I’m a Potterhead. I admit it. Originally, I wrote the books off as an over-rated kid fad, but it just goes to show that sometimes, you have to eat your own words. Curiosity won out as the first movie came out, and when I rented it on DVD, I had to admit: okay, this is pretty cool.
I quickly got into the books after that, and began to eagerly anticipate the second movie. Since then, I’ve read all the books and seen the movies multiple times. I own every book, including the three “supplemental” books, and have all of the movies on DVD.
Given this brief history, you can imagine how much I anticipated the release of the Half-Blood Prince movie. It’s one of my favourite books in the series – probably second overall. And considering the movie’s release got pushed back several months (November to July, which is almost cruel), I’ve been increasingly anxious as the Big Day got closer.
My friends and I promised to see it together, and since we all work and live in different cities, the only day we could see it was Saturday. The movie came out on Wednesday, so you can bet I was going a little crazy between 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and Saturday evening, when we finally saw it. In between that time, I came across reviews of the film. The general consensus is that while it was good, it was rushed and a lot got cut out (so, pretty much the same as every single movie in the series). Some even went so far as to call it disappointing.
Now that I’ve finally seen it, I have to say this: I couldn’t disagree more.
Yes, a lot was cut out from the book, but the book is 607 pages long. Not every little detail is going to be included, nor should they be. A few major things, such as the Death Eater fight scene, were taken out, but I don’t have a problem with this. Other things were added in, like the invasion of The Burrow, that weren’t in the books and/or didn’t necessarily need to be included. Again, I don’t have issue with this. The heart and soul of the book remains, and that is what is most important.
The good things about the movie: From the techincal standpoint, I loved the cinematography. Absolutely beautiful. Great editing, good flow.
Acting-wise, we saw some great performances. For the first time, I really enjoyed Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. I feel that his portrayal of one of the best characters in the series wasn’t quite up to par. Yes, he is a good actor, but his Dumbledore just isn’t Dumbledore. In this film, we finally see his sense of humour and whimsy that is present in the books but absent from the films. I was very pleased about this.
Alan Rickman was at his best as Snape. He’s always nailed the character spot-on, but Rickman had considerably more screen time in this movie. He steals the show in most of his scenes.
Tom Felton had a bigger role this time around as well, and I felt he did a great job. The audience needed to be suspicious of Draco at first, but sympathize with him by the end. Felton accomplished this, and then some.
Daniel Radcliffe’s acting has improved once again. He got to do more comedic scenes and he really came through. He also was fantastic in the emotional scenes, especially at the climax. You can tell he’s more comfortable as an actor. Way to go, Dan!
Emma Watson is the only actor that I can’t get behind. Not to be rude, but she is easily the weakest point of the movies and the worst actor of the trio, if not the complete cast (I don’t count throw-away characters who have, like, one line or something). A lot of her lines are often forced, and at times, you can see her mind working. For instance, in Order of the Phoenix, you can see her try to work through the scene at the Hog’s Head. You don’t see Hermione, you see Emma Watson trying to be Hermione. Plus, she has this horrible habit of acting with her eyebrows. In a particularly dramatic or emotional scene, watch her eyebrows dance! I will say this: in Half-Blood Prince, her eyebrow acting isn’t anywhere near as bad as it has been. She’s still my least favourite actor out of everyone, but she has improved.
There were some grea things about the movie that I want to mention. The climax of the movie was just remarkable – it had me crying! They handled it, and the ending, very well. Steve Kloves returned as the script writer, and it was clear as day. A lot of the dialouge was lifted word for word from the book, which impressed me. We got to see Harry and Ginny’s relationship develop, unlike in the novels. The love potion part of the film was funny and very well done, and I really enjoyed the level of comedy throughout the entire movie. I also have to mention that visually, the film is gorgeous. The scenery around Hogwarts is breath-taking.
The wasn’t really anything I heartily disliked about the movie. If I could change one thing, it would be to include more scenes involving the exploration of Voldemort’s past. One reason why the book is so memorable for me is seeing how Tom Riddle evolved (or devolved, depending on how you look at it) into Lord Voldemort. It is something of a shame we only get two “memories” in the book. However, the film works without it and doesn’t really suffer from having excluded it.
Just one more thing to note before I give the film its grade: fans of Harry Potter, please stop obsessing over every little detail. There’s no need to nitpick. And please stop complaining about things getting cut, because it’s annoying. The filmmakers can only give us so much, and they’ve done a great job with it. They can’t cater to every single fan out there. Learn to differeniate and appreciate the books and movies as related but seperate from one another. You’ll really enjoy the movies a lot more if you stop comparing it to the books, I promise. If you want the exact story from the book, then read the book.
Overall, this movie was well worth the wait. It was easily the best film in the franchise to date, and just a damn good movie in its own right.
Movie Grade: A+
