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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
EMAILPRINTWarner Bros. Pictures
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 36 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 481 votes
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance
Written by:
J.K. Rowling (novel)
Steve Kloves
Directed by: David Yates
Release Date:
Theatrical: July 15, 2009
DVD: December 8, 2009
Running Time: 153 minutes, Color
Origin: UK | USA
Summary
RATING: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, and Jim Broadbent
Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, one student remains aloof. 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.)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
GAMES: Gamecube: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
The most beautiful magic in it is left unseen. And still, it emerges with absolute clarity.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli
This film is the sharpest since "The Prisoner of Azkaban." It is the most emotionally satisfying, blending spot-on comedy and adenoidal sexual tension, with scenes of gutsy vulnerability.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
By an order of magnitude --- the strongest (or at least the most mature, subtle and emotional) entry in the series thus far.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
But the story is, still and all, only a pause, deferring an intensely anticipated conclusion. And it's in that exquisite place of action and waiting that this elegantly balanced production emerges as a model adaptation.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
This one-of-a-kind film cycle has become as comfortable and reliable as an old shoe, providing a degree of dependability that's becoming increasingly rare.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
Dazzlingly well made and perhaps deliberately less fanciful than the previous entries, this one is played in a mode closer to palpable life-or-death drama than any of the others and is quite effective as such.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
It was splendid! No, it’s not a larky kid-pic. We're firmly in the realm of English horror.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Scott Foundas
Generally grim, occasionally startling, and altogether enthralling sixth chapter in a movie franchise that keeps managing to surprise just when one would expect it to be puttering along on auto-broomstick.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Getting lost in the hypnotic Half-Blood Prince is what gives the movie its haunting power.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
One of the series's best, with spectacular effects, nuanced performances and witty dialogue.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The most thoughtfully satisfying of the first six books.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
It flows like fast-moving lava to a climax filled with pyrotechnics. And for once in a summer blockbuster, the fireworks are both emotional and physical. The movie leaves you sated, yet wanting more -- just what you want from a series with two entries left to go.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
The latest, meticulously atmospheric and wonderfully acted Potter adventure lands happily--broodingly, but happily---near the top of the series heap, just behind Alfonso Cuaron's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
There's something inherently funny about the romantic predicament of Harry and Ron and Hermione. As if it wasn't bad enough having to deal with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and all the rest, now they have to square off against... raging hormones.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
David Yates, in his go at the helm, throws the emphasis on the gathering storm clouds even as Harry and his fellow wizardry students make further discoveries involving the opposite sex.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
As for the ever-impressive supporting cast, neither a delightfully befuddled Jim Broadbent nor a wild-eyed Helena Bonham Carter can upstage Alan Rickman, who again proves invaluable as the slithery Prof. Snape.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
With Half-Blood Prince, again we have a stalwart, satisfying visualization of the Rowling cosmos.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
The critical question for the movies' producers is whether Harry will be as popular now that his legions of stalwarts know how it all ends. The smart money would be on answering that question with a resounding "yes!"
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
The movie's climax takes Harry Potter into territory that is much more like epic horror than most of what the series has seen before. There is more obvious religious symbolism and apocalyptic violence as Harry emerges into his role as “the chosen one.”
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
"HP6" is suspenseful and artfully realized. It's a definite improvement over J.K. Rowling's dimly written and exposition-clogged book.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
This is the darkest, saddest, most sophisticated Harry Potter film yet.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Slower and talkier than the five Potters that came before - but not necessarily in a bad way - Half-Blood Prince is a bubbling cauldron of hormonal angst, rife with romance and heartbreak, jealousy and longing.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
Half-Blood Prince is the franchise's “Empire Strikes Back” -- the episode in which the pace slows down a bit, the characters deepen and mature, the good guys take a big hit, and all hell is gearing up to break loose.
Read Full Review >New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott
Director David Yates picks up where he left off with "Order of the Phoenix," assembling a nicely paced and artfully shot adventure.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
I admired this Harry Potter. It opens and closes well, and has wondrous art design and cinematography as always, only more so.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Tracie Cooper
The good news is that it comes closer than any of its predecessors, hitting the mark or coming close to it on almost all fronts. With "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" being split into two films, the final installment stands an excellent chance of getting it right.
Read Full Review >Slate Dana Stevens
Despite the preponderance of (PG-rated) snogging, there are pleasures to be found along this movie's meandering path.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Dan Kois
The three leads, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione), give their most charming performances to date.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
It’s always a pleasure to be in the company of Potter, and when looking back at the just-competent first outings – well, baby, you’ve come a long way – but still: Where’s the magic, huh?
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Installment six of the Harry Potter’ series, The Half-Blood Prince, merely gets us one movie closer to the finale, which, apparently is so big (and by big, I mean “$$$$’’) that it’s being split into two parts.
Read Full Review >Empire Angie Errigo
We're marking time before the final battle between Good and Evil, with the promised darkness sitting somewhat clumsily with teen romance and humour.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Much like its young hero, played by Daniel Radcliffe, the film has begun to show signs of stress around the edges, a bit of fatigue, or maybe that’s just my gnawing impatience.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Anthony Lane
We get one lovely, cheering sequence of a trashed room putting itself in order, like the untidy nursery in "Mary Poppins," but the rest of the magic here feels randomly grabbed at.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
For those who’ve lived with the series for more than a decade, this fateful pause may heighten the suspense. For a Muggle like me, the storm does gather slowly.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 481 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
avery gave it a6:
I'm forty. I was bored by this, but I did quite enjoy '....Azkaban". However that featured Oldman, Thewlis, Spall, Rickman, and HBC a lot. 'Azkaban' and 'Phoenix' were torch-passing films that merged generations. 'Half Blood' is caught between little kid harry and young adult Harry. Also, none of the Harry Potter girls are ever as cute as Kristen Stewart or Michelle Trachtenberg.
Joelle G gave it an8:
Good transitional film. Builds tension for the next installment.
Haylee B gave it a3:
A complete bore! The movie reached about half way and i couldnt wait for it to end. There was a massive lead up and then it just fell and boy did it fall hard. What happened to the whole battle at hogwarts at the end?? It was a corny romance. I was really disappointed with the amount of things they left out. This is by far my least favourite movie out of them all. It was a real disappointement.
Luiz F gave it a9:
The movie isn't marvellous and isn't a disaster too. For me, It's like a previous for an incredible movie that we'll see in next november. Scenes were added, the attack on Weasley's house was espetaculary made. But, not necessary things were included and necessary facts weren't shown. Because of that scenes, I gave HP'n HBP 9. Very good movie!
Josh B gave it a2:
The funniest movie yet, and the acting by the kids has improved but the movie was really not good. It was probably more liked by the critics as it was very beautiful cinematography but the story was lacking sooo many crucial scenes and yet they felt it necessary to add in a 10 minute scene that was complete non existent in the book. The way the movie ran, it ended with me actually being bored by the, what should have been, incredibly exciting last scene.
Kenny gave it a5:
Perhaps we are witnessing the best part of the series and the only really acceptable. After 6, it was time. But still not really complete. David Yates is responsible for achieving 6th darkest part thanks to his direction and not magic, but you have to say who remain unaware finish a movie and this time I had in palm to make a great film, but its final touches on the simplicity and fatigue. And it is logical that after so many ridiculous and so heavy parts is expected that both history (JK Rowling is not exactly a brilliant mind, another thing is that thousands of readers either) and actors (and characters) and like everything that concerns the film is starting to get tired of itself. They should have cut long, or have created a television series, which for that matter. Even so the best of the series by far.
Amanda M gave it a10:
Best HP movie yet! Makes up for "The Order of the Pheniox" which was extreamly dull. I lvoed how Snape (Alan Rickman) is seen so much in this movie compaired to the others.