DVD Reviews

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

08 March : Harry discovers his enemy's darkest secret.

CAST : Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

DIRECTOR : David Yates

Ever since the Sorcerer’s Stone came out in 2001, Harry Potter has been one of the most phenomenal movie franchises in history. Now on its sixth installment the series has become even more darker than ever. Actually I’d say this is the darkest one yet, and even the colours used are indeed dark. There’s not as many scary creatures but the one main character death that occurs shakes Hogwarts to its very core and turns friend into foe.

Previous Potter films have captured the audiences very much from beginning to end. This one is quite different as it deals with many themes and sub-themes, as well as many characters at the same time. One can get quite lost in the story. Harry’s mission isn’t apparent until very late in the movie and even then you keep second-guessing it because it’s not as clear as before.

We are also half-introduced to the Half-blood Prince, half-introduced because he reveals himself right at the end but still we don’t quite know why he’s called that and why he is significant, apart from the role he plays in the death of a main character.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and his young co-stars have grown up now. They are teenagers going through normal teen stuff like crushes, jealousy, school problems and the discovery of self. In the course of trying to discover themselves, one of Harry’s oldest foes Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) also takes the same journey. But this leads him towards the very dark side of magic where the dark lord Voldemort is using him and a surprise enemy to defeat Harry once and for all. At the same time Harry discovers exactly how this evil wizard from the past who killed both his parents, can finally be defeated himself.

6/10

THAMI MASEMOLA