Harry Potter: Ranking The Movies From Worst To Best
7. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Directed By: David Yates
Now, this is going against the grain somewhat, because J.K. Rowling herself said that The Half-Blood Prince was her favorite film in the series after it came out, but a movie had to grab the 7th slot, and putting it here made the most sense.
Let's first go over what the movie does well: Yates ably recreates the overarching feeling of dread that encapsulates the last two books, the cinematography is excellent, the first scene (which was not in the book) of Death Eaters destroying the Millennium Bridge was breath-taking, Michael Gambon gives a hell of a performance, and Daniel Radcliffe miming pincers was hilarious.
But even though the movie has a lot going for it and comes out way ahead, there are a pile of nit-picky flaws that tamper the film. First of all, the movie doesn't really have an ending. Obviously at this point we all knew that the gang would be coming back for The Deathly Hallows, but the movie cut out both the battle as the Death Eaters fled Hogwarts and Dumbledore's funeral from the book. Sure, they vow to find the remaining horcruxes and not attend school the following year, but it relies too much on the shock value of Dumbledore's death.
While the book teases out the romance between Harry and Ginny, in the movie it feels rushed and forced. Their supposedly climactic kiss in the Room of Requirement doesn't hold as much weight as it does in the book when they get together in Gryffindor's common room in front of Ron and he graciously accepts their relationship.
And even though it's pretty clear that Ron and Hermione should be a thing in the book, the way the movie really spells out their feelings about one another doesn't really allow for any subtlety (and makes you question why it takes them so long). Like I said, there are a bunch of small things in the movie that are annoying. They aren't annoying enough to make the movie bad, it's actually surprisingly fun given its dark tone, but it does make it a more frustrating watch then the movies above it on this list.