit it. He added, "We did a lot of research on molten volcanoes, which have a lot of heat going on but no actual flames, and collected a bunch of other references, including flares that burn underwater, and showed them to the Potter folks." The visual effects team emulated these six fire parameters: heat ripples, smoke, buoyancy, viscosity, opacity, and brightness. Since the whole fire scene was very time consuming, computer graphics artist Chris Horvath spent eight months finding a faster way to conjure flames.

Differences from the book

There are a number of changes from the book in the film. Much of the book's ending has been changed, with the climactic battle and Dumbledore's funeral being removed. Heyman commented that the end battle was removed to "(avoid) repetition" with the forthcoming adaptation of Deathly Hallows. The funeral was removed as it was believed it did not fit with the rest of the film. The collapse of a Muggle bridge mentioned briefly in the book serves as the film's opening sequence. Scenes of Diagon Alley being demolished by Death Eaters and an attack on the Burrow, known as "The Burning of the Burrow" by Bellatrix Lestrange and werewolf Fenrir Greyback are added, as can be seen in the trailers. All but two of the memory scenes, including that of the Gaunts, have been cut. Only the flashbacks of Tom Riddle at the orphanage and Riddle asking Slughorn about Horcruxes, shown twice, remain. Yates said they made the decision to compress the memories, but still "got some really cool ones".

Characters who are cut include the Dursleys, Kreacher, Dobby, Bill and Fleur, Rufus Scrimgeour, Cornelius Fudge, the Gaunts, and the Muggle Prime Minister. However, Quidditch, being excluded from the previous film, returns. Bellatrix Lestrange also participates in the battle of the astronomy tower, whereas she did not in the book. This scene also shows Harry hiding on a floor underneath Dumbledore and his adversaries as he is acting on Dumbledore's wishes to stay put, whereas in the book, Dumbledore forces Harry to hide by casting the body bind spell on him while he is under the invisibility cloak.

All of the scenes where the characters are learning to disapparate were cut.

In the book, on the Hogwarts Express, after he is paralyzed and hidden under his Invisibility Cloak by Draco Malfoy, Harry is rescued by Nymphadora Tonks. In the film, Luna Lovegood saves him instead, using her Spectrespecs to find him.

Cho Chang is cut out of the film entirely. Instead, the film focuses on Harry's growing feelings for Ginny, more so than in the books or previous films. The film includes a few Ginny and Harry scenes that were not in the novel, including one scene in which the two share a mince pie at Christmas. Also, they do not share their first kiss in a Quidditch match celebration (Ron and Lavender take this role instead). Instead, the two share a brief kiss when they are alone in the Room of Requirement while hiding Harry's Potions text book. The scene in which Harry breaks up with Ginny at the funeral was removed, along with a lot of the dialogue that followed the funeral in the book.

Also Harry does not hide the Potions book under the wig and tiara of Ravenclaw but instead Ginny hides it when Harry closes his eyes. This change from the book will also affect the Deathly Hallows since that was how he found the horcrux.

Also, in the film, there is no mention of the other Horcruxes besides the diary, the ring, and the locket. In the book, Dumbledore explains to Harry that he has reason to believe that the remaining Horcruxes are Voldemort's snake Nagini, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's. This is a key issue in that it gives Harry an idea of what he's looking for. Unless it is addressed in the movies depicting the seventh novel, Harry will have no direction in his search for the Horcruxes.

Marketing

Warner Bros. has spent an additional estimated $155 million to market and distribute the film. The special edition two-disc DVD for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix contained two sneak peeks of the film, while the US edition included an additional clip. A 15-second teaser for the film was shown alongside the IMAX release of The Dark Knight. The first full-length domestic teaser trailer was released on 29 July on AOL's Moviefone website. An international teaser was released on 26 October and the U.S. theatrical trailer was released on 14 November. Another trailer was screened on the Japanese TV station Fuji TV during a screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on 18 January 2009. Scenes from the film were aired during ABC Family's three day Harry Potter marathon, which aired during 5–7 December 2008. On 5 February 2009, the first three promotional teaser posters were released, featuring Dumbledore and Harry. On 5 March and 16 April 2009, new trailers were released by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros and MSN ran an online Order of the Phoenix quiz, with the prize being a walk-on part in the film. As with the previous films, EA Games will produce a video game based on the film. On 10 March 2009, it was announced that there would be a video game soundtrack, which was released on 17 March 2009. On 27 March six character posters were released: Harry, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Professor Snape. An English version of the international trailer since a Japanese international trailer was released online 10 April. On 8 May, CW Channel aired 30-second TV Spot, which focused on the romantic side of the film. On 20 May, first clip from the film was released through The Ellen DeGeneres Show's official website, showing love-struck Ron. Another clip of the film, showing Dumbledore visiting Tom Riddle's Orphanage was released on 31 May 2009 at MTV Awards. Also a short clip featuring the Weasley twins' shop Weasleys'Wizard Wheezes was released on 22 June.

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, United States, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand and Brazil on 15 July 2009. It was originally set to be released on 21 November 2008 (UK, US, CAN, IRE) and 11 December 2008 (AUS, NZ), but was pushed back by eight and seven months to 17 July, despite being completed. Warner Bros. executive Alan Horn noted that the move went ahead "to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009," with other films being delayed due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The box-office success of summer WB films Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Dark Knight also motivated the decision. An unnamed rival studio executive told Entertainment Weekly that the move was to "stop next year's profits from looking seriously underwhelming after the phenomenal success of The Dark Knight," as "they don't need the money this year anymore." Dan Fellman, WB head of distribution, said that the studio had considered the date change for three to four weeks prior to the announcement, but gave it serious consideration a week before they came to their final decision.

The date change was met with a heavily negative reaction by Harry Potter fans, as the Los Angeles Times noted: "Petitions were circulating, rumors were flying and angry screeds were being posted on Internet sites within minutes of the Thursday announcement." The move was mocked by Entertainment Weekly which had Half-Blood Prince on the cover on its "Fall Preview Issue". Despite each being owned by Time Warner Inc., EW was unaware of the change until it was publicly announced by WB and noted that readers would now be in possession of a "Dewey Defeats Truman collectible". Several days after the announcement, Horn released a statement in response to the "large amount of disappointment" expressed by fans of the series. Following the date change, Half-Blood Prince's release slot was taken by Summit Entertainment's Twilight.

Three months before its release in July, the date was again changed by 2 days from 17 July to 15 July in the United States and Canada. It was later confirmed the same date change applied to the UK as well. The Australia and New Zealand release dates which were then 16 July, were also changed to 15 July. The premiere dates for the film were 6 July in Japan, 7 July in the UK (Leicester Square, London) and 8 July in the US. The Belgium premiere was on 11 July.

The sixth film did not simultaneously release in regular cinemas and IMAX 3D, due to a conflicting agreement in which Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be given a four week window by itself in IMAX. Therefore, the IMAX 3D version of the film will be released on 29 July 2009. However, it is releasing in India, Mexico and Australia in both 2-D and 3-D simultaneously, on 15 July. The film's opening sequence featuring the destruction of the Millennium Bridge will be in 3D. The film had been chosen to be screened at the 2008 Royal Film Performance on 17 November, but was not shown. Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund chief executive Peter Hore noted he was "very disappointed" with Warner Bros' decision.

Advanced ticket sales on fandago.com for Half-Blood Prince surpassed advanced ticket sales for Transformers 2 at the same point in sale cycles. It is also MovieTickets.com's top 25 advance sellers of all time, promising a very successful cinematic run.

The film is 153 minutes (2 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds) long, making this film the third longest of the series so far, coming behind Chamber of Secrets (161 minutes) and Goblet of Fire (157 minutes). The film was also released into midnight showings 14 July, therefore the tickets have already been sold out and nearly have set its own record.

As of 15 July, it has been reported that the film has set a new midnight showing record, with $22.2 million on 3,003 screens, beating the previous record held by The Dark Knight, which had $18.5 million for its midnight showing.

Soundtrack

Main article: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (soundtrack)

The soundtrack based on the film was released on 14 July 2009. The primary composer is Nicholas Hooper who previously scored the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix soundtrack.

Reception

Based on 149 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, as of 15 July 2009, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 89% "Certified Fresh" rating on the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, same as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, being the two most critically acclaimed films in the series. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television, and radio programs, the film also holds an overall approval rating of 90%. By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 80, which represents Generally Favorable Reviews, based on 31 reviews.

Nearly all of the early reviews for Half-Blood Prince have been very positive. Critics such as BBC News's Tim Masters have praised the film's cinematography and special effects, as well as the film's darker plotline.

The first review of the film came three weeks before the official release. Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com ranked the film with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and called the film a "possible Oscar contender". He highly praised the performance of Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe. He commented, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a tour-de-force that combines style and substance, special effects and heart and most importantly great performances from all of the actors young and not-so-young". Another early review came from the UK tabloid The Sun, whose anonymous reviewer called the film "masterful" and "very emotional". The reviewer praised David Yates' directing and called Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Horace Slughorn "perfect". Devin Faraci of Chud.com called the film not only the best Harry Potter film yet, but also one of the best films of the year.

Andrew Pulver of The Guardian also wrote a positive review, and gave the movie 3 out of 5 stars rating. Todd McCarthy of the trade magazine Variety said that the film is "dazzlingly well made" and "less fanciful than the previous entries". He praised Alan Rickman's performance and he described Helena Bonham Carter as "mesmerizing" and Jim Broadbent as "grand eccentric old professor". The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt noted that the film's first half is "jerky and explosive", but in the second half, the film finds better footing. He adds, "Composer Nicholas Hooper, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and designer Stuart Craig deliver a singularly muscular and vigorous chapter". Screen Daily called the film "[s]tunningly shot by Bruno Delbonnel in metallic hues leavened by buttery tones and the thumping beats of Nicholas Hooper’s score bear little resemblance to the original and the overall effect is much less twee, much more grown-up".

Chris Tilly of IGN UK commented on the length of the movie, saying "while on occasion it drags, the 153 run-time never feels too long, thanks in no small part to the astonishing visuals and (largely) marvellous performances," and goes on to say, "This is by far the best-looking of the Potter films thus far," commending the "beautiful" Quidditch match and the "stunning" finale. However, Dave Golder of SFX Magazine found some aspects of the film to be a disappointment, largely due to the large amount of opportunities the director had sacrificed to devote "huge swathes of the film to subplots of Harry and his chums' teenage romances," but nevertheless found the film to be a large enjoyment, praising the performances of Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman.

External links

• Official website for the film
• Official website for the film series
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at IMDb
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at AllMovie
• Interactive graphic with connections and biographies of the characters as they are at the beginning of the story of The Half Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Box Office Mojo
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Rotten Tomatoes
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Picture Gallery on Sky Movies