Hey folks, Valkor here. Later this year Harry Potter fans (including
yours truly) part one of the final chapter in the Harry Potter
series, "The Deathly Hallows". But last year I got to check out
and review the 6th chapter of the book, "Harry Potter and The
Half-Blood Prince". Though the beginning put me off on the film,
I enjoyed the overall experience. Well the folks over at Warner
have released the film on a 2 disc set (which you can also find
it on Blu ray) and it's great to bring the magic home.
Taken from my original review:
"Yea, it's arguable that six is the best, but in my eyes book six is where it's at. Yea book three begins the Harry's trek on the dark path, but book 6 is where the series hits its peak, hits the ground running and doesn't stop until the climatic end. For the most part the film does follow the book, but opens waaaaaay different. Here we start with the Death Eaters causing all sorts of chaos on the Muggle world, movin on to Harry getting his flirt on with a waitress hottie, when who should appear? Our wizard fav Dumbledore. He's got a charred hand and he looks tired, but still he takes Harry to meet Professor Slughorn, whom they try to convince to teach again at Hogwarts. Eventually he does. It's then when the movie begins to follow the book, but just to glance over a few plot points, Harry finds a book that helps him rock Potions. Ron gets a girlfriend, Hermoine… is just Hermoine, and Dumbledore takes Harry on a few Pensieve quest for him to learn about Voldermort. Snape makes an unbreakable promise and Draco Malfoy has his own mission that could cause him his life if he fails. There's more to this film than what I mentioned, but I wanna stay away from spoilers. But all of this closes off with a dramatic, suspenseful finish, which closes on a sad note."
The DVD is loaded with extras and for the most part its really quite enjoyable. Mind you, you're talking to a guy who hates watching extras. But the ones on this film, aren't that bad.
First up is Close-Up with the Cast of Harry Potter, hosted by Matt Lewis (Neville) and Alfie Enoch (Dean) as they and the rest of the cast guide you through all aspects of the film making process, in particular of course, the Harry Potter Films. From editing, special effects, make-up and wardrobe, you'll get a glimpse of just what it takes to get the film off the ground. This is my personal favorite, because everyone seems so out of their element, they're not over-hyping the films, but mostly everyone is having a good time.
Next is J.K. Rowlings: A Year in the Life is hosted, directed and produced by James Runcie who spends a year with Rowlings and takes us from J.K.'s past up leading up to the countdown, eventual release and what happens after book seven. It really is quite insightful to watch because it's not a "fluff" piece, but a very detailed look into this woman, who created such a phenomenon in Harry Potter. I especially loved the days leading up to book seven release, because you can see the tension in her face and you see how her mood has changed from the beginning of the piece up until that point. I'd say this is a DEFINITE watch.
One Minute Drills – The cast have one minute to see how much they remember about their character from the first film up until the 6th. Eehhh…. Yea it's ok.
What's on your mind – Hosted by Tom Felton (Draco), where he poses question to the cast but the twist is they have to answer with the first word that comes to mind. It's pretty cool piece.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Sneak Peek: All you Harry Potter fans prepare to FREAK OUT! Universal Orlando is creating a Theme park called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter", where you will walk through the world of Harry Potter; Hogwarts, Hogsmeades, HoneyDukes, Olivander's Wand shop and more. Oh and TOV gives you a peek at Hogwarts. Yes this is Hogwarts from the park. We'll try to get more shots as we get them. But enjoy the shot and brief description.
Finally you get additional scenes cut from the film. There's also a first look at the "Deathly Hallows" film, but it wasn't accessible. Hopefully when you buy the disc you can get a look at the 7th and final film of the series.
We will skip the good bad and uglies this time around because hey I loved the film, I loved the extras and there's nothing more to say about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that I didn't say in my original review. But I will say if you're a fan of the books and you enjoyed the past flick then without question, pick this one up. So for the DVD as a whole I'm gonna raise my original score half a point and give Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2 Disc DVD 4.5 stars and it's been Valkor tested and TOV approved.
EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!
