HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - DVD review

Count this installment as yet another transition in the series, a stepping stone or segue from one episode to the next in the continuing saga of the young wizard. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the 2009 movie adaptation of J.K. Rowlings's novel, is the next-to-last chapter in the seven-book series but is the sixth movie in a succession of eight, with the final book taking up two full films.

Although "The Half-Blood Prince" is hardly a stand-alone movie as some in the series have been, it is, nevertheless, among the more enjoyable, placing its emphasis not purely on action or adventure but on characterizations and interrelationships. As such, it is a more mature film than many of the others and a more satisfying one, at least for viewers who respect and appreciate thought and emotion over dynamite thrills.

Suggesting that "The Half-Blood Prince" is a transitional story is not, however, to say it is without its unique twists and revelations. Indeed, it is the sometimes startling, sometimes poignant new developments that keep the story going: the circumstances regarding Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Harry himself. They are often quite surprising circumstances, actually, and the plot uses them to set us up for the final two-part segment to come, the climax of the entire saga, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Director David Yates, who directed "The Order of the Phoenix" and both installments of "The Deathly Hallows," seems far more interested in creating mood, atmosphere, and in building character relationships than in continually hitting the viewer over the head with exciting exploits and whizbang special effects. For the die-hard action fan, this may be a shortcoming of the Yates installments; for fans of the novels, it may be a major strength. "The Half-Blood Prince" might move along more casually, more leisurely, than some episodes in the series, but in the long run it rewards the viewer with more information and more-satisfying interconnections among the principal players.

We get most of the usual cast back, so I need not mention them again or who is playing whom. The only new character of interest is Professor Horace Slughorn, played by the ever-dependable Jim Broadbent, who seems to be making a career of playing older, slightly eccentric professor types lately, and doing it nicely ("Harry Potter," "Chronicles of Narnia," "Indiana Jones," "Inkheart").

OK, here's the rundown: Voldemort is becoming more powerful than ever, and Hogworts has become a virtual fortress, with guards at the gates and magic spells protecting the perimeter against Deatheaters and Dementors. Dumbledore has recruited Professor Slughorn ostensibly to teach the potions class at Hogworts, but it's actually because Slughorn knows something about Voldemort that can help to defeat him, and Dumbledore wants Harry to help find it out. Simultaneously, we learn at the very beginning of the tale that Dumbledore has promoted Professor Snape, always a dubious character, to Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. We also learn that Snape is involved in possibly nefarious dealings with the maniacal Bellatrix Lestrange and the mother of the odious Draco Malfoy to protect Draco from harm and ensure the boy carries out some undisclosed evil deed. Meanwhile, amidst these malevolent goings-on Harry and his friends Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are experiencing growing pains as love blossoms at the school, and they must each determine who they really like.

In addition to all of this, Harry finds a textbook in advanced potions-making containing answers to complex spells written in the margin by one of the book's previous owners of long ago, a mysterious person who signed the book only "The Half-Blood Prince." What's all that about? We must wait to find out.

Then there's the introduction late in the proceedings of an obscure and powerful piece of magical property known as a Horcrux, a device used by Dark Wizards to extend life even unto immortality. More sinister yet, Lord Voldemort has apparently hidden away a number of these Horcruxes, which, if he reacquires them, will enable him to become the most-powerful Wizard on the planet, with the goal of conquering the world. Poor Harry. So little time; so much to do.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is at least as dark and foreboding as "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Order of the Phoenix," yet, thankfully, it also contains a good deal more humor, more sweet friendships, and more character illuminations than the others. Parts of "The Half-Blood Prince" are more elaborately embroidered, too, more dramatically illustrated, than in the novel--like the segment's ending, to be sure--but for the most part we get a deliberately paced, measured view of the characters, their motivations, and their relationships as they march toward the saga's conclusion.

Along the way, we get one of the longest yet most-delightfully entertaining installments in the "Harry Potter" series.

Video:
This is an extremely dark film, maybe the darkest film yet in the "Potter" series, and as such it receives a darkly wrought appearance. The 2.40:1 ratio, anamorphic widescreen transfer captures the gloomy duskiness of the original print pretty well, insofar as I remember it from a movie theater, with reasonably healthy black levels most of the time and moderately good shadow detail. The filmmakers shot a majority of the film at nighttime (or simulated nighttime), in storms, and in shadowy passageways, so don't expect a visual feast. If there is any drawback to the image, it's that it varies considerably in sharpness, from quite soft in some parts to an upscaled clarity rivaling that of high definition. Different cameras, different lenses, different lighting, etc., produce different results.

In terms of the transfer's technical qualities, it's probably as good as standard def gets, with no signs of edge enhancement, noise or noise filtering, pixilation, color banding, or the like. While the picture doesn't always look great in its shades of gray and sepia browns, it appears to be the way its creators meant it to look.

Audio:
The soundtrack, reproduced via Dolby Digital 5.1, is more subtle than you might expect from a "Potter" extravaganza, most likely because this is not a usual "Potter" extravaganza. Complementing the nuances of the plot and characterizations, the soundtrack uses the surrounds with delicacy, introducing small, unobtrusive noises into the soundscape like the twitter of birds, the creaking of antique objects, and the breeze through the castle towers, accompanied by an attractive musical bloom in composer Nicholas Hooper's score. Even though the midrange comes across a tad bright and forward, with the bass often oddly absent and the accompanying sonic effects occasionally overpowering the dialogue, these are minor drawbacks in an otherwise refined, evocative audio track.

Extras:
The standard-definition copy of the movie WB sent for review was the bare-bones release, with only the widescreen movie and little else. For viewers wanting more extras, the studio also make available a two-disc Special Edition DVD set and a Blu-ray edition, both featuring a ton of bonus materials. Here, however, we find a few promos and trailers at start-up only; thirty scene selections; English and Spanish spoken languages; French and Spanish subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. Nothing more.

Parting Thoughts:
The movie's only failing is its extreme length, yet that may also be a strength to those viewers who value getting their money's worth. And there is no question the two-and-a-half hours go by quickly enough, making "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" one of the most affecting episodes in the "Potter" series. With its powerfully impassioned ending, "The Half-Blood Prince" leads Harry and his friends into the greatest adventure of them all in the final episode. So, until next time....