Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Half-Blood Prince is visually stunning with strong moments, but it misses the book’s depth, leaving fans wanting a bit more magic.
Watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you can really feel the shift into darker territory, film after film. Hogwarts feels shadowed, almost haunted, which really suits the story as the wizarding world is nearly on the edge of war. David Yates nails the eerie atmosphere, making everything feel more serious, but there’s something about seeing it all on screen that doesn’t quite capture the depth and richness of the book. I was left wishing for more, especially after just finishing the novel.
Disclaimer: Half-Blood Prince is our favourite book in the series, so yeah, we’ll be comparing some aspects of the book with the film
The film does throw in some nice, lighthearted moments to balance out the tension, mainly with the teenage romances. Harry and Ginny’s quiet moments together are sweet, and Ron’s hilariously tangled-up love life with Lavender Brown adds a bit of charm. Still, in the book, these relationships felt more layered, more tied into the overall story. Here, they’re cute, but it almost felt like they slowed down the bigger plot, and I was itching to get back to the parts that move Harry’s journey forward.
The dynamic between Harry and Dumbledore is easily the film's core, though, and seeing Dumbledore guide Harry through Voldemort’s past was fascinating. The book dives so much deeper into Voldemort’s backstory, and while the film touches on it, there were details that felt glossed over, like the significance of certain memories and Horcruxes. Michael Gambon and Daniel Radcliffe have some great scenes together, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the film didn’t give these moments the time they deserved.
One of the biggest disappointments was how little focus the film gave to Snape’s “Half-Blood Prince” storyline. Alan Rickman is brilliant as always, bringing all the mystery and intensity we expect, but the reveal about Snape’s identity felt almost like an afterthought. The book made this such a powerful part of Harry’s journey, adding layers of tension and surprise, and here it just didn’t land the same way. It was like they skimmed over it to fit other things in, which was a letdown.
Smash Hit Score: 6.8/10
Half-Blood Prince is definitely enjoyable and visually striking, but for anyone who loves the book, it might feel like a missed opportunity. There’s heart and humor and some incredible scenes, but it doesn’t dive as deep as I’d hoped. It’s worth watching, especially if you’re already invested, but it left me wanting that extra magic only the book seems to have.
