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Wizard Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) discovers another form of magic with Ron Weasley’s sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) in the dark and sinister “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” |
Of the six Harry Potter films so far, David Yates’ “The Half-Blood Prince” comes the closest to a classic horror tale, not in terms of monsters, violence or bloodletting (although there is considerable blood in a restroom “shootout” scene), but in the intense foreboding that haunts the now bleaker-than-bleak hallways at Hogwarts.
There’s even a startling sequence that incorporates the ending of “Carrie” with a scary assault reminiscent of “The Night of the Living Dead.” (Parents, prepare the kiddies!)
Weirdly enough, “The Half-Blood Prince” also comes the closest to a classic John Hughes high school comic romance, with Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) falling for excitable classmate Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) falling for Ron’s adorable sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright), and poor Hermione (Emma Watson) developing a smoldering affection for the preoccupied Ron.
These romantic entanglements, handled with marvelous restraint, provide some character-driven comedy relief from the ominous terror constantly lurking off-camera, waiting for the chance to strike. And it does. (Read more…)