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Synopsis

Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort's defenses--critical information known only to Hogwarts' former Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. With that in mind, Dumbledore manipulates his old colleague into returning to his previous post with promises of more money, a bigger office...and the chance to teach the famous Harry Potter.

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.

 

Special Features

The special features are located on disc two and include:

-   Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter: Hosts Matthew Lewis (“Neville Longbottom”) and Alfred 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 (28:30)

-   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.” (49:32)

-   One Minute Drills: The cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out (6:43)

-Â Â Â What's On Your 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. (6:41)

-   Universal's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Sneak Peek: Get an “inside look” at the amazing world of magic and excitement being created at Universal Orlando® Resort in Florida (11:38)         Â

-Â Â Â Additional Scenes (6:31)

-Â Â Â Digital Copy of the theatrical film

Every fan will definitely find a lot of great stuff to enjoy here! The features are divided into three categories -- Behind the Story, Extras and Additional Footage.

The Extras section features a preview of the next film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and producer David Heyman and Director David Yates give an introduction alongside behind-the-scenes clips. Following is a trailer with the first footage from the film.

Next in this section is an hour-long documentary on author J.K. Rowling while she was writing the final Harry Potter book. We get an in-depth look at JKR and travel with her to places from her childhood places, her old church and the woods surrounding her home. She talks candidly about her own personal life and how her past has influenced her writing. We also get to watch as the manuscript travels from Heathrow airport in London through the final book’s release on July 21, 2007.

The What's On Your Mind? section showcases Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) while he asks his fellow cast members quick questions covering topics like their favorite foods to which celebrity or historical figure they'd want to spend the day with. This feature is fun and good for a laugh as we get to know the Harry Potter actors a bit.

In the Extras section we get a first-hand look at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park currently under construction at Universal Studios Orlando and will open in May 2010. This feature provides a great idea on what will be included in the theme park. We also get commentary from the cast and producers of the films regarding the concept and execution of the attraction, which will feature life-size replicas of the village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle, plus rides like Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff. The footage includes:

-Â Â Â Glimpses into the ride experiences of Flight of the Hippogriff, Dragon Challenge and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey


-Â Â Â A first-look at some of the delectable foods and drinks, including Cauldron Cakes, treacle fudge and Butterbeer

-Â Â Â Universal Orlando Creative team members meeting with J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers

Behind the Story gives us the "Close-Up" with the cast and the "One-Minute Drills." In the close-up section there are eight different segments in which cast members talk about the film production with the experts in their respective departments. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) speaks with editor Mark Day about the art of putting scenes together and how to get the right shot. Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) hangs out with the stunt department, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) chats with makeup designer Amanda Knight, Evanna Lynch talks about her jewelry designs with costume designer Jany Temime, and much more! It’s a really great idea and lots of fun to see the stars of the films in the role of interviewer! Â

One-Minute Drills is a challenge for the cast to recount their character's storyline from the last six films in just 60 seconds while clips from the earlier films play in the background. The participating cast members are James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George), Bonnie Wright (Ginny), Felton, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson. We get an interesting look at how much everyone has grown since the very first film!

And then we are also treated to eight deleted scenes in the Additional Footage section. Some of the scenes are short clips from longer ones and it makes you impatient for the Collector’s Edition of the DVD to be released with the deleted scenes woven into an extended version of the film! Â

OVERALL RATING

(9 out of 10 )

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download 12/8.

Amazon.com: Standard DVD, 2-disc DVD, Blu-ray

Amazon.co.uk:Â 2-disc DVD, Blu-ray

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