OK for kids 12+
Terrific but intense mix of love, friendship, fear, sorrow.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is no PG movie -- in all ways, it's very similar to the previous two movies, which were rated PG-13. This film continues the series' trend toward darker, more intense material. For young children, the death of a major beloved character could be extremely upsetting. Other characters are bloodied, kicked, and cursed in frightening ways, and a very scary scene involving scary, skeletal characters is sure to scare the pants off of little kids. There are also some big emotional upheavals and scary attacks. And there's notably more sexuality -- albeit playfully depicted -- than in the past movies. Because the characters are now teens, much of the interaction between them and their friends centers on getting a boy or girlfriend, and there's plenty of snogging (making out). While Harry and his friends continue as strong positive role models, other characters' motives and plans become more ambiguous. And there are also a few scenes that include alcohol consumption -- including one in which a professor serves his students.
- Families can talk about the best age for kids (and eager parents) to start getting into the Harry Potter series. Is it OK to read all the books (and see all the movies) at the same age?
- What do you think of the way the movie depicts the teens' romantic relationships? Are they believable? Is the story too hormone-filled for younger viewers?
- What do we learn about Voldemort's past in this movie? Does that change the way you feel about him?
- If you've read the book, what parts of the novel were left out? Which were faithfully adapted? How does this movie compare to the earlier ones as an adaptation?
The good stuff
-
Messages: Most of the messages are inspiring, since the protagonists are clearly "heroes" who accept help from others to overcome obstacles, learn the importance of being loyal to friends, and embody the idea that those who stand together for "good" can triumph over "evil," even at great cost.
-
Role models: Professor Dumbledore is an excellent, selfless role model. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are flawed teenagers, but that helps make them some of the most relatable characters in children's literature -- as well as admirable, since they're also loyal, brave, self-sacrificing, generous, and empathetic. On the flip side are the Death Eaters and the unreliable, enigmatic character of Severus Snape. Tom Riddle (Voldemort as a boy) is cruel, calculating, and cold -- but it's clear that most characters recognize these troubling qualities. Draco Malfoy, who has been "promoted" to Death Eater, is still shown as conflicted and scared about the task Voldemort assigns him. Professor Slughorn means well, but his head is turned by fame and fortune. Still, in the end, he manages to be brave.
What to watch for
-
Violence: As in the book, the sixth movie includes the death of a beloved major character. Voldemort himself isn't shown in this installment (young Tom Riddle appears instead). Aside from the one murder (via killing curse), there are several injuries and close calls: a curse severely bloodies a character, a character is bruised and beaten, two characters are accidentally poisoned, a main character is seen having a life-threatening seizure, and Death Eaters set a house on fire and destroy buildings and structures both in the magical realm and in the Muggle world (as well as kidnap a Diagon Alley denizen). Harry and Dumbledore must also fend off the very frightening, skeleton-like creatures during a dangerous mission.
-
Sex: Lots of flirting and "snogging" (kissing) among the Hogwarts students, both main characters and extras. Several discussions about attraction, romantic relationships, unrequited feelings, love potions, jealousy, and adolescent dating. Several kisses and instances of hand holding and longing gazes. Random couples are shown making out in the halls and at parties. Talk of getting together and/or breaking up threads through the whole movie.
-
Language: Mild insults/British slang like "daft," "dimbo" (which means dumb bimbo), "idiot," "bloody," and the like. A couple of uses of phrases like "good God."
-
Consumerism: Not an issue
-
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Harry and his underage pals (the legal drinking age in England is 18) drink butterbeer, mead, and what looks like wine at the Three Broomsticks pub and a couple of dinner parties (it's unclear to those not versed in the books whether butterbeer is actually alcoholic). In one scene, as a celebration, a professor offers alcohol to Ron and Harry; the same professor serves drinks to several teens at a holiday party. Harry also takes a "luck" potion that alters his behavior in a way that seems slightly high, and Ron is thrown for a loop by a powerful love potion. Professor Slughorn and Hagrid get pretty deep into their cups in one scene.
Fan Reviews provided by
1
Oh god. by predatedcow
This movie was an absolute disgrace to the franchise that is Harry Potter, I dont even want to see the next two. There was a scene (made up) that lasted two minutes that was all the action, like when the heck did the burrow fall to pieces??? The rest was some sappy wannabe romantic comedy. The cut out the biggest fight scene in Harry Potter TO DATE and left out all the memories that hinted towards the next horcruxes and why Tom Riddle ended up the way he did, there was no voldemort either. I have honestly never been so disappointed, David Yates has lost the entire feel of what was Harry Potter and should be ashamed, as well as fire before he can destroy what little dignity this movie series still has left. i want my time and money back.
4
Disappointing......... by Grizzly Bear
I'm sure many of you are wondering how you can rate a movie "GO" and title your review "Disappointing". It is simply this; the screen adaption of the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" was so far from the actual book I feel they lost an opportunity to make a great movie. There were scenes in the movie that never happened in the book. Some of them had nothing to do with the story. I ENJOYED THE MOVIE but throughout I kept whispering to my wife "That wasn't in the book"! I think for those of you who haven't READ THE BOOKS THIS IS A MUST SEE MOVIE but for this Potter fan the movie was disappointing.
1
(T) TROLL by formalpenguin
In the language of Harry Potter (T) troll for the movie and the Terrible directing. David Yates should be fired before he screws up the last 2. Did you read the book(s) David? I rated the first 2 movies (E), the 3rd (A), the 4th (P), the fifth (D) and now we've hit bottom Harry Potter fans. Where should I start? Leaving out main characters: Bill & Fleur, the Dursleys, and to a lesser extent Trelawney, Dobby & Kreature (and a few others). Leaving out VITAL scenes: the battle at Hogwarts, Dumbledore's funeral, the horocrux ring memory, the horocrux cup and locket memorys. The opening scene outside a coffee shop and the burning down of the magically protected burrow, NEVER happen in the book. TOO MUCH time on the romance and Malfoy cabinet mending, horrible characterization of Snape (Yates fault) seemed almost friendly with Harry. Harry hiding when Dumbledore dies instead of being frozen unable to fight. Good - Slughorn and Lavendar actors. Real HP book fans will be DISAPPOINTED.
5
I HEART HARRY #6! by lindyloo96
im a huge fan of the books and i went and the midnight showing of harry potter 6! i loved it! it was funny, creative and kind of cheesy at parts, but still i loved it! the book was still better but all in all i think it was the best hp movie yet! the camera work was excellent and if you havent read the book and you cant compare the movie and the book i think u will fall in love with the humor and plot. this harry potter movie, unlike the some of the others, really flows well so that the viewers can understand whats going on and not get completely confused. i thought that they spent too much time on the first half and they squeezed in the whole ending which is supposed to bring the whole story together.
1
You will love it if A:You are a 12 yr old hormonal grl & B: Cannot read or hasnt read the books by amyer23
i am so disappointed by this movie. They left out the entire the entire scene of dumbledores funeral. In fact the entire ending (the last twenty mins) had me so angry I was ready to walk out of the theater. For a movie that generates millions and millions of dollars worldwide, you would think they could afford a more "true to the book" movie. I am very interested to know what they are planning to do with the two final installments. They left out so much of this movie I just dont see how it will be any good. I give it a C- and that is being generous. Why also do the producers feel the need to dummy down the movies(pg, really?) when the books themselves are more adult then they are childlike? So many people die in the final book I would love to know how they are going to avoid it.I understand they cant put everything into the movie BUT THE DIRECTOR CHANGED THE WHOLE PLOT LINE!! HP is NOT Twilight or Hannah If you could of heard the complaints,not a movie for a true Potter fan. EPIC FAIL!
5
Unexpected but Great by badazbidness
David Yates never fails to suprise me. I expected the movie to be more like the book but that was not the case. Yates took the movie to a whole different level. Not only did he change some details from the book, he actually created his own scenes that were never in the book. What suprises me the most about this movie is he made great changes but never lost the storyline. The movie was not fast paced like some of the other films. Yates took time to cover Harry's and his friends Hogwarts life like never before. I encourage book fans to see this great movie and to keep an open mind and remember that the movies can not and will never be exactly lilke the books. Yates did a wonderful job of suprising all the book fans in not giving us what we would expect. He has put a twist on Harry Potter that is well worth seeing.
1
Big Sad Puppy Face :^( by BigPotterFan
What a HUGE disappointment! I just got back from the midnight showing. I am a HUGE Potter fan. I loved the books of course and felt the movies have all been good up until the Half Blood Prince. I have read and agree w/ other reviews that point out that because of the damage this movie has done, there is only hope that the last 2 are not to follow the same path. Of course it is a huge task to try and pull off a great movie from such wonderful books, however every other Potter film has had that "Potter feel" about them with heart and connection. This film not only felt as if scripted by simply skimming through the pages of the book, but also felt void of that thirsted for connection that all of us Potter fans have long to have quenched. My final thought...I imagined the film ending with a beautiful funeral scene with the mer people singing 2 give homage 2 such a wonderfully written character, but sadly that wasn't the case. 2 all the Potter fans, do not set your hopes high 4 this 1. :^(
1
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by diamondmyne
VERY DISSAPPOINTING!! I didnt care for this movie for it had several "new" scenes that werent even in the book. Some key issues werent even mentioned from the book and others were missed entirely. I thought the movies were going to stay true to the books as much as possible and I find that this one didnt even come close. I hope that the last book will be better on film than the last 2 movies were for OOTP was different from the book also. I know that there has to be some entertainment value for theater goers but for my money I WISH I WOULD HAVE WAITED. The director and producer of the film need to pull their heads out of their nether regions and get with the program for the last installment. NO ACTION, NO COMEDY (except for the dude who was too high to remember the movie. Wish I was too..) For fans of the books, Stay Home and wait for the movie to be released on cable.You wouldnt be dissappointed about wasting your money on a worthless trip to the theater to see a worthless movie
3
Mixed feelings by HPFan216
So its not like the book. I liked the begining, Dumbeldore holding Harry at the ministry. Subway? Really?Train scene good, Draco's acting very good. Snape's too. Why on earth would Dumbeldore ever mention Voldermort's real name to the school? What was with the Weasly home burned? Bull Crap. if death eaters can find Harry maybe Voldemort too! Duh. The whole point of this book is Harry's obession with Draco when no one else belives him. The memories... where is Marvolo? thats where the ring and locket are introduced. They gave more info on what Draco was doing than the whole horcrux thing. The cave scene: Best Scene! The last scene is what did it. I had taken my tissues, but no tears came. Harry just stand there? Yeah right! The whole point is that Dumbeldore was disarmed to protect Harry. He would never just stand there and watch. Where is the last battle scene? Where is the funeral? Most for what I was hoping was not there. TRUE fans will be dissapointed. I know I was.
4
Reality check! I liked it... by lilybeth
I just finished re-reading all books up to the the Half Blood Prince so it was fresh in my mind...I went into the movie knowing that the movie would not be exactly like the book. With that being said, I was not disappointed! Don't let the fan reviews fool you, the plot was NOT changed! They condensed a 672 pg book and made it into a 2 1/2hr movie, but they got the main plot points and most importantly, the spirit of the book! Sure as a die hard HP fan, there are things I wish would have been included (and I'm sure fans can argue this point to extremes) and yes the movie is not word for word what the book has but let's get real, what movie adapted from a book is the same as the book? I can't think of one! if you just have realistic expectations and let yourself enjoy it for what it is - an adaptation of a marvelous book! Looking forward to the final installment