Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[Captain Canuck]

don't be a duffer! British slang is brilliant!

 

[DARKKNIGHT]

don't be a duffer! British slang is brilliant!

very fetch.

 

[Dr.Strangefate]

I agree with Planet-Man in that this is the most complete film of the series, that tells its own story... Added to that, its by FAR the best looking, best shot, and best edited film out of the entire series... This is the closest the films have ever come to matching the world in my mind...

Despite all of this... I was disappointed. The entire Half-Blood Prince storyline was basically written out, and would have been done completely if it weren't the title of the book... But more so, this film fails utterly and completely to set up the storyline of the seventh book... He knows there are seven horcruxes, but he isn't even aware of Voldemort's obsession with Hogwarts... He doesn't know that he got his hand on the cup... And they tossed out the chance to sneak in the Diadem for extra Harry/Ginny time... I mean, they could address this, but it seems more likely they'll insist to go directly into the film assuming viewers have read the books, just like every single other film has done.

And the ending... By cutting out the whole Order of the Phoenix aspect of the final battle turns a mostly uneventful story into a film without the intense magical battling that should have happened at the end. AND it continues to marginalize them to the point where some of the better character moments in Book Seven seem extremely unlikely to make it to the screen.

They pulled off the Relationship stuff in the film better than in the book, I thought, since I always felt those chapters needed trimming in exchange for more memories of Voldemort... So much great material should have been put in, and so much more could have been done with the Harry/Dumbledore relationship...

Sigh... I suppose I'll have my books for the 15-20 years before they attempt a proper, concise, and uniformly executed adaptation.

As for all the talk of taking out Bill/Fleur's wedding... I read recently that all of that's in Film Seven. They've cast a Bill Weasley, and its actually the son of the guy who plays Mad-Eye...

Here's a Pic:

 

[Lynx]

As for all the talk of taking out Bill/Fleur's wedding... I read recently that all of that's in Film Seven. They've cast a Bill Weasley, and its actually the son of the guy who plays Mad-Eye...

Here's a Pic:

They're going to throw in Bill now? Really? I mean, he is a somewhat important character in DH (With both the wedding and Shell Cottage), but without the werewolf attack and building of his and Fleur's relationship, he's just another Weasley.

This is why I don't like the movies.

 

[Planet-man]

I agree with Planet-Man in that this is the most complete film of the series, that tells its own story... Added to that, its by FAR the best looking, best shot, and best edited film out of the entire series... This is the closest the films have ever come to matching the world in my mind...

Despite all of this... I was disappointed. The entire Half-Blood Prince storyline was basically written out, and would have been done completely if it weren't the title of the book... But more so, this film fails utterly and completely to set up the storyline of the seventh book... He knows there are seven horcruxes, but he isn't even aware of Voldemort's obsession with Hogwarts... He doesn't know that he got his hand on the cup... And they tossed out the chance to sneak in the Diadem for extra Harry/Ginny time... I mean, they could address this, but it seems more likely they'll insist to go directly into the film assuming viewers have read the books, just like every single other film has done.

I still think, though, that with two more films to be made it's better they've done it this way, because I'm positive they'll fit all the Voldemort memory stuff, the origins and horcruxes, into the next film, and do it MUCH better than they could've by trying to fit it into this one. There wasn't much you could've cut out of the final nearly-3-hour film in order to make room for that stuff without seriously cutting back on characterization, which is part of what made this one feel very compelling to me.

Sigh... I suppose I'll have my books for the 15-20 years before they attempt a proper, concise, and uniformly executed adaptation.

I've felt this way for several films now so I've made peace with it. The films are a bonus. We're lucky they're a bonus that have actually taken on their own lives to the extent that they have, and are filled with so much imagination. 50% of the fun and magic of the film series for me is just seeing the whole cast of kids grow up, because it's a cinematic first(six direct sequels with the same giant ensemble cast, especially kids).

But I doubt the Potter books will ever work fully as films because what they really are are years. For me, anyway, reading each book is like living a year of one's life, with all the seasons and small victories, random subplots and character collisions and emotions. A film has to have a set atmosphere and tone the whole way through or it usually becomes too episodic. The film Azkaban, for example, was completely macabre, while the book was filled with some of the cheeriest moments of the series, like the Quidditch Cup. A year can have all the moods it likes.

I hope that someday we get a more complete live-action adaptation of the books, but not as films. As a high-budget Seven-Season TV series, 13 episodes apiece.

Until then I love the films for their atmosphere, cast, and imagination. It's always a pleasure to return to their world because of that.

As for all the talk of taking out Bill/Fleur's wedding... I read recently that all of that's in Film Seven. They've cast a Bill Weasley, and its actually the son of the guy who plays Mad-Eye...

Here's a Pic:

That's pretty incredibly close to how I picture him. Glad to see it.

 

[Jaggyd]

I still think Potter would be better served as an animated series.

 

[Lynx]

I hope that someday we get a more complete live-action adaptation of the books, but not as films. As a high-budget Seven-Season TV series, 13 episodes apiece.

See, this is what I'd love to see. I'm glad they're doing this with A Song of Ice and Fire precisely for the reasons you stated.

 

[DARKKNIGHT]

Finally saw this today. It was pretty good. Definitely one of the best of the Harry Potter movies. I'm not going to go over all the changes they made from the books because 1.) I haven't read the books in awhile and can't remember and 2.) I think people make too much out of the changes they make from the book. For some reason I didn't find Harry quite as annoying this movie. I did think they could have done away with some of the teenage hormone stuff. It feels like we've been beaten over the head with it the past few films. It's like, "Yeah, they're really horny. We get it. Can we move on now?" While I've never been a huge HP fan, as i said this was a pretty good movie and one of the best of the series.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

So glad I saw this in the comfort of my own bed and not the theater. It's long. And kinda boring. And entertaining. All at the same time.


Having never read the books (and never will because I don't have the patience) I really look forward to each film so I can see how the story will turn out. I can't say that this is the worst of the series.....and I can't say that this is the best of the series either. It kinda just sits there. Aside from the first film, which was magical (no pun intended......or was it? ) the only other film of the series that I enjoy watching on a regular basis is Goblet of Fire.

But hey....it is what it is.


I'm still kinda disappointed that the final story is gonna be broken up into 2 films. The idea of having to wait even longer for the ending of the story is just stupid. But from what I hear, since the final book covers so much, if in order to preserve the true essence of the book and transfer over best it needs 2 films----then so be it.

 

[Random]

I'm still kinda disappointed that the final story is gonna be broken up into 2 films. The idea of having to wait even longer for the ending of the story is just stupid. But from what I hear, since the final book covers so much, if in order to preserve the true essence of the book and transfer over best it needs 2 films----then so be it.

They both will be within a year of each other

 

[Victor Von Doom]

Bah.

It's still a cocktease.



Much like the wait between the last 2 Matrix or Kill Bill.