Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-12-07
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Hebrew, Icelandic, English
• Dubbed in: Hebrew
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 153 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series begins right where The Order of the Phoenix left off. The wizarding world is rocked by the news that "He Who Must Not Be Named" has truly returned, and the audience finally knows that Harry is "the Chosen One"--the only wizard who can defeat Lord Voldemort in the end. Dark forces loom around every corner, and now regularly attempt to penetrate the protected walls of Hogwarts School. This is no longer the fun and fascinating world of magic from the first few books—it's dark, dangerous, and scary.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) suspects Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to be a new Death Eater recruit on a special mission for the Dark Lord. In the meantime, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) seems to have finally removed the shroud of secrecy from Harry about the dark path that lies ahead, and instead provides private lessons to get him prepared. It's in these intriguing scenes that the dark past of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) is finally revealed. The actors cast as the different young versions of Riddle (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane) do an eerily fantastic job of portraying the villain as a child. While the previous movies' many new characters could be slightly overwhelming, only one new key character is introduced this time: Professor Horace Slughorn (with a spot-on performance by Jim Broadbent). Within his mind he holds a key secret in the battle to defeat the Dark Lord, and Harry is tasked by Dumbledore to uncover a memory about Voldemort's darkest weapon--the Horcrux. Despite the long list of distractions, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) still try to focus on being teenagers, and audiences will enjoy the budding awkward romances. All of the actors have developed nicely, giving their most convincing performances to date.

More dramatic and significant things go down in this movie than any of its predecessors, and the stakes are higher than ever. The creators have been tasked with a practically impossible challenge, as fans of the beloved J.K. Rowling book series desperately want the movies to capture the magic of the books as closely as possible. Alas, the point at which one accepts that these two mediums are very different is the point at which one can truly enjoy these brilliant adaptations. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no exception: it may be the best film yet. For those who have not read the book, nail-biting entertainment is guaranteed. For those who have, the movie does it justice. The key dramatic scenes, including the cave and the shocking twist in the final chapter, are executed very well. It does a perfect job of setting up the two-part grand finale that is to follow. --Jordan Thompson

DVD Description
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Adolescent wizard-in-training Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for another year of schooling and learns more about the dark past of the boy who grew up to become Lord Voldemort in this, the sixth installment of the film series that originated from the writings of author J.K. Rowling. There was a time when Hogwarts was thought of as a safe haven, but thanks to Voldemort's tightening grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, that simply isn't the case anymore. Suspecting that the castle may even harbour an outright threat, Harry finds his investigation into the matter sidelined by Dumbledore's attempts to prepare him for the monumental battle looming ever closer on the horizon. In order to discover the key to Voldemort's defences, Dumbledore enlists the aid of resourceful yet unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, who may have a clue as to their enemy's Achilles' heel. Meanwhile, teenage hormones cause the students at Hogwarts to lose focus on their true mission. As Harry and Dean Thomas clash for the affections of the lovely Ginny, Romilda Vane attempts to woo Ron away from Lavender Brown with some particularly tasty chocolates. Even Hermione isn't immune from the love bug, though she tries her hardest to suppress her growing jealousy and keep her emotions bottled up. But there is one student who remains completely aloof from the romance blossoming all around, and he intends to leave a dark impression on his classmates. With tragedy looming ever closer, it begins to appear as if peace will prove elusive in Hogwarts for some time to come.

Special Features:
Disc 1: Feature film

Disc 2:
Behind the Story: Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter: Hosts Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas) lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team:
• Editing with Daniel Radcliffe: Daniel and editor Mark Day have a lighthearted conversation about film editing and how to get the right shot for a scene.
• Special Effects with Matthew Lewis, Oliver Phelps and Tom Felton: The guys get a "science lesson" from Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson and technician Matthew Harlow.
• Owl Training with Jessie Cave: Jessie heads outside for training tips with “hootie” and owl trainer Guillaume Grange.
• Stunt Training with Rupert Grint: Rupert shows off his thrill for danger with the stunt department.
• Costume Designs with Evanna Lynch: Evanna shares her jewelry designs with Costume Designer Jany Temime.
• Art with Bonnie Wright: Bonnie and graphic designer Eduardo Lima show off the fun props, products and set designs.
• Behind The Camera with James Phelps: In his debut performance in the assistant director department, James actually becomes a crew member on set.
• Make-Up with Emma Watson: Emma and designer Amanda Knight talk about the biggest challenges on this year’s film.

One Minute Drills: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out.

Extras:
J.K. Rowling: A Year In The Life: A fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
What’s On Your Mind: Hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ - Sneak Peak: Get an inside look at the amazing world of magic and excitement being created at Universal Orlando® Resort in Florida.

Additional Scenes:
• Harry and Hermione Walk Through the Halls of Hogwarts
• Harry and Hermione Discuss Marauder’s Map
• Harry, Ron & Hermione Discuss The Vanishing Cabinet
• Harry and Dumbledore Arrive At Cave Entrance
• Harry and Dumbledore Leave Cave
• Clouds Gather Over Hogwarts as Flitwick Conducts Choir
• Harry Joins Ron, Hermione and Ginny In The Common Room
• Harry and Hermione Discuss Ron At Astronomy Tower

Customer Reviews

Good adaptation but not great. Still worth seeing though!
I am reviewing this film after seeing it at the cinema on Friday and not after seeing the DVD (which is obviously not out yet!). I think that if you saw the film without reading the book you would probably enjoy it more, although I think it would have been important to have seen the five previous films to understand the plot.

First to the negatives points, which were few. I hate to critisize anything Potteresque but I do think that if you are going to adapt such a great book for the screen, you should only omit scenes/characters that are not important to the plot. Also, any changes to the plot should be for the better. Personally, I did not much like the scene with Harry and the girl in the station cafe. It meant omitting the wonderful scene at the Dursleys where Dumbledore appears and tells them exactly what he thinks of them. I wanted to see the goblet of mead tapping Uncle Vernon on the head while he tries unsuccesfully to ignore it! I also thought it strange that, immediately after the Burrow burns down, the next scene show Ron smooching and laughing with Lavender Brown as if nothing had happened. I know time was restricted but I felt there should have been more 'memories' of Voldemort. The one where we met his grandfather and his bedraggled and put-upon mother should have been included and especially the one where the Dark Lord approaches Dumbledore for the Post of DADA professor. His appearance has alredy altered, leading Dumbledore to suspect that his dabbling in the Dark Arts has already gone further than any wizard before him.

However, now to what WAS included in the film. I thought the acting by all the principal characters was excellent, especially the now very suspicious and troubled Harry. The scenes with Ginny which showed their growing awareness and understanding of each other were very subtle and touching. Rupert Grint gave an excellent comic performance of the love-sick Ron Weasly and Emma Watson as Hermione, usually so composed and sure of herself was fabulous as the jealous 'gooseberry'. Newcommer Jim Broadbent made a wonderful Slughorn, showing us his conflicted emotions. On the one hand, he wants to live in peace and comfort but struggles with the guilt of once giving out too much information. He wants to make amends but believes he is a coward. I must also give a mention to Hero Tiffin Fiennes whose young Tom Riddle was chilling. How a boy, so sweet and appealing could convey so much menace was quite incredible.

I loved the opening slow-motion sequence of the film, the immediate aftermath of the battle at the Ministry of Magic, where Dumbledore puts an arm around Harry and tries to shield him from the flashbulbs of the press and the publicity as this sets the tone for the film. Having ignored Harry in year Five for fear that Voldemort was controlling him, Dumbledore knows Harry has earned his right to be more involved. And involved he is. The scene in the Cave is stunning and was truly frightening. Harry shows strength of character and Dumbledore again shows why he is thought to be such a great wizard and the only one Voldemort truely fears.

Overall, despite some minor reservations, I can thoroughly recommend this film. It kept my family enthralled for the 2 hours+ that it ran and it also sets the scene perfectly for the penultimate and last films in the saga. I can hardly wait!!!

A review of the Blu-Ray
At the time of writing (can take 48 hours for Amazon to post) I have not seen any review that comments on the Blu-Ray quality so will begin with that so you know you're not going to trawl through several hundred words and still be non the wiser regarding the transfer.

For me, this is the best Potter BD to date. The Dolby True HD 5.1 soundtrack is a touch more forceful than in "Order of the Phoenix" with, for example, the bridge devastation scene and Dumbledore's use of the fire spell showcasing surround speakers and subwoofer(s) nicely. The film's effective and atmospheric music also benefits from the HD quality, making for some spine-tingling moments. Importantly, the balance of dialogue and music/effects is also well achieved.

On the video side, this is the highest picture quality yet seen in the Potter BD world. Sharpness is excellent. Depth and plasticity are very good, in close-ups and in mid-long and long shots. Colours and contrasts are largely good, with superb satanic blacks on Draco's and Snape's clothing, but the stylistic look of the film (with frequent blue filtering) prevents this being a showcase for BD colours. I originally saw the film as an in-flight movie and it seemed a mess and far too dark. Seeing it now in Blu-Ray it becomes clear how carefully calibrated those shades of darkness are, and what superb efforts both film and transfer are to render that look with clarity.

The film itself would be much better without the love potion sub-plots and the obsession with the word "snogging" that make you feel you are way too old for the film. I never read the book, and, while I understand the criticisms of the adaptation, I think the plot is still in its essential details intelligible if you pay attention to every spoken and gestured clue regarding the "Horcruxes". As far as the plot goes, I found it riveting and original, one of the most distinctive Potter films so far, and an ending that caught me cold. It is a shame that some of the acting is rather wooden, but Jim Broadbent is a huge plus for the film, and Alan Rickman just keeps getting better as Snape. However, the surprise star of the film is Ralph Fiennes' nephew Hero Tiffin-Fiennes as the 11 year old Tom Riddle, absolutely chilling! The flashbacks involving Tom Riddle are probably the highlights of the film, with Frank Dillane as the 16 year-old Riddle also putting in a great performance.

Most Potter fans will already have the disc, anyone holding off to see if the extra is worth it for Blu-Ray the answer is "yes"!

Harry Potter and the Half-Plot Prints ...
HP6 starts promisingly but fades into incomprehensibility. Only fans familiar with the books will know what's happening or why.
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Perhaps this movie should have been called: "Harry Potter and the Half-Plot Prints" or "Harry Potter and the Half-Snogged Kids". Key elements are omitted (the muggle prime minister, the Dursleys, Tom Riddle's parents, Bill Weasley and others don't exist in the movie), the teen romance is over-emphasised and there are arbitrary changes & additions (why does Luna discover Harry on the train instead of Tonks? How did Dumbledore injure his hand? Why was the Weasley's house torched? Why add the cafe scene - yes, she's an attractive girl, but what was the point? Did she win a walk-on role in a HP competition?).
Q1) Whatever happened to fundamental film-making concepts like "plot", "motivation", "character development" and "internal consistency"?
Q2) Why didn't J.K. Rowling take a firmer stand?
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Jim Broadbent is very believable as Horace Slughorne. Is there anything this excellent actor can't do? I look forward to seeing more of him in HP7.
Maggie Smith's brief appearances confirm the rumours that she is ill.
Alan Rickman will get more screen time in HP7 and HP8.
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For those lamenting the omission of the funeral scene - don't worry, they'll probably start HP7 with it to provide "continuity" ;-)
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We can only hope that some of the missing scenes were actually filmed & will be included in an extended "director's cut".