Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince Thread (SPOILERS)

[stewie15]

Saw a midnight showing as well and loved it. Probs my favorite so far but (like everyone else) I did have some problems.

1) I felt the ending should have been more like the book (Harry being cursed by Dumbledoor underneath his cloak) and that when Dumbledoor was killed the avada kedavra was blue not green.

2) Not enough memory scenes, and Harry showing up in Dumbledoor's office the first time seemed kinda sudden for me with the whole Weasly's broom closet part from the book.

3) Sulghorn's nonexistent mustache

4) Harry and Ginny's should have happened like the book

Ohh and was it just me or was Dumbledoor a little like sexual towards Harry? The grasping, the blood licking off his face, the questions about Hermione? IDK it could just be me and my friends who I saw it with?

[magicalwands]

Ohh and was it just me or was Dumbledoor a little like sexual towards Harry? The grasping, the blood licking off his face, the questions about Hermione? IDK it could just be me and my friends who I saw it with?

I think since we know Dumbledore is gay, we just see all his actions more sexual. It happens with me and my friends too. Ever since I came out, I can't really be myself around the guys. But in all reality, it's no big deal and not sexual at all if I touch them or something.

I love it when the Weasleys and Hermione are like, "Harry's here?" and you really get a sense of how tall the Weasley's house is because you see them between the stairs!

[DisneyLuver]

I saw the midnight showing yesterday as well, and it was amazing.
My review; it's very spoiler-filled.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review
-- SPOILERS GALORE --

Well, let me start out my saying I am a Harry Potter maniac so this review may be a bit biased at times. I was one of those few thousand people at my theater that stood in line for 4 hours and then waited in the theaters for 3 more hours to watch this movie at midnight.
And I loved every second of it.
The movie actually began with photographers taking Harry/Dumbledore’s picture after the events from the last movie at the Ministry of Magic.
The “real movie” begins with an awesome action sequence of Death Eaters breaking into Diagon Alley, kidnapping Ollivander (I believe) and then destroying a bridge in London. Way to start a movie!
We get to see Weasley Wizard Wheezes; it was great, in my opinion. The place was “fun” and “magical”, typical Weasley twins!
Then some darkness sets in.
The romance was amazing, especially Ron/Hermione. There was a very particular scene about Hermione mentioning snogging Ron… ya, well, you will see, it was so awesome. Ron’s reaction was the best! And at the hospital scene when Ron was poisoned, he said “Hermione” while he was unconscious when Lavender was there. Ah, perfect. Hermione was so giggly and amazing then.
Harry/Ginny. Well, that’s my favorite “shipping”, but the kiss was a bit disappointing. It was barely a second, when the Harry/Cho kiss was even longer and crazier! They made the H/G kiss so hyped up and it was barely a peck that lasted half a second. Oh, well. I’ll take what I get. The rest of Harry/Ginny romance (there’s quite a lot) was dead on perfect.
There was a lot of comedy too, which was great and funny. One thing I LOVED was how Hermione got drunk at Hogsmeade; it was so hilarious. Harry got “high” on Felix Felicis… the pincer imitation was one of the best moments in the movie! The audience had amazing reactions for my theater, which was awesome!
Quidditch was so refreshing! After 5 years (we hadn’t seen Quidditch since PoA in 2004), it was great. I loved it. Go Ron! Luna’s lion hat was amazing.
Speaking of Luna, she was in it quiet a lot, which I loved, since she is one of my favorite characters.
The Katie Bell being cursed scene was really creepy, but too short, I think.
One thing that was a bit disappointing were the memories. They were really short and there were only “two” (three if you count real Horcrux/fake Horcrux memory) instead of the five or six like in the books. They memories seemed cut short but the hazy effect was just amazing.
The Sectumsempra scene was really good too; I was surprised at the blood in that scene with the movie still being PG. Oh, well. That scene was great.
The acting in this was AMAZING. Wow, the best acting for any HP movie. And the special effects too, they were the best yet. And the directing. And everything else.
The final 30 minutes were really intense, beginning from the cave onwards. The cave was crazy; it was heartbreaking to see Harry forcing the potion down Dumbledore’s throat. There was one particular scene with the Inferi that everyone at the theater jumped and screamed from shock; well, so did I.
The Inferi were really well done. They were creepy and scary and… wow. Harry was dragged into the lake with Inferi, which was totally shocking. That scene was pretty much perfect.
Dumbledore’s death was… wow. The aftermath where everyone held up their wand to illuminate the sky and get rid of the Dark Mark was the thing that really got me. I didn’t cry, but it was really heartbreaking to see that scene.
So anyway, this review is getting way too long.
Bottom line; This movie is AMAZING. JUST AMAZING. Go watch it. Now. And then, watch it again. And again.
This is very easily the best Harry Potter movie yet.
I am planning to see this at least six or seven more times in theaters. Not even kidding!
10/10, if only I could give it anything higher.

[SpringHeelJack]

Ohh and was it just me or was Dumbledoor a little like sexual towards Harry? The grasping, the blood licking off his face, the questions about Hermione?

Personally, I thought the added scene in which Dumbledore gets into a shrieking slap-fight with McGonagall after she wouldn't let him borrow her top was a little much.

Now my random reflections...

I'm not sure if this is applicable because having read the book I already know what's coming, but I think I liked it more when we didn't know about Draco working on the Vanishing Cabinet until he reveals it in the end. It sort of removed an element of surprise. In the film it was apretty obvious thing, from Mr. Weasley explaining it to Harry and the frequent shots of things being sent back and forth between the cabinets.

I wasn't upset with memories being cut. Would I have liked to see the Gaunts? Yes, but after a while, watching someone watch action gets tedious. It would have been a good inclusion, but I think there's ways around that. Really explaining the inferi also falls under this category. It adds something if you know they're corpses reanimated etc. but you get the gist of it just by watching.

Also for Quidditch, the movie had a good amount for me. I never cared too much for Quidditch myself, so I was never really upset about the lack of it in the past two movies.

I was pleased that Professor McGonagall was in it more, but I wish she had some sort of involvement at the end. And I wish they had kept the coward bit with Snape and Harry. Frankly, I was disappointed that Snape never explained what the hell the title Half-Blood Prince even meant. It just came off as a weird nickname for himself. But good for Snape for having more to do this time than just hit Harry and Ron with objects. For whatever reason, I also really like the added bit where he sees Harry in the Astronomy Tower, points his wand at him, and tells his to keep quiet.

Additionally, I wish they had kept the kiss between Harry and Ginny after the Quidditch match. I really enjoyed the way it was treated so matter-of-factly in the book. Also, I think to a point the Harry & Ginny scenes are supposed to be awkward. They really ram that home in the book, and I think it still came off fine here.

I loved Luna's lion hat, and how the eyes moved as hers did. I also thought using her to find Harry on the Hogwarts Express worked fine as a substitute for Tonks. Speaking of Tonks, they gave the Tonks & Remus relationship the shaft. It was like one throwaway "Honey" and that was it. The attack on the Burrow was a nice touch, but I really don't feel it added anything.

Acting was solid all around. It's been pretty lucky that all the kids have grown up to be at least competent, and are otherwise surrounded with pretty much the cream of the crop of the British talent pool. I thought Jim Broadbent, if not physically how I imagined Slughorn (I always saw him as more like Bob Hoskins), played it perfectly.

Once again, Nicholas Hooper manages to create about five minutes worth of worthwhile score and then bogs the rest of the film down with unmemorable music. This really shows the disadvantage of using different composers. What's the point of establishing themes in the first three films if you only vaguely pick up on them later? And why did he use the POA Quidditch music? It was applicable for a game played during a thunderstorm with dementors, less so for a fairly routine Quidditch match.

So, yeah, overall I did like it, and I want to see it again. "Prisoner of Azkaban" remains my favorite, but I think this is easily second. Steve Kloves did a much better job streamlining this book than he did with "Order of the Phoenix" (admittedly, that was a much denser book), and if David Yates' direction was nothing outstanding (read: Cuaron's was still better), it did have a style of its own.

[PeterPanfan]

I just wish that there was more emphasis on plotlines that are going to be used in Deathly Hallows. Here's a few of them, and why they needed to be touched more upon:

* Tonks/Lupin. The whole thing with them having a child, them dying, and Harry being the godfather? It's going to be all too quick for the unread HP audiance.

* Hedwig. He's been pretty much non-existent for the past few films, and to have her suddenley just die wouldn't affect the movie audiance as much as it did the readers, since we've been able to spend more time with her.

Bill/Fleur - The wedding will be like, "Oh, hey. Who are you again?"

I'm sure there's more but I can't really think right now.

[Widdi]

Steve Kloves didn't write the adaptation of OotP Springy.

[SpringHeelJack]

Steve Kloves didn't write the adaptation of OotP Springy.

That's right. Perhaps that explains it. Though I could easily substitute "Goblet of Fire" for that, since that was shorn of pretty much any subplot worth keeping and instead utilized those less essential (what was the point of Rita Skeeter if she never reappears after her initial scene?).

[Mason_Ireton]

I saw it today was amazed by the acting and the tone was mildly entertaining.... I understood why certain cuts had to be made due to Deathly Hallows bein released during production... Belatrix was extremely creepy and untamed in this film and she'll be more loopy in the next film.... The kissing scenes were alil queasy for me, I understand everybody was lookin forward to it and yeah it was handled very well.

[magicalwands]

Tell me if you guys think anything of this. In the last scene with Harry, Ron, and Hermione...Ron sits away from Harry and Hermione. For the longest time we have no idea he is there until he is shown sitting. And, he doesn't join them until they go look at Fawkes. Is it foreshadowing how Ron will leave Harry and Hermione in Deathly Hallows?

[Disneykid]

I caught an early matinee showing of this today. I've loved the previous five films and fully expected to love this one...and I was right. Not only that, but I think this may be my favorite one, yet, which is remarkable considering Half-Blood Prince is my least favorite book in the series. Since I'm still processing everything I've seen, I'll just post random thoughts below instead of posting a proper review:

(CAUTION: SPOILERS ABOUND FOR BOTH THIS FILM AND LAST NOVEL!)

* Out of all six movies, this is the one that felt most like the book to me. I think it may be because movies 1-5 are so (understandably) concerned with the mechanics of the plot that they tend to skimp out on the details of the world Jo's created. Here, we get to see enough of Hogwarts in a "day-to-day" sort of way that the books are full of. It makes the world more believable, in my opinion. After I first read Half-Blood Prince, I thought to myself, "How on earth are they going to make this into a workable movie? There's hardly any plot in this one; it's mostly set up for the finale." Apparently that worked to the filmmakers' advantage since they weren't bogged down by a dense storyline this time around and could focus on character development.

* The long shot that takes us from the sky through London and into Diagon Alley was absolutely amazing. In fact, the cinematography throughout the whole film was gorgeous. The camera work and editing was a lot more elegant and flowy than Order of the Phoenix, and so much is conveyed simply through staging and framing. A good example is the scene after Slughorn's Christmas party with Draco and Snape. It's filmed from a long shot, and the camera slowly pans over to an adjacent wall towards the end of the conversation where Harry is listened in shadow. Had this been a Chris Columbus (or even a Mike Newell) film, we would've seen Harry walk alone from the party, suddenly come upon Draco and Snape, and we'd cut back and forth between their conversation and Harry's reaction. The only other Harry Potter film I've seen that takes this much advantage of film's visual medium is Prisoner of Azkaban.

* Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes rocked. I loved the Umbridge puppet and the use of the miniature Horntail from Goblet of Fire.

* Quidditch was agonizingly short (did we ever even see Harry in it?), but well executed.

* I love how the Ron/Hermione relationship was beefed up a bit since it's still only implied at this point in the book series. The scene where Harry comforts Hermione after she sees Ron and Lavender kissing particularly stands out to me.

* Thank you, filmmakers, for letting the Sectumsempra scene be appropriately bloody.

* Gah, where's the diadem? David Heyman said they took advantage of the eight-month hiatus by doing a few reshoots to help tie this film into Deathly Hallows (they didn't know the ending when they were filming this one). The first thing that came to my mind was the diadem in the Room of Requirement. Anyone else somehow catch it? The guys from Pottercast (The-Leaky-Cauldron.org's official podcast) made an interesting observation, though. Since Harry has his eyes closed when Ginny hides the book, that means he's going to need her help during the Battle of Hogwarts. This is actually a change I'd approve of since it'd give Ginny something to do, and Jo herself did emphasize how much Harry needs his friends to destroy the horcruxes. Ginny was pretty much the only regular not given a chance to shine in the horcrux hunt.

* Felix Felicis may just be the funniest scene in the film. It was good to see Dan given comedic material for once (or rather, comedic material where he's not just confused or awkwardly reacting to someone else).

* The scene with the ring gave me chills. I love that they re-implemented the neck twitch from Order of the Phoenix, and it's that act that gives Dumbledore the grim realization that Harry's a horcrux (for lack of a better term since there've been heated debates over what exactly to call Harry's condition).

* The entire cave scene was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

* Dumbledore's death was handled well, though I'm not sure I like how Hary just stands there. I mean, I understand him not moving while Dumbledore's alive because: a) he promised to obey Dumbledore, and b) he trusted Snape. But once Dumbledore dies, Harry should've snapped into attack mode. Instead, he just stands there waiting for the Death Eaters to exit before going after them. I guess you could attribute that to just being in shock.

* I was furious when the news broke out last year that Dumbledore's funeral was cut. Now that I've seen the film, I actually don't miss it. The scene with the students and staff raising their wands and clearing up the dark mark was very potent and classy. Likewise, I like how Harry's reaction to Dumbledore's death was more understated. Cedric and Sirius' deaths garnered strong reactions out of him, but he was so close to Dumbledore that his grief was beyond tears and hysteria.

* The ending scene was nicely done, but it annoyed me that Ron was basically set decoration in it. Something tells me that this scene was reshot at a time when Rupert Grint wasn't available (I know he got swine flu earlier this year). I think I remember people from test screenings last fall saying that we never find out the locket's a fake, so this scene might've been one of the reshoots David Heyman was referring to.

I've got a lot more on my mind to say, but these are the thoughts that are on the forefront. Overall, this is the Harry Potter film that flows the best, makes the best adapation decisions, and captures the richness of Rowling's world the most accurately. If David Yates can approach both parts of Deathly Hallows the same way (and I believe he will), we're going to have a stunning conclusion on our hands, and what I believe to be the greatest film franchise out there.

[Mason_Ireton]

I found the list of "deleted/alternate scenes" that were switched, reworked or deleted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Pott ... m_the_book


The film was highly enjoyable and it kinda sadden me that due to the 7th book comin out durnin production of Half Blood Prince, H.B.P kinda suffered from that, esepcialy the climax, I was lookin forward to seein Dumbledore's Army in action against the Death Eaters and yet I couldn't help but accept the fact that due to the GRAND battle in Deathly Hallows, the filmakers wan'na go out with a bang.

and here's a interview with David Yates bout Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=56882

[Disneykid]

I always like to go back and re-watch trailers after I've watched a film to see if I notice any cut shots or lines. Sure enough, I found some for Half-Blood Prince:

Dumbledore trying on Slytherin's ring
Ron and Hermione worryingly looking up at something in the common room
Snape telling Dumbledore, "It's over."

There's also a voice over from Mr. Weasley in the final trailer stating, "Times like these, dark times, they can bring people together or tear them apart." This probably would've been in the garage scene at the Burrow.

A publicity photo shows Hermione helping Neville with his utensils at the Slug Club meeting. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I don't think Neville was even present at the meeting in the final film. Either way, we never see the dinner portion of the meeting, only the dessert.

Another publicity photo shows the crew filming a dialogue scene between Harry and Slughorn at the Christmas party. I don't think the two ever even exchanged any words at the party in the final film, but I could be wrong.

Test audience reports had said that Snape's "I'm not a coward" line was in the movie, though done in Snape's usual droll rather than the caps lock mode of the book. That obviously didn't survive, either.

Still, it doesn't seem like a whole lot was cut out. Based on what I've read, movies 1 and 4 had about 20 minutes cut out, movie 2 about 15, movie 3 about 10, and movie 5 a whopping 45. I'd wager movie 6 is probably in the same league as the third one, with only about 10 minutes of footage cut out (test screenings said the film ran about two and a half hours without credits, and that's how long it is now WITH credits).

[PeterPanfan]

I really hope the deleted scenes are included on the HPB DVD, unlike OotP.

[Dottie]

I saw it yesterday and absolutely loved it....



...until the climax.

Once again I felt the climax was way too rushed (like in HP4) and the impact of Dumbledore's death (at least for people who haven't read the books), just wasn't emphasized enough for me. I really missed the fight with the Death Eaters and Snape's "I am not a coward" missing might result in problems for DH to make Snape's character and his actions believable.
For me there were too many things cut there. I am usually very good at separating book and movie, but I loved the climax that the book had and basically sobbed through it when I read it, but I didn't get thta feeling here.
-The cinematography was awesome though, but what do you expect from the guy who shot "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain"? Especially that shot of Snape and Harry fighting

-The whole thing with the wand raising was way too cheesy for me. (reminded me of that awful Little House on the Prairie episode where Laura and a dying Albert climb that mountain)

And what was all that burning of the Burrow about? I do get that they wanted to show how dangerous those times are, but don't they still need the Burrow? And what about the Weasleys' stuff?

And I somehow had the feeling they didn't elaborate enough on the whole Horcurx thing and its connection to Hogwarts and the Riddle heirlooms. I think at least including a shortened version of the Gaunts would have helped to understand why the locket and ring etc. are so important and that there are more of them and what they are.

On the plus side:
The movie was hilarious where it had to be.
A lot of Luna, which was awesome.
The acting was very good (especially Radcliffe has improved immensely)
Slughorn was great (I love Jim Broadbent)


This movie is definitely one of the best in the movie series, but the last 20 minutes or so were ruined I think. So much potential there and they kind of screwed it up (for me).

[jediliz]

I was actually hoping they'd cut Aragog. It only gave the excuse to get Slughorn "drunk" and then get him to reveal his real memory of Riddle asking about the Horcuxes.....just a really bad idea.

No explanation about why Snape called himself the Half Blood Prince -- HELLO?!?!? Its just like at the end of PoA that Harry gets that new broom (When it was really a Christmas gift), but the signed permission form saying he could go to Hogsmeade was not included.

No Bill and Fleur.....um, does that mean the wedding will be cut in the next movie?

And what was the point of the wanted poster if Lupin can't even say that he was the one that bit him.


Was the Burrow burning in the book (its been so long since I read it)? Or was it a made up scene for the movie to show how dangerous the Death Eaters were?


Glad they added the Wizard Joke shop. I was so afraid they'd cut that.

[JiminyCrick91]

No Bill and Fleur.....um, does that mean the wedding will be cut in the next movie?

No. They confirmed Bill & Fleur's wedding to be in the next film. Also Richard Fish, Bill in the Prisoner of Azkaban Egyptian Holiday photo has been replaced by Domhnall Gleeson, son of Mad Eye Moody, Brendan Gleeson. Here is a photo of the actor.....

Was the Burrow burning in the book (its been so long since I read it)? Or was it a made up scene for the movie to show how dangerous the Death Eaters were?

No it was not in the book. It was used to show that even the seemly safest of places was now not so in prep for movies 7A & 7B.

-Sky

[Dottie]

I know Bill was supposed to be hot, but holy crap that guy is gonna be pure hotness dressed as Bill (I have a thing for men with red hair).

[Disney Duster]

YEA, what was with no explanation for what The Half-Blood Prince meant, you know, also the TITLE OF THE MOVIE?!

I never, ever think the movies go in-depth enough with anything. I don't want them to have everything from the books, they just need need to make what they do keep actually explained and sensical and deeply covered. So this also goes for Albus' mission.

The whole film went too quickly from the beginning. Harry's in a restaraunt. Then suddenly Dumbledore's waiting for him and they go to Slughorn and did they even mention Slughorn was a Slytherin.

By the way, does anyone else like the fact that Slughorn proves there can be Slytherin's who actually grow up to be good people? 'Course the movie didn't point that out.

But it did not hit home that Tom Riddle killed someone as a kid and that's why they went to that cave, and the whole mission of Harry and Dumbledore seemed rushed, from the beginning, as I said, until the end. You see, that's my problem. The ending was well handled, great acting with Dumbledore not in pain, and then Harry must keep obeying him, and he dies. But since what lead up to this was rushed and Dumbledore didn't seem as sad or as nice to Harry, eh...

Then again maybe the first Dumbledore dying and being changed to another one also kind of ruined the feeling for his real death.

Hey, um, Disneykid, HUGE GIGANTIC SPOILER FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES QUESTION IN WHITE: I read the books but I don't remember Voldemort's soul went into Harry? Then, how could Voldemort die while Harry lived? Oh wait, was it taken out when he went unconcious and was naked in white space...?

[SpringHeelJack]

HUGE GIGANTIC SPOILER FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES QUESTION IN WHITE: I read the books but I don't remember Voldemort's soul went into Harry? Then, how could Voldemort die while Harry lived? Oh wait, was it taken out when he went unconcious and was naked in white space...?

Er, no offense, Dusty, but if you missed that part, you may want to re-read "Deathly Hallows", as it was a pretty major plot point.

[Disneykid]

Hey, um, Disneykid, HUGE GIGANTIC SPOILER FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES QUESTION IN WHITE: I read the books but I don't remember Voldemort's soul went into Harry? Then, how could Voldemort die while Harry lived? Oh wait, was it taken out when he went unconcious and was naked in white space...?

Right. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby, Lily's sacrificial protection shielded Harry. Voldemort's Avada Kedavara curse bounced off the shield and destroyed him while at the same time, a piece of his soul was transferred to Harry (possibly because the soul of Voldemort that in the room was shaky enough to begin with having had portions of it stuck in other horcruxes). This is why Harry can speak Parseltongue and why there's a mental connection between him and Voldemort. When Harry willingly gives up his life in the Forbidden forest, Voldemort's spell ended up destroying his own soul that was inside of Harry rather than Harry's actual soul. This is why when Harry ends up at King's Cross station with Dumbledore, we see a mutilated worm baby there, cowering in fear. That's the fragment of Voldemort's soul that's been inside Harry since the incident at Godric's Hollow. Hence why Harry is essentially a horcrux himself and why he had to give up his life (albeit temporarily) to stop Voldemort).

Oh, and I didn't find the film too quick at all. Maybe it's because I was expecting it it to be over-edited like Order of the Phoenix was. The only scenes that struck me as too fast were the action sequences (the destruction of ther Millenium Bridge, the attack on the Burrow, Quidditch), probably because the trailers showed so much of them to begin with. The climax in the cave was spot-on, though. I guess since Half-Blood Prince is my least favorite book in the series, I'm more easily satisfied with an adaptation of it. I'll probably notice the flaws more when I see it again soon.