Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

There’s something about Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and this trend continues in this edition of his adventure. Lord Voldemort is getting stronger by the day and Prof Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) feels the need for retired potions professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) to come back to Hogwarts — at once. Harry not only persuades Prof Horace to return to the famous magic school but also makes him see the need to recover an important memory of ex-student Tom Riddle.

While Harry is busy with his duties towards Hogwarts, his trusted lieutenants Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) find themselves growing closer to each other. In the middle of this the Death Eaters bring Prof Snape (Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to implement the will of the Dark Lord.

‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ is basically a showcase of director David Yates’ work. He directed Potter once in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ and he  manages to maintain a balanced dose of an artistic touch on adolescent relationship and the forces of evil. However, Potter fans need to realise by now that there are bound to be omissions and additions.

More than the action on the battlefield, The Half Blood Prince’s attention seems to be the love angle. It’s wonderful to see young wizards growing up and coping with their hormonal changes. Ron this time makes no mistake about his feeling for Hermione, who somewhat acknowledges the same. Harry also finds a friend in his best friend’s sister Ginny. The question is: Are they made for each other?

There is also a growing concern for the next two editions of the Harry Potter franchise, as this sixth film already has an almost full-grown Mr Radcliffe and his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, as Harry’s friends Hermione and Ron. Their childish cute-look has disappeared. They have become seriously entangled in their characters. However, veterans Alan Rickman as Prof Severus Snape and  Michael Gambon as Prof Dumbledore still display their old charm.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince serving as one of the connecting thread between the promising, but supposed to be dead, young wizard Tom and Harry is like a candle that flickered — sometimes bright, sometimes dark. Pottermaniacs, it’s better to be prepared for a growing mass of darkness over the magical life of Harry.