First, this column will include spoilers from the sixth Harry Potter movie. Second, if you’ve never seen Harry Potter, why are you reading this?
OK, now that I have that out of the way, I am here to deliver the biggest hot take when it comes to the Harry Potter movies: The Half-Blood Prince is the best film in the franchise.
I can already hear the collective sighs and grumbles of Potterheads around the world. “Well, what about The Prisoner of Azkaban,” they’re all saying. I get it. I too thought the third film was the best, but that was before I read the books and understood the depths of the sixth.
Sure, The Prisoner of Azkaban introduced us to two of the coolest character in the series — Remus Lupin and Sirius Black — but it left out a lot of titular information. The third film showed viewers that Peter Pettigrew was the one who ratted out his best friends but failed to recognize the depth of the betrayal. Pettigrew willingly gave up the one secret that lead to the Potters’ deaths. Leaving that aspect out of the film makes it just one of the best Harry Potter films.
Now that I have explained why most people’s favorite is not the best, I’m going to tell all 20 people reading this article why The Half-Blood Prince is the best.
The first five films of the franchise feature a confused Harry who is trying to figure out his place in the wizarding world. He doesn’t fully understand why surviving the killing curse as a baby was a big deal or why people cared. It only took defeating Voldemort a few times to realize he was capable of completely wiping out the Dark Lord. He didn’t come to this realization until the end of The Order of the Phoenix, and in The Half-Blood Prince, he finally comes into his own and accepts he can defeat Voldemort with the help of his friends.
Despite all of that heavy, life-threatening baggage weighing him down, he still finds time to be a teenager. In fact, everyone in the movie shows a more adolescent side to them. There is teenage romance, parties and the consumption of happiness-inducing potions. The sixth movie is a time for them to live life in a seemingly regular fashion — that is before the epic conclusion gives way to the emotional end.
The Half-Blood Prince provides key information to defeating Voldemort. Harry learns he must destroy Horcruxes, which contain bits and pieces of Voldemort’s soul. It gave the audience a chance to know Voldemort as Tom Riddle and supply a little bit of hope that the Dark Lord could be taken down for good. The film also gives some of the answers without giving away too much. Maybe that is more of a credit to the book, but it was executed well in the movie. It is suspenseful.
The pacing in the film is what sets it apart from the rest of the films. The comedic relief, which is the funniest of all the movies, is weaved throughout the film’s duration. Harry and Dumbledore are working to advance the plot forward the entire movie to the climactic end, but it doesn’t feel like it. The plot in the sixth is most important in all the Harry Potter movies, but it manages to be subtle.
The sixth film in the franchise is the most important in the franchise. It shifts the entire focus of the series to learning about Voldemort and how to completely defeat him. But besides that, the film gave way to the best scene in series: Aragog’s death when Harry talks about the pincers. Classic.
Georgia Davis is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What is your favorite Harry Potter film? Tell Georgia by tweeting her at @georgiadee35.
