Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1435
RT slug: harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince
Release year: 2009
Runtime: 153 mins
Wide release date: 2009-07-15
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2011-06-01
Tomatometer final: 83%
Audience score final: 78%
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Directors: David Yates
Writers: Steve Kloves
Producers: David Barron, David Heyman
MPAA rating: PG
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-09-30 21:05:11
Updated: 2026-09-30 21:05:11
As Death Eaters wreak havoc in both Muggle and Wizard worlds, Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for students. Though Harry suspects there are new dangers lurking within the castle walls, Dumbledore is more intent than ever on preparing the young wizard for the final battle with Voldemort. Teenage hormones run rampant through Hogwarts, presenting a different sort of danger. Love may be in the air, but tragedy looms and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
Dark, thrilling, and occasionally quite funny, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is also visually stunning and emotionally satisfying.
Canonical reviews: 279
Canonical fresh: 232
Canonical rotten: 47
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 279 (232/47), 83% (83.154% raw)
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-09-29 18:39:06
Snapshot Tomatometer: 83%
Snapshot review count: 279
Snapshot fresh count: 232
Snapshot rotten count: 47
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #4215 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Warner Bros. | distributor |
| Heyday Films | production |
| Warner Bros. Television | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter |
| 2 | Rupert Grint | Ron Weasley |
| 3 | Emma Watson | Hermione Granger |
| 4 | Helena Bonham Carter | Bellatrix Lestrange |
| 5 | Jim Broadbent | Horace Slughorn |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1451 | processed | — | 2026-09-30 21:05:11 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1435 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4215 | 2026-09-29 13:39:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-09-29 18:39:06 | 83% | 279 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 279 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=279, fresh=232, rotten=47, tomatometer=83%. Net new reviews added=279, fresh=232, rotten=47. Current canonical totals=279 reviews, 232 fresh, 47 rotten, tomatometer=83% (83.154%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (279). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (83%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283140 | Justin Brown | Medium Popcorn | Rotten | 1/5 | 2025-05-31T20:34:22.000Z | 2025-05-31 20:34:22 | This series continues to disappoint. The acting, the story, the characters--nothing worked for me. |
| 283141 | Brandon Collins | Medium Popcorn | Fresh | 3/5 | 2025-05-31T20:33:01.000Z | 2025-05-31 20:33:01 | There was enough here to keep me engaged compared to some of the previous Harry Potter films. The pacing and awkward casting does make this a bit of a challenge to get through. |
| 283142 | Brian Eggert | Deep Focus Review | Fresh | 3/4 | 2023-09-04T21:01:27.000Z | 2023-09-04 21:01:27 | Though perhaps not the best directed of the six films thus far, it’s certainly the most affecting and proves, beyond measure, the emotional toll these characters have had on their audience over the last eight years. |
| 283143 | David Nusair | Reel Film Reviews | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-12-26T17:40:12.000Z | 2021-12-26 17:40:12 | ...a for-fans-only entry within an often distressingly hit-and-miss series of films. |
| 283144 | Mike Massie | Gone With The Twins | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-11-28T07:42:58.000Z | 2020-11-28 07:42:58 | Simultaneously the most mature and the most entertaining; the days of playful sorcery and lighthearted misadventures are long gone. |
| 283145 | Richard Propes | TheIndependentCritic.com | Fresh | 3.5/4.0 | 2020-09-10T20:05:27.000Z | 2020-09-10 20:05:27 | While we've always seen touches of brilliance in Radcliffe's work, the most surprising growth comes in the performances of Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. |
| 283146 | Leigh Paatsch | Herald Sun (Australia) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-07-16T14:31:56.000Z | 2020-07-16 14:31:56 | Director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves crafted a challenging and decidedly mature film that paves the way perfectly for the two-part finale. |
| 283147 | Nikhat Kazmi | The Times of India | Fresh | — | 2020-02-28T00:32:15.000Z | 2020-02-28 00:32:15 | There is an overriding sense of urgency in the penultimate film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which moves at breakneck speed from the opening sequence itself. |
| 283148 | Guillem Martinez Oya | Cinematismo | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-07-11T07:30:19.000Z | 2019-07-11 07:30:19 | Good film directed for a teenage audience in which not only is magic taught but also how stereotypes affect it while the film itself recreates some British stereotypes. [Review in Spanish] |
| 283149 | Rachel Wagner | Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) | Rotten | — | 2019-06-20T00:36:47.000Z | 2019-06-20 00:36:47 | It's competently executive as a movie, but as an adaptation... it's badly done. |
| 283150 | Ellie Lucas | The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) | Fresh | 3/4 | 2019-06-06T19:52:58.000Z | 2019-06-06 19:52:58 | The most mature Potter film yet, dealing with emotional issues much stronger than any previous installment, and the young cast more than steps up to the plate. |
| 283151 | Micheal Compton | Bowling Green Daily News | Fresh | B- | 2019-05-16T00:21:11.000Z | 2019-05-16 00:21:11 | While the sixth chapter in the popular series from writer J.K. Rowling has some similar problems to its predecessor, it manages to inject some much needed magic and charm back into the franchise. |
| 283152 | Megan Basham | WORLD | Fresh | — | 2018-10-30T23:58:02.000Z | 2018-10-30 23:58:02 | With real chemistry between the characters, laugh-out-loud scenes of teen-wizard angst, and some truly spectacular cinematography, it may even be the best in the series. |
| 283153 | Eileen Jones | The eXile | Rotten | — | 2018-10-30T23:55:50.000Z | 2018-10-30 23:55:50 | Since they do spend so much time on the teen hormone angle, I have to say that the Harry Potter-Ginny Weasley love story is disastrous in both book and film. |
| 283154 | Laura Hiros | Rincón de cine | Rotten | 2/5 | 2018-03-20T21:31:03.000Z | 2018-03-20 21:31:03 | ... reaffirms the hypothesis that the sixth Harry Potter movie only constitutes of a "transitional" film, between the "little wizards" and the "senior wizards" that will face Voldemort in Potter's last magical battle. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 283155 | Jeremy Jahns | JeremyJahns.com | Fresh | — | 2018-01-25T00:42:26.000Z | 2018-01-25 00:42:26 | What I liked about this one is the mystery, which is always at the heart of a Harry Potter story. |
| 283156 | Kristian M. Lin | Fort Worth Weekly | Fresh | — | 2016-06-28T11:40:46.000Z | 2016-06-28 11:40:46 | Any movie that works as a spy thriller, love story, and horror movie all at once is pretty remarkable. You might say it takes a fair amount of wizardry. |
| 283157 | Amy Taubin | Artforum | Fresh | — | 2015-06-01T18:05:52.000Z | 2015-06-01 18:05:52 | Mostly I love Harry Potter for the actors |
| 283158 | Margaret Pomeranz | At the Movies (Australia) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2015-06-01T18:04:28.000Z | 2015-06-01 18:04:28 | I thought Rupert Grint came out of this the best of all of them. |
| 283159 | Leah Rozen | People Magazine | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2013-11-22T15:12:38.000Z | 2013-11-22 15:12:38 | Half-Blood is a sustaining visit with beloved old (if not in age) friends. |
| 283160 | Kirk Baird | Toledo Blade | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2013-11-22T15:11:36.000Z | 2013-11-22 15:11:36 | The movie can never shake the feeling that it's one big set-up, a meek prelude to the thrill ride to come in Deathly Hallows. |
| 283161 | Sean Edgar | Paste Magazine | Fresh | 8.8/10 | 2013-11-22T15:07:05.000Z | 2013-11-22 15:07:05 | Not only is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince an excellent translation of J.K. Rowling's addictive canon, but it's also the first entry to shine on its own devoid of its backdrop mythology. |
| 283162 | Alan Jones | Radio Times | Fresh | 4/5 | 2013-11-22T14:53:01.000Z | 2013-11-22 14:53:01 | Seamlessly and vigorously conveyed, this satisfying segment raises the storytelling and visual-effects bar for the entire series. |
| 283163 | Al Alexander | The Patriot Ledger | Fresh | B | 2013-05-26T10:29:23.000Z | 2013-05-26 10:29:23 | What fun it is to behold our budding wizards and witches learning that love is the one spell they cannot control. |
| 283164 | Ali Gray | TheShiznit.co.uk | Fresh | 3/5 | 2012-09-29T14:40:23.000Z | 2012-09-29 14:40:23 | If you're a fan, you're sure to find something to grumble about; ditto if you're a critic; but for the dwindling amount of people who just want to go to the movies to watch a fun and interesting movie, you could do a lot worse. |
| 283165 | Hank Sartin | Time Out Chicago | Fresh | 3/5 | 2012-08-13T15:40:32.000Z | 2012-08-13 15:40:32 | For Potter-ites, there are plenty of satisfactions to be had, but the fun mostly comes from recognizing plot points from the novel merely suggested onscreen. |
| 283166 | Laremy Legel | Film.com | Fresh | A- | 2011-05-06T05:15:17.000Z | 2011-05-06 05:15:17 | I think it's the best of the series, fairly easily, and a testament to why occasionally throwing a massive budget at an endeavor of this scope can be considered a reasonable decision. |
| 283168 | Dave White | Movies.com | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2011-04-04T13:24:22.000Z | 2011-04-04 13:24:22 | Okay, so it's a placeholder. But it's a really good placeholder. |
| 283167 | Shaun Davis | SciFiNow | Fresh | 3/5 | 2011-04-04T13:24:22.000Z | 2011-04-04 13:24:22 | The incandescent flickers draw us into a movie that has all the hallmarks of being another dark experience. Yet, in a U-turn from the norm, The Half-Blood Prince refrains from wallowing in doom and gloom. |
| 283169 | Joshua Starnes | ComingSoon.net | Fresh | 7/10 | 2011-03-22T16:09:12.000Z | 2011-03-22 16:09:12 | Half-Blood Prince only really shines when the film's darker and lighter sides manage to meet together, usually when Slughorn is around. |
| 283170 | Jason Best | Movie Talk | Fresh | — | 2010-11-18T07:26:06.000Z | 2010-11-18 07:26:06 | Yates & his technical team ... are the film's true magicians, taking the viewer's breath away ... with their cinematic craft, illusionistic skill and ... spellbinding wizardry |
| 283171 | Simon Miraudo | Quickflix | Fresh | 4/5 | 2010-10-27T20:17:41.000Z | 2010-10-27 20:17:41 | [Harry Potter] is now the lone beacon of despair for children in an increasingly pandering and brainless cinematic landscape; a Grimm tale that should satisfy the darker whims of imaginative children. |
| 283172 | Janos Gereben | Entertainment Insiders | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2010-04-13T06:12:49.000Z | 2010-04-13 06:12:49 | Running an obscene 2 1/2 hours, presenting a story which could have made a halfway decent half-hour episode of a half-assed TV series, this Potter has no focus, a comprehensive plot, any semblance of cohesion, purpose, meaning. |
| 283173 | Luis Martínez | Cinenganos | Fresh | 4/5 | 2010-03-11T22:54:14.000Z | 2010-03-11 22:54:14 | A pesar de su extensa duración, 153 minutos, la cinta mantiene un buen ritmo a pesar de su falta de acción. Brillante fotografía. |
| 283174 | Donald J. Levit | ReelTalk Movie Reviews | Rotten | — | 2010-01-18T10:53:04.000Z | 2010-01-18 10:53:04 | Those previously in the dark about the story from books or films will remain so, for the 153 minutes make little clear aside from a Be-Sure-To-See-The-Sequel conclusion. |
| 283175 | Jordan Hiller | Bangitout.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2010-01-06T08:08:21.000Z | 2010-01-06 08:08:21 | Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is an icily grave and somber affair, with few moments of relief amid the mounting turmoil and a finale that blackens an already charcoal gray sky. |
| 283176 | Wesley Lovell | Cinema Sight | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2009-12-12T13:37:51.000Z | 2009-12-12 13:37:51 | For all its focus on teen romantic entanglements, it sure has very little to do with the Half-Blood Prince. |
| 283177 | Dennis Schwartz | Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews | Fresh | B | 2009-12-01T15:56:34.000Z | 2009-12-01 15:56:34 | Visually appetizing sixth installment in the Harry Potter series. |
| 283178 | John J. Puccio | Movie Metropolis | Fresh | 8/10 | 2009-11-30T10:09:39.000Z | 2009-11-30 10:09:39 | ...one of the longest yet most-delightfully entertaining installments in the series. |
| 283179 | Nick Rogers | Midwest Film Journal | Rotten | 2/4 | 2009-09-20T07:23:11.000Z | 2009-09-20 07:23:11 | Radcliffe, Grint and Watson are great as always, but director David Yates' adherence to realism stifles J.K. Rowling's trickster-storytelling wiles. Yates' horrifically bad botching of big-ticket moments bodes poorly for the "Deathly Hallows" films. |
| 283180 | Joseph Proimakis | Movies for the Masses | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2009-09-11T01:14:27.000Z | 2009-09-11 01:14:27 | full review on Movies for the Masses |
| 283181 | Matt Soergel | Florida Times-Union | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-09-10T10:00:44.000Z | 2009-09-10 10:00:44 | In a world where the Transformers sequel can make a mint while being so lackadaisical and empty, it almost makes you wonder why the Potter crew bother to take such care. But let's not question it. Just enjoy it. |
| 283182 | Sonny Bunch | Washington Times | Fresh | 3/4 | 2009-08-28T12:14:48.000Z | 2009-08-28 12:14:48 | As the Harry Potter movies have ventured into darker, more mature territory, the series has greatly improved in one regard: The stories feel more epic, the tension more real. |
| 283183 | Fernando F. Croce | CinePassion | Rotten | — | 2009-08-25T21:21:12.000Z | 2009-08-25 21:21:12 | The most disappointing of the bunch, if only because it opens so promisingly |
| 283184 | Gregory Weinkauf | HuffPost | Fresh | — | 2009-08-15T00:54:49.000Z | 2009-08-15 00:54:49 | I'm applauding. |
| 283185 | Lawrence Toppman | Charlotte Observer | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-08-14T17:20:58.000Z | 2009-08-14 17:20:58 | Harry must enter the mists in anxiety and emerge stronger. Everything about his world is uncertain, not to be trusted - and who among us hasn't felt the same way, even if witches didn't lurk around our corners? |
| 283186 | Charles Koplinski | Illinois Times | Fresh | 4.0/4.0 | 2009-08-13T09:39:26.000Z | 2009-08-13 09:39:26 | The best of the series yet. |
| 283187 | Daniel M. Kimmel | North Shore Movies | Fresh | 4/5 | 2009-08-11T18:48:15.000Z | 2009-08-11 18:48:15 | ...an epic length fantasy where we continue to care for these characters, and are glad to know that the finale won't be rushed |
| 283188 | Sean P. Means | Salt Lake Tribune | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-08-09T13:51:47.000Z | 2009-08-09 13:51:47 | There's a welcome lightness in the romantic couplings, which will have pre-teens across America asking, "Mom, what's snogging?" |
| 283189 | Enrique Buchichio | Uruguay Total | Rotten | 2/5 | 2009-08-09T11:58:24.000Z | 2009-08-09 11:58:24 | Tal vez el problema mayor %u2013más allá de la duración, la falta de momentos "importantes" y de acción, e incluso el exceso de romance adolescente- sea el desfiguramiento de Harry como héroe. |
| 283190 | Cole Smithey | ColeSmithey.com | Fresh | B+ | 2009-08-04T19:34:13.000Z | 2009-08-04 19:34:13 | "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is the most balanced Harry Potter film to come along... |
| 283191 | David Keyes | Cinemaphile.org | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-08-03T16:46:56.000Z | 2009-08-03 16:46:56 | This is a movie that steps far outside of the comfort zone and becomes an enthralling and fully-realized gothic fantasy. |
| 283192 | Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel | 3BlackChicks Review | Fresh | 5/5 | 2009-08-03T16:41:51.000Z | 2009-08-03 16:41:51 | Half-Blood is fully worth seeing. |
| 283193 | Andy Klein | Brand X | Fresh | — | 2009-07-31T00:20:53.000Z | 2009-07-31 00:20:53 | The uniformly good performances and the often inspired craftsmanship arguably make this second only to Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban in the Potter pantheon. |
| 283194 | Thomas Leupp | Hollywood.com | Fresh | 4/5 | 2009-07-30T11:43:05.000Z | 2009-07-30 11:43:05 | Delivers all the visual grandeur we've come to expect from the saga while simultaneously tackling the potentially thorny issue of adolescent hormonal urges with warmth, subtlety and a good dose of humor. |
| 283195 | Anders Wotzke | Moviedex | Fresh | 4/5 | 2009-07-29T15:18:49.000Z | 2009-07-29 15:18:49 | There's still some kindred magic in the air, not to mention a healthy dose of humour, but Potter's sixth year is easily his darkest, most mature adventure to date. |
| 283196 | Ken Hanke | Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2009-07-29T09:23:50.000Z | 2009-07-29 09:23:50 | I admired and enjoyed Prince more than any of the other series entries except for Alfonso Cuarón's deliriously clever Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. |
| 283197 | Bruce Bennett | Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | Rotten | B- | 2009-07-28T09:03:23.000Z | 2009-07-28 09:03:23 | This sixth installment is likeably unremarkable and feels like some sort of Diagon Alley deja-vu; a road, an overly long road, we've been down many times. |
| 283198 | Paul Chambers | CNNRadio | Fresh | B | 2009-07-28T04:02:09.000Z | 2009-07-28 04:02:09 | A bit long, but overall a great adventure, even for the casual Potter fan. Paul Chambers, CNN. |
| 283199 | Marty Mapes | Movie Habit | Fresh | 3/4 | 2009-07-26T15:49:54.000Z | 2009-07-26 15:49:54 | Boys and girls pair off; expository bookkeeping sets up the final conflict |
| 283200 | Sean Burns | Philadelphia Weekly | Rotten | — | 2009-07-25T13:08:55.000Z | 2009-07-25 13:08:55 | All setup and no payoff, it serves mainly as logistical scaffolding to reposition the characters and strum up some backstory, stalling for time before the final chapter. |
| 283201 | Christopher Smith | Bangor Daily News (Maine) | Fresh | B+ | 2009-07-24T17:56:35.000Z | 2009-07-24 17:56:35 | The movie satisfies with new revelations and twists, one of which is so dire, it left many at my screening in their seats long after fate revealed its cruel hand and the credits started to roll. |
| 283202 | Ron Wilkinson | Monsters and Critics | Fresh | 7/10 | 2009-07-24T14:44:16.000Z | 2009-07-24 14:44:16 | A couple new characters and war brewing does not fill up two and a half hours of screen time |
| 283203 | Cosmo Landesman | Sunday Times (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2009-07-24T01:46:34.000Z | 2009-07-24 01:46:34 | This is a Potter film that will be quickly forgotten, even by Harry's most ardent fans. |
| 283204 | Philip French | Observer (UK) | Fresh | — | 2009-07-24T01:40:47.000Z | 2009-07-24 01:40:47 | The film's plot is oddly wispy, the mood intentionally darker, the tone solemn and ominous, the jokes, such as they are, much broader and the special effects state-of-the-art. |
| 283205 | Michael A. Smith | Nolan's Pop Culture Review | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-07-23T21:34:28.000Z | 2009-07-23 21:34:28 | Add to them a virtual who's who of England's best actors ... and you have the best cast to be found in a movie this year. |
| 283206 | Fr. Chris Carpenter | Movie Dearest | Fresh | B | 2009-07-23T17:55:58.000Z | 2009-07-23 17:55:58 | A good but not great entry in the seemingly endless movie series. |
| 283207 | Giles Hardie | Sydney Morning Herald | Fresh | 3/5 | 2009-07-22T17:45:37.000Z | 2009-07-22 17:45:37 | If Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a roller coaster, it's the tiny train meant for only the very youngest kids, the one that seems to go round and round forever without really ever picking up any pace. |
| 283208 | Bob Grimm | Tucson Weekly | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2009-07-22T14:07:21.000Z | 2009-07-22 14:07:21 | I fought to like it...a battle that I lost. |
| 283209 | Lori Hoffman | Atlantic City Weekly | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2009-07-22T13:31:53.000Z | 2009-07-22 13:31:53 | While not as spellbinding as some earlier [Potter films], Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince provides crucial connective tissue to the big finish coming down the road |
| 283210 | Richard Knight | Windy City Times | Fresh | — | 2009-07-20T23:59:57.000Z | 2009-07-20 23:59:57 | Like last year's big summer masterpiece, The Dark Knight, this is one action spectacular that adds an undercurrent of unease to the witches brew as it's delivering one thrilling sequence after another. |
| 283211 | David Cornelius | eFilmCritic.com | Fresh | 5/5 | 2009-07-20T17:08:30.000Z | 2009-07-20 17:08:30 | We leave the theater with the rush of breathless anticipation mixed with a pinch of worry. |
| 283212 | Jules Brenner | Cinema Signals | Fresh | 4/5 | 2009-07-20T16:36:37.000Z | 2009-07-20 16:36:37 | The heavy transitional content does no harm to the popularity of the series, the essentials of which are the enduring emotional attachments to the book and the visual elegance of what's seen on screen. |
| 283213 | Jeffrey M. Anderson | Combustible Celluloid | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-07-20T16:12:17.000Z | 2009-07-20 16:12:17 | Moves very nicely, deftly planting seeds of suspense and mystery and keeping them growing throughout the powerful amorous entanglements. |
| 283214 | Steve Biodrowski | Cinefantastique | Rotten | — | 2009-07-20T14:02:39.000Z | 2009-07-20 14:02:39 | ...surprisingly short on the most essential ingredient: a Sense of Wonder. |
| 283215 | Robert Roten | Laramie Movie Scope | Fresh | A | 2009-07-20T13:46:36.000Z | 2009-07-20 13:46:36 | Now that all the actors playing children in this series of movies have grown up and become adults, finally we get to the first movie in the series that allows them to act like children, however briefly. |
| 283216 | Anthony Lane | The New Yorker | Rotten | — | 2009-07-20T10:35:39.000Z | 2009-07-20 10:35:39 | All in all, despite the verve that drives the grander set pieces, it's hard to avoid the sensation of a film toiling overtime to convince itself of its own solemnity. |
| 283217 | Mark Ramsey | MovieJuice! | Fresh | B+ | 2009-07-20T05:52:32.000Z | 2009-07-20 05:52:32 | "Hermione and me?" said Ron Weasley. "I was shocked that the trajectory of this story actually made us the unlikeliest couple since the leopard who nursed a baby baboon." |
| 283218 | Kam Williams | Sly Fox | Fresh | 4/4 | 2009-07-20T05:35:14.000Z | 2009-07-20 05:35:14 | Potter hits puberty! |
| 283219 | Prairie Miller | NewsBlaze | Fresh | — | 2009-07-19T16:17:37.000Z | 2009-07-19 16:17:37 | Vagabonding through time, Potter joins up again with his telepathic posse in this coming of agelessness new adventure, while dark forces penetrate the premises and the students experiment with various vials of wishful thinking pharmaceuticals. |
| 283220 | Jeff Bayer | The Scorecard Review | Fresh | 8/10 | 2009-07-19T05:21:39.000Z | 2009-07-19 05:21:39 | Sure we don't have much time for Hagrid, Tom Riddle's memories, or a Half-Blood Prince, but it's not so bad because we have teenagers in love. That only sounds condescending, I swear. |
| 283221 | Betty Jo Tucker | ReelTalk Movie Reviews | Fresh | — | 2009-07-18T11:56:33.000Z | 2009-07-18 11:56:33 | The film's marvelous visuals are what I admire most about it -- and I couldn't help going deeper and deeper under the spell of such cinematic wizardry. |
| 283222 | Jackie K. Cooper | jackiekcooper.com | Rotten | 5/10 | 2009-07-17T21:16:11.000Z | 2009-07-17 21:16:11 | Too much teen romance and not enough wizardry; this installment is the dullest "Harry" yet |
| 283223 | Tricia Olszewski | Washington City Paper | Fresh | — | 2009-07-17T20:25:18.000Z | 2009-07-17 20:25:18 | Trades some of Rowling's more delicate charms and foreboding for screen-ready guffaws and black/white conflict. But it's still one of summer's smarter movies. |
| 283224 | Gary Wolcott | Tri-City Herald | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2009-07-17T15:57:28.000Z | 2009-07-17 15:57:28 | Harry Potter is getting darker, angrier, distinctly more wicked. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has an edge. Scary Potter? |
| 283225 | Zachary Woodruff | San Diego Union-Tribune | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2009-07-17T15:23:24.000Z | 2009-07-17 15:23:24 | Half-Blood wavers between dizzying and dry -- it's half-bloodless. |
| 283226 | Tracie Cooper | TV Guide | Fresh | 3/4 | 2009-07-17T15:20:51.000Z | 2009-07-17 15:20:51 | War, hormones, and dark magic equal a better-than-average year for the students of Hogwarts, and the best Potter movie since Prisoner of Azkaban. |
| 283227 | Cliff Doerksen | Chicago Reader | Fresh | — | 2009-07-17T10:52:15.000Z | 2009-07-17 10:52:15 | Director David Yates presides over some gorgeous CGI set pieces, but all the real magic comes from the scrum of ace British character actors. |
| 283228 | Lisa Kennedy | Denver Post | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-07-17T10:50:11.000Z | 2009-07-17 10:50:11 | With its deft handling of teen yearning and affection, Half-Blood Prince maneuvers mysteries of heart and hankering that resound in worlds magic and Muggle. |
| 283229 | John Wirt | Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2009-07-17T10:36:13.000Z | 2009-07-17 10:36:13 | Hats off to the young cast and director David Yates for bringing such depth to this latest stage of the characters' lives. |
| 283230 | Mike Scott | Times-Picayune | Fresh | 3/4 | 2009-07-17T08:56:29.000Z | 2009-07-17 08:56:29 | [Director David] Yates' film makes for a splendid continuation of Rowling's saga -- carrying over ... the same stirringly magical spirit, the same enchanting visuals from Order of the Phoenix. |
| 283231 | Brandon Judell | New York Theatre Wire | Fresh | — | 2009-07-17T08:15:51.000Z | 2009-07-17 08:15:51 | Apparently, wizards are no more exempt from the trauma of puberty than Muggles. So much for the power of Magic. |
| 283232 | Matt Brunson | Creative Loafing | Fresh | 3/4 | 2009-07-17T07:51:35.000Z | 2009-07-17 07:51:35 | The heart of the piece remains the interactions between the characters, both teen and adult. |
| 283233 | JW Smith | Little White Lies | Fresh | 3/5 | 2009-07-17T06:28:34.000Z | 2009-07-17 06:28:34 | David Yates is a solid hand as director, he does nothing but let the taps run, leaving us with little more than a bath full of comfortable if lukewarm water. |
| 283234 | Catherine Bray | Film4 | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2009-07-17T06:01:04.000Z | 2009-07-17 06:01:04 | Too deep into the saga to win over any Potter virgins, this is payback for those who've followed the series from the start, with some of what was good about the books making a comfortable transition to screen. |
| 283235 | Kevin Maher | The Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2009-07-17T05:52:53.000Z | 2009-07-17 05:52:53 | The strangest thing about the new Harry Potter movie is not that it's unusually good, which it is, but that it unequivocally illustrates just how poorly we've been served by the previous five instalments in the franchise. |
| 283236 | Matthew Razak | Examiner.com | Fresh | — | 2009-07-17T05:44:23.000Z | 2009-07-17 05:44:23 | So yes, Half-Blood Prince is a bloody good time, and the best summer blockbuster film since Star Trek, but make sure you make the time to sit down and read the books if you haven't. |
| 283237 | Julie Rigg | MovieTime, ABC Radio National | Rotten | — | 2009-07-17T05:25:01.000Z | 2009-07-17 05:25:01 | To me, director David Yates in his second outing with the franchise has let style (and maybe some of the technical problems of directing in a hybrid of 35mm and IMAX 3D) swamp storytelling. |
| 283238 | Bob Mondello | NPR | Fresh | 7.5/10 | 2009-07-17T05:11:59.000Z | 2009-07-17 05:11:59 | It's a more mature magic. ... Now subject to the same raging hormones as any other 16-year-olds, our spell-casting heroes are learning to brew love potions this year, with results mostly played for laughs. |
| 283239 | Andrew Pulver | Guardian | Fresh | 3/5 | 2009-07-17T04:50:26.000Z | 2009-07-17 04:50:26 | David Yates knows how to play all the cards. Although a touch ungainly, his film is solidly constructed, with lots of fine effects. |
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