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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Discussion

leekohler said:
I've enjoyed all the movies, including this one. I just think they're all pretty much the same. And no- I have not read the books.
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I recommend them. They have far more detail than the movies and even though there is usually a set path that the book follows (by virtue of them progressing through their education) they are different enough. After all, basketball is just a game where you throw a round thing through a metal ring...

As for the 7th book (and the two movies) you're in for a pleasant surprise. It's not as formulaic.
 
Badandy said:
I recommend them. They have far more detail than the movies and even though there is usually a set path that the book follows (by virtue of them progressing through their education) they are different enough. After all, basketball is just a game where you throw a round thing through a metal ring...

As for the 7th book (and the two movies) you're in for a pleasant surprise. It's not as formulaic.
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I kind of got that from the end of this film. Those two will probably be my favorites.

Just an example, last night I was puzzled for a bit as to why Hermione was so mad at Ron. Then, I realized I had forgotten she had a thing for him. :eek:
 
leekohler said:
I kind of got that from the end of this film. Those two will probably be my favorites.

Just an example, last night I was puzzled for a bit as to why Hermione was so mad at Ron. Then, I realized I had forgotten she had a thing for him. :eek:
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I found myself mad at Ron during the movie. Emma Watson is so much hotter ;).
 
Possible Spoilers Below

I saw the movie on Saturday, but as with most movies based on a book, I found myself missing the details. They might as well have chopped some chapters entirely out of the book.

Not sure why they decided to add in a scene of The Burrow getting destroyed when it never happened in the book.

Disappointed they cut Bill and Fleur out of the movie long with Dobby and Kreacher.

And why not have Tonks rescue Harry from the Hogwarts Express like she did in the book?

Anyway ... enjoyable but lacking somehow.
 
The movie was better than the previous ones but I still didn't like some parts of it.

Like iGary mentioned, why did they have to burn the Burrow down? Instead of that, they could have added some actual important stuff from the book like how Snape just ddn't question Harry after he used septumsempra. And how Dumbledore didn't just freeze Harry.

The movie was good but it was frustrating at times when I see my favorite parts from the books taken away from the movie.
 
Watabou said:
Like iGary mentioned, why did they have to burn the Burrow down? Instead of that, they could have added some actual important stuff from the book like how Snape just ddn't question Harry after he used septumsempra.
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What do you mean? What was the general plot in the book after he used it (sectumsempra) on draco?
 
While not my favorite book, this was my favorite movie in the series. My fav book in the series was goblet.
 
jav6454 said:
Snape asks, where did he learn such dark magic. Harry of coarse read it from Prince's Potion lessons book (which was Snape's).
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In the movie it's implied that Snape knows that Harry has the half-blood prince's book (e.g. "that's right -- it's me!")

I have to read the book again. I watched the movie last night with pretty much no recollection of any of the events as they happened in the books (other than knowing Dumbledore's ultimate fate, anyway).
 
How they could have made this movie great (spoilers)

Saw it over the weekend...and while I felt the cinematography and effects were great, I felt the story was lacking a certain oompf.

I think the problem is that the director didn't know the true climax of his movie. While the memory collection / horux plotline is crucial to the series and especially to the next books, the climax of this book isn't so much Dumbledore's death as it is Snape's revelation at the end of the movie.

Having seen the movie with a friend that has only seen the movies and given that there has been two years between each movie, I think they really needed to reenforce Snape's perceived character.

In the last couple of movies, he's served mainly as a foil for Harry, but I felt that if they had 1) reenforced his perceived hatred of muggles and 2) had the gang spent a bit more time trying to discover the original owner of the book, then the final revelation could have been more of a "No Luke, I AM your father" type of moment.
 
TheAnswer said:
Saw it over the weekend...and while I felt the cinematography and effects were great, I felt the story was lacking a certain oompf.

I think the problem is that the director didn't know the true climax of his movie. While the memory collection / horux plotline is crucial to the series and especially to the next books, the climax of this book isn't so much Dumbledore's death as it is Snape's revelation at the end of the movie.

Having seen the movie with a friend that has only seen the movies and given that there has been two years between each movie, I think they really needed to reenforce Snape's perceived character.

In the last couple of movies, he's served mainly as a foil for Harry, but I felt that if they had 1) reenforced his perceived hatred of muggles and 2) had the gang spent a bit more time trying to discover the original owner of the book, then the final revelation could have been more of a "No Luke, I AM your father" type of moment.
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I agree. While I was shocked at the time about Dumbledore's fate, I remember finding out about Snape being the most jarring. I almost feel like re-reading the 7th book again even though I have about 20 books in front of it on my queue!
 
Badandy said:
What do you mean? What was the general plot in the book after he used it (sectumsempra) on draco?
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In the book, Snape recognizes the spell and confronts Harry. He eventually gives him detention and makes him miss the final Quidditch game. It doesn't have a lot of impact on the main plot, but it does mess with the characterizations a bit, and cutting the detention out cascades into a different Harry/Ginny climax, but the main plot is relatively unharmed.

However, in the book the finale is much, much different. The movie really let me down in how it handled the stuff from the cave onwards. And they cut a really important reveal about Snape...
 
One thing that I dont like is how everyone is like, "You're the chosen one...". If he's so great, then why can't he do anything....it's like he's just barely skims by on luck and the strength of his classmates. I can recall one or two scenes from past movies where it actually seems like he has some power, but we all know Hermione could issue a beat-down any time she wanted. What's the deal? Why does he come off as such a wus? The only thing thats grown is his arrogance....
 
node808 said:
One thing that I dont like is how everyone is like, "You're the chosen one...". If he's so great, then why can't he do anything....it's like he's just barely skims by on luck and the strength of his classmates. I can recall one or two scenes from past movies where it actually seems like he has some power, but we all know Hermione could issue a beat-down any time she wanted. What's the deal? Why does he come off as such a wus? The only thing thats grown is his arrogance....
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He's the chosen one, quite literally, because of the prophecy that was in Order of the Phoenix. Hermione knows much more magic than Harry, but it seems like Potter's pure heart and emotional intensity puts him a step above other people when he really needs it. How good he is at the patronus charm is pretty telling on how good of a wizard he is, I think. It's said to be a hard spell, but he learned it young.
 
I took the kids to see this yesterday. I typically find something of interest in these sort of movies, but this particular installment really lacked emotional pathos. I was completely unmoved at the end (I'll try to resist spoilers), for example, and all the kiddie love plots really were pretty shallow. In line with the sitcom level of most of the film, the cheap laughs were apropos.

The acting for the most part was very good, as usual (aside from Ron's girlfriend, who was just a caricature of a person). It was also very nice to look at.

Like node808, the clueless Harry Potter character is a little annoying. With him being "the chosen one," I can't help feeling a little like there are traces of an idea of privilege by birth that we are supposed to accept.
 
yojitani said:
Like node808, the clueless Harry Potter character is a little annoying. With him being "the chosen one," I can't help feeling a little like there are traces of an idea of privilege by birth that we are supposed to accept.
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I didn't get that impression at all. Most of it is that he's the one cursed to have to try and put things back together. Even Ron and Hermiony complain that he has a "hero thing" as a problem.

I had read several reviews before seeing it, and pretty much agreed with them. It was a lot of fun to watch, but some of the changes just didn't make any sense. I also felt like they left out some of the truly key points.
 
I really thought that this was one of the best movies in the series. Yes, i have read all the books (multiple times even), but i didn't mind what they skipped/added, although the scene at The Burrow was kind of silly.

Malfoy's character was great, very good acting.

And Emma was fabulous as always :D
 
The problem with movies based on books is that people who have read the book(s) are already biased before seeing the movie. When you have already read the book, you have a preconceived notion of what you'd like to see on the screen. You may even have imagined, visually, what everything would look like. That could ultimately lead to disappointment for many people.

As I've possibly already said in other threads or elsewhere, the best way to watch a movie based on a book is to pretend that the book doesn't exist and that you have no idea what is going to happen. If you can do that, I think the movie would be a much more satisfying experience. After all, a movie adaption isn't and cannot be a 1:1 adaption from book to film. The story and plot has to be altered to fit the time and audience confines and what makes sense for a feature film. Enjoy a movie on it's own (flaws or great points as they are) without the weight of comparing it to the book.

Some people mention the Burrow scene. I thought it was a great scene....and almost necessary to the plot. The reason being is that it reenforced the cruelty and dread of the death eaters. It showed what a destructive force they are and how nobody is safe, anywhere. How vulnerable everyone is and what a threat the death eaters are. Now, I will agree that Dumbledore's demise was a bit anti-climatic and not emotional enough. I would think that it would have been presented in more of a grandiose fashion.

Oh and since they're all legal now, I have to say that Ginny Weasley is by far the cutest of all the HP girls. Does anyone else have a favorite?
 
It was alright.


I don't understand splitting the last book up into two separate movies. They've already left out so much from the books, they might as well condense the last film like the previous adaptations.

If they're trying to include more details in the last film, it would be kind of useless since the previous films would've made no mention of them. For instance, if they include Dobby dying in the last movie(s) what for? He hasn't been seen in a couple movies so the audience won't connect those details.
 
node808 said:
One thing that I dont like is how everyone is like, "You're the chosen one...". If he's so great, then why can't he do anything....it's like he's just barely skims by on luck and the strength of his classmates. I can recall one or two scenes from past movies where it actually seems like he has some power, but we all know Hermione could issue a beat-down any time she wanted.
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No, she couldn't. At any time after the halfway point in PoA, Harry has the ability to win in a duel against Hermione.

Q: If Harry had a magic duel with Hermione, who would win ? (Doyle Srader, Nacogdoches, TX)
A: Very good question! Because until about halfway through Azkaban, Hermione would have won. But Harry - without anyone really noticing it - is becoming exceptionally good at Defence Against the Dark Arts. So that's the one area in which, almost instinctively, he is particularly talented. Apart from Quidditch.
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