Genre Adventure

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Item: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Rating: 2.0
Author: Ross McLaren

★★ — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

By the time Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrived in cinemas in the summer of 2009, the franchise had become one of the most reliably successful operations in Hollywood history. Warner Bros. and Heyday Films had been adapting J.K. Rowling's novels since 2001, and the series had grown progressively darker in tone with each instalment. This sixth entry, based on Rowling's 2005 novel of the same name, picks up in a world where Voldemort's forces are no longer lurking in the shadows but openly terrorising both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. The central thread follows Dumbledore drawing Harry deeper into the history of Voldemort's origins, using recovered memories as a way of preparing him for what lies ahead. It is, on paper, the most psychologically rich premise the series had offered up to that point.

The film was directed by David Yates, who had taken the reins with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and would go on to complete the series with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. By this point Yates had a firm grip on the series' aesthetic direction, steering it toward something moodier and more adult than the early films. The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, who had adapted all but one of the previous entries. The production ran to a runtime of 153 minutes, the kind of length that demands the film earn every scene. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are all well settled into their roles by now, and the film benefits from the addition of Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, a performance that brought a welcome layer of warmth and moral ambiguity to proceedings. Michael Gambon continues as Dumbledore, and Alan Rickman remains a commanding presence as Snape. The cast, at least, is not where any problems lie.

Whether the film lives up to the promise of that cast and that source material is another question entirely. Coming off the relatively well-received another of Daniel Radcliffe's entries in the series, expectations were reasonably high, and the marketing leaned heavily into the idea of revelations and raised stakes. The tagline, "dark secrets revealed", set a tone of slow-burn menace. Whether the film delivers on that promise is what we are here to discuss.

Of all the films in the series, this might be the dullest. The story (Harry helping Dumbledore uncover memories about Voldemort’s past) has potential, but it’s buried under a film that feels more like a series of gloomy vignettes than a proper narrative. There’s little momentum, few real stakes, and long stretches where it feels like nothing is happening at all. Even the big moments, like the final showdown on the cliff, come and go without much impact. The biggest problem is it's almost impossible to see what’s on screen. The cinematography is a mess, deliberately dark, yes, but to the point of being ridiculous. Whole scenes are shrouded in shadow, lit only by faint candlelight or murky ambient glow, as if the film was shot through a black bin bag. It’s not moody; it’s just poorly lit. You can forgive a film for being slow, but not when it’s also a chore to watch. The romance between Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione is awkwardly handled and adds nothing but filler. Meanwhile, the title character (the mysterious Half-Blood Prince) turns out to be someone so ill-fitting that when the reveal comes, it feels less like a twist and more like a betrayal. Alan Rickman gives his usual weight to the role, but even he can’t save the flat ending. Ambitious in tone, perhaps, but a misfire in execution. Barely keeps the series alive before the finale.

For me, that sums it up about as fairly as it can be put. Broadbent is a genuine bright spot, and there are individual scenes that carry real weight, but they feel isolated rather than connected to anything building around them. I came away from this one feeling oddly flat, which is a strange thing to say about a film that is supposed to be the darkest hour before the storm. If you are working through the series, you will sit through it because you have to, but it is the one entry I would struggle to recommend on its own terms. Sometimes a film can be polished but unremarkable; this one manages to be murky and unremarkable, which is a harder thing to forgive. Roll on the final stretch.

Rating: ★★ | Year: 2009 | Watched: 2025-07-27

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Trailer

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
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Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · Peacock Premium · YouTube TV · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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