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HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCEMovie Reviews
Sixth installment of the Harry Potter epic has Voldemort tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, as Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Cast:Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim BroadbentDirector:David YatesRelease Date:July 15, 2009DVD Release:December 8, 2009From:Warner Bros.Rating:PGLength:2 hr 33 minIn 3D
DECEMBER 8, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Excellent Reviews
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince played to excellent reviews. • David Germain wrote for the Associated Press, "...the franchise's best so far, blending rich drama and easy camaraderie among the actors with the visual spectacle that until now has been the real star of the series." • And Amy Biancolli wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...the sharpest since 'The Prisoner of Azkaban.' " More Reviews Below...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Positive Reviews (45 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...clearly transitional, serving to set up the final two films (of the seventh book) yet to come... a sustaining visit with beloved old (if not in age) friends."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 07/16/09
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "...the boy will grow into the holy warrior. Those climactic works couldn't have a stronger prelude -- an evocation, not leering but knowing, of adolescence under siege."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,155 words, 07/17/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...just the right balance of timeless spiritual profundity and contemporary teen specificity, of awe and humor.... a rich, amazing creation."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 07/17/09
David Germain, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the franchise's best so far, blending rich drama and easy camaraderie among the actors with the visual spectacle that until now has been the real star of the series."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 888 words, 07/09/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Dark and dramatic -- yet much more amorous than any of the earlier films.... doesn't waste time explaining the Potter mythology, which makes for swift story telling."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 07/16/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Captivating from the first frame... Yates finds an artful way to meld the teenage romance and inherent humor with a sense of impending doom."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 07/14/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Yates does a fine job of keeping Ms. Rowling's multiple parts in balanced play... Yet even with a surer directorial touch, he can't keep the whole thing from feeling like filler."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,013 words, 07/15/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Steve Kloves had to trim Rowling's book back noticeably, but once things really get going you may be too entranced by what's onscreen to worry about what's not."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 07/14/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "I admired this 'Harry Potter.' It opens and closes well, and has wondrous art design and cinematography as always, only more so."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 898 words, 07/13/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...these films are a law unto themselves: cozy tales told around a cinematic campfire that have managed to reach out to the world."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 07/14/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...conjures up some pulse-quickening stuff.... suspenseful and artfully realized. It's a definite improvement over J.K. Rowling's dimly written and exposition-clogged book."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 07/14/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...meticulously atmospheric and wonderfully acted... broodingly, but happily -- near the top of the series heap, just behind Alfonso Cuaron's 'Prisoner of Azkaban.' "(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 930 words, 07/14/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a downbeat cliffhanger that suggests its central characters are exiting their age of innocence... it's the tender banalities of adolescence that provide the real magic."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 275 words, 07/14/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: OUTSTANDING "...splendid.... it's not a larky kid-pic. We're firmly in the realm of English horror, as one set of sallow Brits battles another even sallower."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/13/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...an 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."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 879 words, 07/15/09
Josep Parera, La Opinion: FAIR(cg) "Sólo para los fans. 'Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince,' sexta de la saga, es un largo y elegante prólogo a un final anunciado."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 07/15/09
Dan Kois, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...might be the most enjoyable 'Harry Potter' movie yet... Whether die-hard fans of the books will love it, though, is another story."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 822 words, 07/14/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...there's added satisfaction in the maturation of the cast... the way they've stretched themselves, literally and figuratively, to embody all that Rowling's universe demands."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 07/14/09
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...makes this series better because it uses fans' familiarity with the characters as an opportunity to plunge into who they are..."(See all of Nancy Churnin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 07/14/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...plenty good in its own right.... But it also serves the series well, delivering on perhaps its most-important requirement: It makes you really want to see the next one."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 07/14/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...merely gets us one movie closer to the finale.... An hour or so of interesting character development followed by 30 minutes of boredom, then an hour of plot development."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 07/15/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Director David Yates trims Rowling's doorstop of a book to its essentials, goosing the action along briskly. Character growth is deftly sketched."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 07/15/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...filled with charms big and small.... I was happy to be reminded that we aren't yet done with Hogwarts, and that there's much pleasure in a story slowly told."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 07/17/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an exceptionally well-made film.... Think of it as a well-constructed and necessary bridge to the movie series' upcoming epic conclusion."(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 07/15/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the strongest (or at least the most mature, subtle and emotional) entry in the series thus far.... it finally lays out some key bits of backstory."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 679 words, 07/15/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While the romantic sweetness that it's peddling is a guilty pleasure, it's also a distraction from the gathering storm that the series had been charting so well."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 07/14/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Yates isn't out to wow audiences but to emotionally involve them. It mostly works, from a nonreader's perspective, making this one of the franchise's high points."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 07/14/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...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."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 07/15/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a film that bubbles and pops with humor and feeling. It flows like fast-moving lava to a climax filled with pyrotechnics.... leaves you sated, yet wanting more..."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 951 words, 07/14/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...an 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."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 879 words, 07/15/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...details threaten to overwhelm the narrative... But the down time does allow actors usually overshadowed by special effects to demonstrate their skill."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 07/16/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: EXCELLENT "...boasts plenty mystery but little wonder... the humor of magic-gone-wrong has been replaced with the broadness of hormones-gone-crazy..."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 07/16/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: VERY GOOD "...the action pauses to set up emotional conflicts alongside the ones that rely primarily on special-effects wizardry... a boon for any adults who are brought along..."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 304 seconds, 07/19/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Yates does a fine job of keeping Ms. Rowling's multiple parts in balanced play... Yet even with a surer directorial touch, he can't keep the whole thing from feeling like filler."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,013 words, 07/15/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...the storm does gather slowly.... At its worst, the movie feels less like a labor of love than a labor of labor.... But the pace quickens and the intensity grows toward the end."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 07/15/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...these films are a law unto themselves: cozy tales told around a cinematic campfire that have managed to reach out to the world."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 07/14/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...these films are a law unto themselves: cozy tales told around a cinematic campfire that have managed to reach out to the world."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 07/14/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Yates does a fine job of keeping Ms. Rowling's multiple parts in balanced play... Yet even with a surer directorial touch, he can't keep the whole thing from feeling like filler."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,013 words, 07/15/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...the storm does gather slowly.... At its worst, the movie feels less like a labor of love than a labor of labor.... But the pace quickens and the intensity grows toward the end."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 07/15/09
16.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's reviews are separated by an average 16.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (45 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's reviews cover 89.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 29,812 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 662 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Coverage, Volume & Length (45 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 12.0 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's reviews on average broke 12.0 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (45 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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