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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy-adventure film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth installment in the popular Harry Potter franchise as well as the second film to be directed by Yates, who helmed the previous movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film and the screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four entries.

Filming began on 24 September 2007, with the film being released in cinemas worldwide on 15 July 2009, one day short of the fourth anniversary of the corresponding novel's release. In everywhere but the United States, the sixth film was simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3-D in all countries. Due to North American theaters having a several week commitment by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the IMAX 3D release of the film occurred on 29 July, two weeks after its original release.

Half-Blood Prince opened to critical acclaim along with instant commercial success, breaking the record for the biggest single-day worldwide gross of all time. In five days the film made $394 million, breaking the record for biggest five-day worldwide gross in history. With a total gross of $934 million, it was also the second highest-grossing film of 2009 (behind Avatar), and the overall 10th highest grossing movie of all time unadjusted for inflation. The film was also nominated for many awards, including Best Cinematography at the 82nd Academy Awards.

Plot

Having returned to power, Lord Voldemort has given Draco Malfoy a mission, while Death Eaters attack both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Bellatrix Lestrange goads Severus Snape into making an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, to protect Draco and carry out the assignment if he fails. Dumbledore brings Harry to entice former Potions Professor Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. Later, while leaving Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Draco associating with Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Narcissa Malfoy in Borgin and Burkes, leaving Harry suspicious. He attempts to eavesdrop on Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express, but Draco petrifies Harry. He is soon rescued by Luna Lovegood.

At Hogwarts, Harry and Ron borrow school textbooks for Slughorn's Potions class. The previous owner of Harry's copy, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with additional instructions that allow Harry to excel in class and win a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis. After making many spectacular saves as Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Ron becomes a hero and he forms a relationship with Lavender Brown, which leaves Hermione heartbroken. After Harry finds her sobbing in the Astronomy Tower, it is known that he has feelings for Ron's sister Ginny Weasley, and that he is also jealous of her boyfriend, Dean Thomas.

Harry spends Christmas with the Weasleys, during which he discusses the situation at Hogwarts with Order of the Phoenix members Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. He also gets much closer to Ginny, who has since broken up with Dean and is now taking an interest in him. They almost share a kiss on Christmas Eve, but before they do, Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback attack and burn the Burrow, intent on capturing Harry, but must abandon their attack when they are outnumbered, leaving the Burrow in flames as Harry and the Weasleys watch their home burn.

Draco continues eluding Harry while perfecting the use of a Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Requirement. Harry suspects Draco is behind two attempts on Dumbledore's life, one of which nearly kills Ron. In his semi-comatose state, Ron mumbles Hermione's name in front of Lavender unknowingly, his relationship with Lavender deteriorates. Confronting Draco, Harry hits him with a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book which severely wounds him. Snape heals Draco as Harry retreats. Fearing the book may be filled with more Dark Magic, Ginny accompanies Harry to the Room of Requirement, intending to leave it there so that nobody can use it again. She tells him to close his eyes so that he won't know where it's hidden, and then kisses him, starting a relationship between them.

During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore shows Harry memories of a young Tom Riddle and reveals Slughorn retains a memory critical to Voldemort's defeat. Harry retrieves the memory using Felix Felicis. It reveals that Voldemort had been seeking information for creating as many as seven Horcruxes, devices that safeguard a portion of the creator's soul, granting him immortality unless the Horcruxes are destroyed. Two of Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary, and his grandfather's ring. After locating another Horcrux, Dumbledore requests Harry's help to retrieve it. They travel to a far away cave, where Harry is forced to make Dumbledore drink a mind-altering potion that hides the Horcrux, a locket. Though gravely weakened, Dumbledore defends them from a horde of Inferi and apparates himself and Harry back to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore first tells Harry to fetch Snape for help, but then tells him to hide when footsteps approach. Draco appears and reveals that Voldemort has chosen him to kill Dumbledore, but is unable to follow through. Snape arrives and motions to Harry to stay hidden before joining the Death Eaters that arrived through the Vanishing Cabinet and are surrounding Draco as he hesitates. Snape casts the Avada Kedavra curse, killing Dumbledore and then escaping from the castle with the other Death Eaters. In their wake Bellatrix casts the Dark Mark, destroys the Great Hall and sets fire to Hagrid's hut. Harry tries to stop them, but Snape deflects Harry's spells and Bellatrix stuns him. Before departing, Snape reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince. Harry returns to the school to find the staff and students mourning Dumbledore. Together, they destroy the Dark Mark cast by Bellatrix Lestrange to honor Dumbledore.

Harry later reveals to Ron and Hermione that the locket Horcrux was a fake. The locket contains a message from an "R.A.B." stating he has taken the real Horcrux and hopes to destroy it and the others. Rather than return for their final year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione vow to seek out R.A.B. and the remaining Horcruxes as Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, flies into the horizon.

Cast

• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, with the wizarding world at war.
• Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. The legendary wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts.
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's two best friends, who has a romantic interest in Hermione. Although he begins flirting with her, he develops a shallow relationship with Lavender Brown, whom he abandons later in the film.
• Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends, who has romantic feelings for Ron and becomes jealous of his girlfriend.
• Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the newly appointed Hogwarts Potions master who held the position before.
• Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, older sister of Narcissa Malfoy and aunt of Draco.
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Harry's first friend from the magical world.
• Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, a rival of Harry and one of the film's antagonists. Throughout the year, Harry suspects Malfoy of carrying out a task for Lord Voldemort. Due to the mounting pressure and tension of the task he was instructed to perform, Malfoy begins to crumble as the year progresses. Nephew to Bellatrix Lestrange as well as son to Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.
• 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.
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the former Potions master, who finally achieves his goal of becoming Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
• Dame 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.
• Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Arthur and Molly Weasley respectively, Ron and Ginny's parents. They treat Harry like another son.
• Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister in her fifth year, with whom Harry forms a relationship.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane each play Tom Riddle, the child who becomes Lord Voldemort, at age eleven and as a teenager respectively. 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.

Jessie Cave joins the cast as Lavender Brown, Ron's new girlfriend. Watson described her as "perfect for the role." Dave Legeno appears as Fenrir Greyback, a savage werewolf who is greatly feared in the wizarding world, though is not referred to by name in the film, but his name appears in a wanted poster in the Knockturn Alley scene. 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. David Thewlis and Natalia Tena return as Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks respectively. Gemma Jones appears for the first time since the Chamber of Secrets, playing Poppy Pomfrey although she has no lines. Timothy Spall appears briefly in the beginning of the film, reprising his role as Peter Pettigrew.

Both Clémence Poésy, who has played Fleur Delacour, and Chris Rankin, who has played Percy Weasley, were interested in returning, but did not appear in the film. 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. Scrimgeour's character was ultimately cut from the film, but Nighy has been confirmed in the role for Deathly Hallows.

Production

Development

Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many directors had expressed an interest in taking the helm. 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. 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."

Emma Watson considered not returning for the film, but eventually decided that, "the pluses outweighed the minuses," and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione. Composer Nicholas Hooper also returned from the last film; he included a reworking of John Williams's Hedwig's Theme, which has recurred in all scores. 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.

Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows influenced the script of the film. Much of the book's ending has been changed, with the climactic battle in the castle and Dumbledore's funeral being removed. Heyman commented that the end battle was removed to " 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.

Sets

Stuart Craig, the production designer of the first five films, stayed on to design all the sets in The Half Blood Prince. Several new sets are introduced, including Tom Riddle's Orphanage, Astronomy Tower and the Cave. Craig noted that the film used several CGI sets, noticeably the interior of the Cave where Harry and Dumbledore both go to hunt Horcruxes. The exterior of the cave scene was filmed at the 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."

Cinematography

The Half Blood Prince was extensively color graded and due to the film's overly dark tones, Warner Bros. asked Yates and Delbonnel to add more colours to the film, as they could barely see a thing on screen. After retouching some of the scenes Delbonnel realized that he had overused the grading and the final product was better. Yates remarked Delbonnel'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." Half-Blood Prince is the first film in the Harry Potter series to be nominated for a Cinematography Oscar.

One of the major challenge for Delbonnel was lighting in the film. In an interview to the Academy, he said, "Some of the sets are there since the very first Potter. How could I light them in a different way? This question brought another one based on the series itself..., I thought it would be interesting to have those very intimates stories amidst this very dark mood. As if the school was a dark character. That’s when I suggested to go for this (again) dark moody variations of greys. Fortunately David Yates, and the producers liked the idea." In reference to the cave scene Delbonnel said, "I wanted to have some kind of 'dynamism' with the light. I thought it could be interesting and more dramatic if the light was floating, circling above the characters faces: sometimes lighting them, sometimes hiding them in a very random and unpredictable way."

Filming

Following a week of rehearsals, principal photography began on 24 September 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. Before filming began, there was belief that filming might move from the UK, where all previous films were 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.

The revelation of Albus Dumbledore's sexuality prompted Michael Gambon to "camp up" around the set when off camera, but his on-screen performance remained unchanged from the previous films.

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 were the visual effects supervisors for the film. Tim Alexander said that completing the 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 than zombies, 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.

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 and a Japanese version of the international trailer were 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, United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Spain and Mexico 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 was simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3D everywhere but the United States, due to a conflicting agreement in which Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was given a four week window by itself in IMAX in that country. Therefore, the IMAX 3D version of the film was released on 29 July 2009 there. The film's opening sequence featuring the destruction of the Millennium Bridge was 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 Fandango.com for Half-Blood Prince surpassed advanced ticket sales for Transformers 2 at the same point in sale cycles. It is also in MovieTickets.com's top 25 advance sellers of all time.

The film is 153 minutes (2 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds) long, making this film the third longest of the series, coming behind Chamber of Secrets (161 minutes) and Goblet of Fire (157 minutes).

Box office

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince broke the then-record for biggest midnight showings, making $22.2 million in 3,000 theatres, until the new record was held by The Twilight Saga: New Moon with $26.3 million. Half-Blood Prince opened in the same Wednesday slot that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did in 2007, which grossed $12 million in midnight runs, on its way to $139.7 million in its five-day debut in the US. The film's box office run was over on 17 December 2009.

The film grossed $58.2 million on its opening day in North America from 4,325 theatres, the second-highest Wednesday opening of all-time behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is also the fifth-highest single-day gross of all time, and the highest for a film in the Harry Potter franchise. It earned an additional $46 million overseas for a worldwide total of $104 million, breaking the record for highest single-day worldwide gross, previously held by The Dark Knight.

By 20 July, the film had taken in $158.7 million in the US and $236 million from 85 other markets, for a worldwide tally of $394.7 million. This broke the record for biggest ever worldwide 5-day opening, surpassing Spider-Man 3's $381 million; makes the film the fastest to reach the $350 million mark in worldwide box office of all time; and, in the US, surpasses all of its predecessors by a wide margin, achieving the sixth-largest ever 5-day opening in the US. In the UK, the film grossed £19.75 million (equivalent to about $38.13 million), the highest opening for both the series and releases of 2009. At the end of the film's US box office run the total ticket sales of the film were $301,959,197, making it the second most successful film in the franchise, after Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. As with all of the previous films in the franchise, Half-Blood Prince proved to be extremely successful globally with an estimated non-US total gross of $632,000,000, totalling approximately $933,959,197 worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2009, behind Avatar, and the 9th highest-grossing picture of all time, unadjusted for inflation. It is currently the third highest-grossing film in the franchise, behind Philosopher's Stone and Order of the Phoenix.

In South Africa the film opened with the number one position grossing $789,176, it maintained a number one position during the second week too, with a total of $242,336. In Australia, as in most of the world, the film broke records with a debut of $11,492,142 and opening at number one, maintaining a second week at number one with a total of $5,278,096 (down 54%), and grossed a total of $24,208,243. In France the film debuted at $20,541,239 from 949 theatres.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from film critics; it holds an overall approval rating from critics of 83% on the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes with 206 "Fresh" reviews, and an overall approval rating of 87% among the site's "top" critics. The site's general consensus categorises the film as "ark, thrilling, and occasionally quite funny, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is also visually stunning and emotionally satisfying". By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 top reviews from critics, the film received an average score of 78 ("generally favourable") based on 36 reviews.

BBC News's Tim Masters has praised the film's cinematography, visual effects, production design, improved acting and 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 Sir 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 wrote a positive review, and gave the film 3.5 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 "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 tween, much more grown-up".

Chris Tilly of IGN UK commented on the length of the film, 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 number 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.

David Stratton, of Margaret and David At The Movies, gave the film a 2.5 out of a possible 5 stars, remarking, "For non-readers the films are now borderline incomprehensible", and that the film was "a little tedious" and "generally less interesting visually than its predecessors." He praised the cast, describing them as "consummate", adding Sir Michael Gambon "really makes Dumbledore an imposing character" and Jim Broadbent was "wonderful". Margaret Pomeranz, the co-host of the television show, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, stated that Half-Blood Prince was her "favourite one" of the six film adaptations.

Home media

Like the previous films, a 1-Disc and 2-Disc Special Edition for the film was released on Blu-ray Disc with a Digital Copy and DVD on 7 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, and 8 December 2009 in the United States. The Blu-ray and DVD includes an 11 minute 38 second feature on the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter mini theme park currently under construction at Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Also included are deleted scenes comprising 8 scenes with a running length of 6 minutes and 31 seconds, and a sneak peek of the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts I and II (2010/2011). The Blu-ray and DVD released in India, the Philippines, South Africa, Czech Republic and Israel on 16 November 2009, making them the first countries to get the Half Blood Prince DVD release before the UK and the US. The release date for Australia and New Zealand was 18 November and for Brazil and Chile, 19 November The Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD editions in North America includes a digital copy of the film. In the United Kingdom, the DVD release became the fastest selling DVD of the year with an estimated 840,000 copies of the film sold in a few hours. In the US, the DVD made a strong debut at number one in both the DVD and Blu-Ray markets widely beating out any competition with sales of 4,199,622 copies.World wide DVD and Blu-ray sales of the film show that it is the fastest selling film of 2009.

Awards and nominations

Nicholas Hooper's score was nominated for the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media, but lost to Pixar's Up. It was nominated for BAFTA Awards in Production Design and Visual Effects, and was in the longlists for five other categories, including Best Supporting Actor for Alan Rickman.

The film was one of the final seven contenders which were to be nominated at the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. However, the film was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography instead.

References

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External links

Template:Misplaced Pages-Books

• Official website for the film
• Official website for the film series
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at IMDb
• Template:Amg movie
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Box Office Mojo
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Rotten Tomatoes

Template:Active editnotice

• Harry Potter films
• 2009 films
• 3-D films
• English-language films
• IMAX films
• Sequel films
• D-BOX motion-enhanced films