Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince [Blu-ray] [2009]

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) suspects Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to be a new Death Eater recruit on a special mission for the Dark Lord. In the meantime, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) seems to have finally removed the shroud of secrecy from Harry about the dark path that lies ahead, and instead provides private lessons to get him prepared. It's in these intriguing scenes that the dark past of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) is finally revealed. The actors cast as the different young versions of Riddle (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane) do an eerily fantastic job of portraying the villain as a child. While the previous movies' many new characters could be slightly overwhelming, only one new key character is introduced this time: Professor Horace Slughorn (with a spot-on performance by Jim Broadbent). Within his mind he holds a key secret in the battle to defeat the Dark Lord, and Harry is tasked by Dumbledore to uncover a memory about Voldemort's darkest weapon--the Horcrux. Despite the long list of distractions, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) still try to focus on being teenagers, and audiences will enjoy the budding awkward romances. All of the actors have developed nicely, giving their most convincing performances to date.

More dramatic and significant things go down in this movie than any of its predecessors, and the stakes are higher than ever. The creators have been tasked with a practically impossible challenge, as fans of the beloved J.K. Rowling book series desperately want the movies to capture the magic of the books as closely as possible. Alas, the point at which one accepts that these two mediums are very different is the point at which one can truly enjoy these brilliant adaptations. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no exception: it may be the best film yet. For those who have not read the book, nail-biting entertainment is guaranteed. For those who have, the movie does it justice. The key dramatic scenes, including the cave and the shocking twist in the final chapter, are executed very well. It does a perfect job of setting up the two-part grand finale that is to follow. --Jordan Thompson

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry's long friendship with Ginny Weasley is growing into something deeper, but standing in the way is Ginny's boyfriend, Dean Thomas, not to mention her big brother Ron. But Ron's got romantic entanglements of his own to worry about, with Lavender Brown lavishing her affections on him, leaving Hermione simmering with jealousy yet determined not to show her feelings. And then a box of love potion-laced chocolates ends up in the wrong hands and changes everything. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof with far more important matters on his mind. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Only on the Blu-ray Version:
Experience the first-ever worldwide* Live Community Screening (LCS) exclusive to owners of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray Disc and hear star Daniel Radcliffe and director David Yates answer your questions during this live LCS on December 12th , 2009. Also be the first to see footage from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, featured on the Blu-ray Edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The worldwide* LCS, which showcases the expansive capabilities and interactivity offered with Blu-ray and Warner Bros. BD-Live, will take place on December 12th at 8:00PM GMT live from London. The LCS will allow BD-Live capable Blu-ray users to simultaneously watch the movie together with Daniel Radcliffe and director David Yates and hear an interactive Q&A where fans can ask questions about the blockbuster film directly to Daniel and David, directly from their home.

Warner Bros. BD-Live community members who have registered and signed up for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince LCS will receive an emailed invitation to participate in the event. The first 100,000 members who RSVP will secure a spot for the screening. WB BD-Live registered users from the participating territories who own the Blu-ray Disc and have signed up for the BD-Live LCS event will be able to insert the disc, connect to WB BD-Live and logon to the LCS at this designated time to participate in this ground breaking exclusive event.

Special Features:
Warner Bros. BD-Live is an interactive feature exclusive to the Blu-ray format that allows users to experience a variety of exclusive interactive features. In addition to access to the multi-territory Live Community Screening, other exciting BD-Live content available to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray owners include:

• An exclusive introduction to the upcoming Harry Potter Ultimate Editions by Daniel Radcliffe
• My Commentary – fans are able to post user-generated Picture-in-Picture commentary over the film and share it with their friends and other BD-Live community members
• Live Community Screenings – Allows users to send invitations and have a virtual screening with friends and family while chatting together through the BD-Live platform
• Facebook Connect - allows users to interact with their Facebook friends, update their Facebook status while in BD-Live and invite their Facebook friends to Live Community screenings.

Disc 1:
Maximum Movie Mode: As the darkest hour approaches, this is the one thing you must see to prepare yourself for the final battle in Deathly Hallows. This interactive viewing experience will examine the entire film with such things as Focus Points, Picture-In-Picture, photo galleries and much more.
As Voldemort’s grip tightens, the dark secrets from the past prepare Harry for the future…and the final battle. It is at this critical moment, where no one is safe, that Harry and his friends are tested by the bonds of friendship and trust of true allegiances that will ultimately reveal the choice between good and evil.

• The Millennium Bridge
• Shooting On Location
• Professor Slughorn
• Building Relationships
• Director David Yates Returns
• Wool’s Orphanage
• Ron and Lavender’s Kiss
• The Burrow
• Harry and Ginny’s Kiss
• Aragog Returns
• Creating the Cave
• Designing the Virtual Cave Environment
• The Inferi
• The Underwater Sequence

Disc 2:
Behind the Story: Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter: Hosts Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas) lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team:
• Editing with Daniel Radcliffe: Daniel and editor Mark Day have a lighthearted conversation about film editing and how to get the right shot for a scene.
• Special Effects with Matthew Lewis, Oliver Phelps and Tom Felton: The guys get a "science lesson" from Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson and technician Matthew Harlow.
• Owl Training with Jessie Cave: Jessie heads outside for training tips with “hootie” and owl trainer Guillaume Grange.
• Stunt Training with Rupert Grint: Rupert shows off his thrill for danger with the stunt department.
• Costume Designs with Evanna Lynch: Evanna shares her jewelry designs with Costume Designer Jany Temime.
• Art with Bonnie Wright: Bonnie and graphic designer Eduardo Lima show off the fun props, products and set designs.
• Behind The Camera with James Phelps: In his debut performance in the assistant director department, James actually becomes a crew member on set.
• Make-Up with Emma Watson: Emma and designer Amanda Knight talk about the biggest challenges on this year’s film.

One Minute Drilles: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out.

Extras:
J.K. Rowling: A Year In The Life: A fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
What’s On You Mind: Hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ - Sneak Peak: Get an inside look at the amazing world of magic and excitement being created at Universal Orlando® Resort in Florida.

Additional Scenes:
• Harry and Hermione Walk Through the Halls of Hogwarts
• Harry and Hermione Discuss Marauder’s Map
• Harry, Ron & Hermione Discuss The Vanishing Cabinet
• Harry and Dumbledore Arrive At Cave Entrance
• Harry and Dumbledore Leave Cave
• Clouds Gather Over Hogwarts as Flitwick Conducts Choir
• Harry Joins Ron, Hermione and Ginny In The Common Room
• Harry and Hermione Discuss Ron At Astronomy Tower

Disc 3: Bonus copy of the Feature on DVD