Being the huge Harry Potter fan that I am, I couldn't help but feel the thrill of anticipation — an actual chill down my spine — when the theater lights dimmed and the familiar instrumental theme song kicked in as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince started rolling. Sing (hum?) it with me now: Dah, dah-dah dah, da daaaaah daaaahhh! Dah, dah-dah daah, da daaaaaah. (It still brings the shivers, even in text form.)
You all know that I had really high expectations for this one. I've shared my freak-out reactions over each and every trailer with you. It should go without saying that this was the summer movie I'd been looking forward to the most. I figured that since I loved what director David Yates did with Order of the Phoenix (my least favorite book), he'd surely top himself with the adaptation of the sixth novel in J.K. Rowling's series, which was my second-favorite overall.
Which is why it pains me to report that I thought The Half-Blood Prince was just… OK.
I'm obviously glad I saw it, and certain aspects of the film were absolutely excellent (more on those shorly), but I enjoyed both Order of the Phoenix and Prisoner of Azkaban much more and was disappointed that this latest installment didn't move me in the same ways its literary twin did.
For those who've never read a Potter book or caught any of the first five movies, do yourself a favor and remedy that situation before paying to see The Half-Blood Prince. The main characters aren't introduced, the wizarding world isn't explained, no back-story is given… there's just too much material to get through to bring non-Potterheads up to speed. Yates really had no choice but to jump right in, those unfamiliar with Rowling's mythology be damned. I think this was the right approach. The movie already clocks in at over two and a half hours… imagine how long it would've been if a ton of set-up was added?
For those who are well schooled in J.K. Rowling's fictional universe of wizards and witches but need a little refresher about what exactly transpired in the sixth novel, let's recap for a moment, shall we? Order of the Phoenix ended with a good guys versus bad guys duel in the depths of the Ministry of Magic — a duel that killed Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, and proved that Lord Voldemort had returned. The Half-Blood Prince kicks off near the beginning of the following school year. Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is on an urgent mission to learn as much about Tom Riddle — the Hogwarts student who eventually became Voldemort — as he can in order to better prepare Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) for his inevitable showdown with the Dark Lord. He does this by collecting and searching through others' memories of their encounters with the young Riddle.
Meanwhile, the perpetually scowling Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) also seems to be on a mission, and Harry becomes obsessed with stalking him in order to figure out why he's acting so shady. When he's not dreaming of his best friend Ron's younger sister Ginny, that is.
Yes, adolescent hormones have kicked into high gear at Hogwarts, and the scenes revolving around teenage angst were what I was dreading most about The Half-Blood Prince. However, wouldn't you know it, these love-centric moments were some of the best parts of the movie. Ron (Rupert Grint) is finally being noticed by the ladies, and Hermione (Emma Watson) doesn't like it one bit. Both Grint and Radcliffe were honest-to-god funny in this movie, and while Grint has always had comedic chops, he was really allowed to show them off this time around. As far as Watson goes, let's just say a moment where she loses control of her conflicting feelings over Ron was the only scene in the film that brought a tear to my eye (and for those of you who remember how the sixth novel ends, you now might be able to guess what I had problems with in its adaptation).
Other highlights include new Potions professor Horace Slughorn, personified brilliantly by Jim Broadbent. The "memories" of Riddle were nothing short of kick-ass. And as always, Alan Rickman rocked the house as Professor Snape.
All of the wide-angle, sweeping shots were beautiful to behold — from the Hogwarts Express chugging through snow-covered fields, to the Death Eaters' swirling attack on London's suspension bridge, to Dumbledore and Harry teetering on a jutting rock in the middle of an angry sea, to Hermione and Harry looking out over the school's expansive grounds from atop the Astronomy Tower — but I did find cuts between scenes to be rather abrupt and disorienting, and some of the camerawork a bit dizzying.
And that's a nice little segue to get into what disappointed me about The Half-Blood Prince. I think it all comes down to the fact that the most exciting and emotional parts of the book were given the shaft in the movie, and therefore the resulting two and a half hours were not nearly as captivating as they could have been. I've had no problem with any of the changes that were made in the previous adaptations — I want a film to work on its own. But this time an added scene with stark raving mad Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and new baddie Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno) that was probably meant to be action-packed and suspenseful fell flat and seemed pointless — especially since a pivotal scene with Greyback at the story's end was left out.
Much more could've been done with Harry and Dumbledore's treacherous journey to retrieve an important object Voldemort stashed away in a cursed cave; I had been particularly excited to see this creepy sequence translated on the big screen. Granted, it was still actually quite scary (despite the film's PG rating), but seemed significantly compressed. As did the final, what-should-have-been climactic confrontation between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore at Hogwarts. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book, but I will say that I was thoroughly stunned by the lack of time and gravitas paid to what I thought were some of the best chapters of the entire series. I still can't believe Yates — and screenwriter Steve Kloves — deemed them unworthy of this movie.
So all in all I liked — yet was slightly disappointed by — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Now we all need to start hoping and praying that Yates, who will remain at the helm of the final two installments (Deathly Hallows will be split into two parts), is able to hit the remaining films out of the ballpark and bring Harry's story to the rousing, triumphant conclusion it deserves.
Once you've seen the film, let us know what you thought! Spoilers ARE allowed in the comments, so let's get into it…
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I was very disappointed in this movie…the ending was horrible. Usually I am ready to see the next movie but this one wasn’t that good at all…I was very upset when I left..I felt I had just wasted 8.50 on that movie. There should have been way more action throughout the movie but it was 2.5 hours of a plot. I felt like the climax was reached at the end of the movie so there was no ending leaving you wanting to see more.
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 1:03 pm
My daughter and I saw this the day it opened. My daughter went into it already upset because she had seen a news show the night before that mentioned no funeral for Dumbledor, and they hinted at an added scene. So when we saw the movie, she was very frustrated. So when the Burrow got burned to the ground, we were like “WHAT??!!” Kait was vocal throught the whole movie saying, that wasn’t in the book, why did it happen that way..and also…Luna finding Harry because of Wrackspurts?! Please..I would much rather have Tonks find Harry.would explain more why she is suddenly there later on..And the whole thing with Tonks and Remus? Noone else mentioned that, but I like that part too of the book. I know it isn’t vital to the plot..but if they are pushing the whole romance angle with the kids at least keep them, and the Fleur and Bill in ..Someone else mentioned the excess of Phlegm, and how it might get dumped into the last movie..I don’t think it will..again not vital to the main storyline..just a side plot..oh well..Hopefully the producer/execs/actors get to read this and don’t destroy the last two movies..I don’t care if they both are 3 hours long..I would sit through all of it for a great finale to an awesome series!
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 3:32 pm
My husband and I went to see HP but we were really disappointed. My husband said that he is never paying any money to watch any more HarryPorters’movie. (“it sucks”)
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I did not like it one bit. Everyone knew that snape and malfoy were the ad guys. Who didn’t see that coming? And the scene where harry runs after the lady death eater was pointless. It was awful
Posted on July 22, 2009 at 9:47 pm
didn’t say anything about snape being the half blood prince, no back ground or how he loved harry’s mom. One line was not enough to sum up the entire book that is TITLED Half Blood Prince.
Posted on July 23, 2009 at 1:33 am
The movie did not capture me. I fell asleep three times and finally walk out at 90min. I won’t rent it.
Posted on July 23, 2009 at 11:50 am
Wow, and not in a good way. First… If I hadn’t had the kids with me, I probably would have left at the Burrow burning scene. Maybe part of the reason the next movie is split in two is to explain Bill and Fluer a bit better, but what? Does the burrow just reappear for the wedding?
Second… Horcruxes. They are MENTIONED twice. Two times. For ‘movie only’ fans this is leaving them with no clue.
Third… The Ending. Where do I start? At least they added the bit where Snape sees Harry and silently tells him to stay out of the way. That’s a bit of a hint that maybe he isn’t the ‘evil git’ he appears to be. The fight scene should have been much more important than it was made out. The exchanges between The Order, the Death Eaters, and certain students is very important to the later story. Apparently they are completely leaving out the issue of Bill being bitten by Fenrir. I sincerely hope another reason for the last movie being split is for the funeral scene to be included. I will watch, but won’t hold my breath for, the seventh movie.
Posted on July 23, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Totally agree, this movie was by far a dissappointment. It was beautiful to behold, yes, but it jumped around too much because of the scenes that were added (Bellatrix at the Weasleys and Harry at the cafe) and left out important parts like the explanation of the Horcruxes and many many other things in the book that would have made the story flow and the movie much more exciting (like the fight scene in the end) Totally anticlimatic! I hope this writer and director get it right next time or it will ruin the whole experience we have been setting up ourselves for for all these years. If I were J.K. Rowling I would be pretty upset at the butchery of one of the best books in her series. Please, please do the last one justice!
Posted on July 23, 2009 at 9:23 pm
ok well honestly most critics and fans alike thought that the 5th film was the worst and the 3rd was the best
the 6th was fair it did remove scenes and i too agree that the burrow scene was unnecessary but to the reader who was disappointed about fluer being gone well theres no more wedding in 7 but i did not find much more wrong with the film i miss the battle for hogwarts but yates said the one in hallows will be worth the wait the honestly most fans know the Alfonso Caron would have than better with any of these other films like he did with 3
Posted on July 24, 2009 at 9:00 am
i love harry potter ive seen them all its like your in the movie when you watch it id love to be in it i hope youall make a 7th one plz plz plz plz plz
Posted on July 24, 2009 at 9:02 am
it kindof leaves you hanging because vlotamort is still alive i see harry potter in the 7th movie comming
Posted on July 28, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I could have easily sat in the movie for another hour…meaning I wish they had put more of the details of the book into the movie. With the book I was in tears reading of Dumbledore’s death. He was a character I grew to love and admire. Most Harry fans immerse themselves in this world and truly feel for and about the characters. I so agree that the quest for the horcrux and Dumbledore’s death fell quite short in the movie. Yes the cinematography was beautiful and yes I was excited to be back at Hogwarts but it wasn’t quite enough. I wanted more and I too hope that Deathly Hallows takes us there.
Posted on August 18, 2009 at 5:47 pm
My Harry Potter journey has been a little different than most I think. Everyone I knew had read all the books before me and I staunchly refused to let them speak a word of any of them in my presence. I have known for years that movies can never equal books but I have still tried to maintain the innocence and sense of wonder that the movies have never failed to bring me.
Every time I have been into a theater (to see some other movie) and a Harry Potter preview has come on I have said, without fail, “Forget this movie, I want to see THAT movie. NOW.” I have felt that way with every single trailer except the trailer for the Half-Blood Prince. The trailer was flat and dark and brooding but carried no sense of excitement. So tragic. The first Harry Potter movie I wasn’t rabidly looking forward to.
That said, once I saw it. It was the first Harry Potter movie I went back and watched again. The others I never worried about because I knew my kids would play the DVD’s until the DVD player burned up. But this one… this one I went back to the theater and watched again by myself. Alone so I could absorb it. Feel it. Being a life-long die-hard romantic and seeing the love. Finally seeing the love we have waited for start to hammer it’s way forward. I did not find any of the characters flat. I did not think the acting lacked. I think the actors did a fine job capturing the nuances that separated their very similar struggles. I think this film lived up to the humor and the humanity that we’ve come to expect from this series of films.
This was the film that made me know I had to read the stories. Not just because I wanted to fill in all the little blanks that I knew were missing but because I HAD TO KNOW what was going to happen to these characters NOW, not over the course of two years and two films. This was the film that took me to Harry Potter as it was fully intended to be.
So I read and I choked and I feared and I sputtered and I cried and I worried and I laughed and I smiled and I cheered.
And I realized this movie was the worst hack job of any of the films.
I understand that in the need to save time some sub-plots and minor characters have to be whittled out, and because of that some key lines and passages and bits of information end up coming from the mouths of other characters or other sources, sad as that is. But for this film to add an UNNECESSARY action sequence at the expense of losing so much rich material is a travesty. Who is to blame for that? The director? The producer? The studio? These people should know by now that if you mess with the cannon too much the congregation will cry foul. Did the sequence cement Ginny’s desire to stand by Harry? Did the burning of the Barrow solidify the sense of loss and dread the Weasleys and the rest of the wizarding world were facing? Yes and yes. But this was not the time for this. Not on that scale. The major point of this book is the feeling of building up progress against Voldemort then having the rug jerked out from under you by the losing the main source of security to a dreadful betrayal. (I am so glad I did not read the books as they came out. I deeply sympathize with those who had to languish with that feeling of dread until Deathly Hallows came out. It would have killed me.) The Weasleys have enough loss on the horizon. We didn’t need to burn their house down. Not if it meant we did not get to properly lay to rest one of the most important characters in the whole story. A major heart tug lost for a minor one.
That said I will always have a soft spot for this movie. J.K. Rowling never did much to develop the love between Harry and Ginny. After this the dear readers know in the near future he tells her basically, “Uh… yeah… this is too rough and all that. I can’t have you around. Gee, it’s been great and stuff. See ya’.” I had hoped for that blazing moment to come when Ginny stood by Harry’s side fighting and the little dumb-ass realized that is where she belonged. (Oh how I hoped to see it at the Battle of Hogwarts….) But that moment never came, so that stupid unnecessary scene in THIS movie is all I have of my dream. Hack job that it is, I guess I’ve come full circle in contridicting myself.
I suppose my only choice is to go see it again and maybe even again. That first kiss melts my heart, even if it isn’t quite the kiss it was supposed to be.
Maybe I’ll see you there.