Hello all you big, fabulous, shiny…er, “Harry” robots!! Flaming Gynoid here again…this time with the pleasure of reviewing ”Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” on Blu-ray.
Oh lordy…where do I begin? Let me start off by clearing the cold, winter air…I like to think I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan; in fact I only made it through the 4th book. (I’m not big into reading…I need those visuals to stimulate my brain and get my juices flowing.) Now I recently watched some of the older HP movies, and will admit they are addicting. I did like 4, and enjoyed 5 as well. They have a slightly more mature feeling about them. Not to mention mature actor…HELLO DANNY BOY!
The series has had 5 different directors, each putting their own style into their film. One of the biggest reasons I can appreciate the series, is the continuity is consistent, as well as the cast of lovable characters. Now brings us to the sixth installment, directed by Yates(He directed 5, and will be doing the 7th)
The story begins right where The Order of the Phoenix left off. The Fabulous world of wizards and witches is shook up by the news that Mr. Sneaky V., “He who can’t have his name uttered ever” or he might come down from the sky and kill you, is back, and for good this time. Silly snake in the grass.
Also, revealing to us, the audience, that Potter is the Savior, the light who can eliminate dark, Tom Cruise to Tim Curry(Legend), Gelflings to the Skesis, Wonder Woman to Cheetah and so on. We’re also led to believe early on, that Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is to be a new Death Eater, replacing his magnificent, attractive father, Luscious Lucius Malfoy, and is being recruited for a special top secret mission for the Dark Lord himself. I thought the conflict in the film that he was dealing with, was a secret crush on Potter, but sadly not the case…I could have sworn it was though. I was hoping. Wishing. Praying….maybe in the 7th my dream will come true. Some Malfoy/Potter loving. KISS AND MAKE UP ALREADY WILL YOU! That’s what the fans are waiting for. HELLO!
There were a lot of new characters just thrown into this film, without much introduction, so for someone who hasn’t read the book, it got slightly confusing. Also, because I have seen the other films, I did find myself attached to certain characters in the series, characters who mysteriously lost major screen time. Such as Severus Snape [Alan Rickman], Minerva McGonagall [Maggie Smith],& Hagrid [Robbie Coltrane]. That was a HUGE disappointment. Not knowing the way it’s supposed to be with the books, watching this film I did feel different in comparison to the others. I was slightly bored, and irritable. I was not expecting the death of DUMBLEDORE….WHAT?!?!? Isn’t he a wizard like Gandolf. I was thinking it was a trick. He’d surely come back as Dumbledore the white. Really? He’s dead?
I also thought the movie was very anti-climatic. I expected a little bit more action. Closure. SOMETHING!! Then to find out the way the book ends, and the movie didn’t even go there…I was livid….No, I was Irate. The Hogwarts battle between Death Eaters and Order members could have saved the movie for me, not to mention some sort of goodbye moment for Dumbledore. I can only imagine how the book fans feel.
I don’t know if I even want to see the seventh film….um, yes, I do. Daniel will be in it. Oh Daniel. I’ll take you over Edward any day! Its been nice to see the sweet Daniel Radcliffe grow from a cute loveable kid, into a grown, handsome, strapping, muscular, hairy, mature man. I’m talking a stallion…HELLO! Was anyone lucky enough to see Mr. Radcliffe perform live on stage in the controversial show Equus? The only thing Harry about this Potter was his magic wand. HELLO!
So the blu-ray is probably the cheapest on AMAZON. Again, stick with AMAZON! You can get it for a CHEAP 14.99.
It’s the Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy combo. The special features included on the DVD here are:
Footage from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life – a personal look at the journey in creating and launching the final book in the series (49:32).
What’s On Your Mind? – Lightning round Q&A with the cast and crew. Tom Felton (who portrays Draco Malfoy in the movies) is the host of this feature where the cast is asked a series of quick questions about their likes and dislikes (6:41)
Additional scenes not shown in the theaters (6:31)
The cast members act as personal guides to aspects of moviemaking that include editing, makeup, stunt, set design, props, costumes, and more – hosted by Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas) (28:30)
Sneak peek at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida (11:38)
Overall, I found this particular chapter underwhelming. It was interesting enough that I had to purchased it for my collection, but I will always be disappointed. A positive; watching Blu-Ray makes Daniel look like he’s in my living room with me. Can’t complain about that. So in the end I give Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Blu-ray Edition 6 out of 10 broom sticks….and I give Daniel 10 out of 10 magic wands for being so, how do I say it….MAGICAL.