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Film review: Another Harry Potter book turned into a mess
Image from Yahoo MoviesRon Weasley (Rupert Grint, left) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) meet at the breakfast table before a Gryffindor quidditch match in a scene from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the latest film in the Potter series.Published: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 - 11:23pm
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Released: July 15, 2009
A disappointing adaptation of an amazing book.
I DON'T KNOW why I even bother to watch the Harry Potter movies anymore.
After watching the last one ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") I vowed to never waste another $5 on the series again.
But contrary to my word, I found myself getting excited again this summer about the release of the sixth movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." I think it was that small glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, this movie would turn out better than the past five.
So, that's how I ended up in a theater in India, one hot summer day, paying 100 rupees for a ticket (a little more than $2).
For those of you who don't know what Harry Potter is (and have obviously been living under a rock for the last five years), it's the story of a teenage wizard who has to save the magical world from takeover by Voldemort, the evil villain who killed Harry's parents.
From the perspective of someone who has read (and loved) all the books in author J.K. Rowling's series, I thought this was the worst Harry Potter movie yet.
The film left out many crucial parts of the book that, to me, seemed incredibly important to the plot. For example, director David Yates left out many Pensieve memories, most of the drama that surrounds the book of the namesake "Half-Blood Prince," and the battle at the end of the story with the Death Eaters.
Instead, the movie focused more on the relationships between the characters. While this may have been funny and entertaining, it wasn't an important part of the book at all.
One of the most shocking moments in the movie was when the Death Eaters burned down the Burrow, the family home of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend. Unfortunately for the writers, the Burrow plays a key role in the next part of the series, which will now have to be replaced and will change the story even more.
Some people have told me that the movie was already too long, and adding all of this stuff would just have made it longer. But if they had just replaced the unnecessary scenes with those that were more important, the movie would have been the same length.
Actually, I got really bored by the end of the movie, and I had to fight to keep my eyes open. Maybe this had to do with the fact that it was only my third day in India and I was still jet-lagged, but I blame part of it on the movie. I woke up at the part where Harry almost gets killed by the Inferi, and only then because there was a loud sound.
I would suggest that if you have read and enjoyed the books, don't watch this movie. It will only make you really angry. If you haven't read the books … don't watch the movie either, but it probably won't make you as angry. To me, it just felt like filler. There really was no purpose to it other than setting up the next movie.
All I can say is that I hope they do a better job with the seventh film. If it turns out bad, too, then director Yates has basically failed at his job.
But hey, at least I saved $3 by watching it in India.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is currently playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" AT A GLANCE
- Starring: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
- Directed by: David Yates
- Written by: Steve Kloves, J.K Rowling
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
- Rated: PG
- Runtime: 153 min.
- Release date: July 15, 2009
- Summary (from IMDb): As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously, "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince," and he begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.
Comments
Revathi, Though I can
Revathi,
Though I can see you disappointment in the movie, I don't agree entirely with what you said. It seems to me that people either love this movie, or hate it. You're just part of the "hate" group. Yes there were really stupid scenes added (like the burning of the Burrow, which made NO sense and Harry flirting at the beginning of the movie) but I believe that J.K. Rowling, after writing such an intense and dark 5th book, wanted her next book to be more "positive" and more about the characters in Harry's life and how much they evolve. The 5th book was all about how depressed Harry was. The 6th book was a chance for the readers to take a little bit of time away from the darkness of Harry vs. Lord Voldemort and give them a chance to lighten up and enjoy the other characters.
The movie did a good job of highlighting the other cast members (RON!). Even though Tom Felton (Draco) had a few weird moments (like the freaky bird thing), we got to meet more people and see how even in the midst of all the confusion Lord V. is creating, they still were able to have their normal teenage moments. The movie had some really really funny moments (Ron in Love and Harry under the influence of the lucky potion was GENIUS) and seemed to be more like the 1st and 2nd movie, before all the annoying drama started.
So you may not think relationships were not the focus of the book and that the Harry vs. Lord V. was more important, but I was glad to finally take a break from all the war talk and get to enjoy the other characters growing up. Yeah they left out a ton of important things that are needed to understand the 7th (or rather 7th and 8th) movie, but the way I see it, we all know what happens anyway. I give it at least 3 (1/2) stars if not 4. After such a bad 5th movie, this was definitely a turnaround.
And Ron in Quidditch was
And Ron in Quidditch was great! Lavender was ridiculously overdone but still worked somehow. Emma Watson finally got to work on her freaky eyebrow thing. Her eyebrows didn't move around as much as the did in the last movie. Thank goodness. That's all I have to add.
I haven't even read this
I haven't even read this review, just the title, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I disagree. I thought this was the best movie out of the six so far, save for maybe the third one. I agree with Kahlilah.
I found the acting to be better, the dialogue to be better, the transitions were better. Once I got over the initial anger of missing scenes, I realized that not everything could go in and they did an extraordinary job with what they had.
To watch these movies, you've got to separate the books from the films and realize that these are a totally different thing. Every aspect of the books can't be conveyed in the movie, because it would just get too confusing and wouldn't make for a good movie.
I think you need to watch it again. The second time was when I really enjoyed it.
I'm with you Revathi. I
I'm with you Revathi. I don't think David Yates can tell a story very well, which is essential for the Harry Potter movies. It was like he slept through all the important classes in film school. I would argue that he doesn't know how to connect different storylines effectively.
I could make a better Harry Potter movie.
I agree with Kahlilah.
I liked the sixth movie! I do agree that it left out key parts of the book and added ridiculous extra scenes, but I enjoyed it far more than any of the first five movies. The previous Harry Potter movies have been dark, and they made it seem like Harry is dramatic every minute of his life. I've always found JK Rowling's sense of humor in the Harry Potter books hilarious, but few people notice because there are lots of other more pressing matters for them to focus on (what with Voldemort killing everyone and all). The sixth movie brought that out and it was actually FUNNY.
I agree with Nancy. It was
I agree with Nancy. It was probably the first HP movie that I either smirked or laughed. I can't wait till the next two movies.
I felt very dissappointed
I felt very dissappointed while watching the movie. Disappointed and riped off... As for the seventh movie, I can wait till that goes on DVD and check it out from the library.
I'm just confused
I wasn't really sure how I felt about this movie. In the moment I thought it was really well done and funny, but after about 5 minutes of the movie being over, I got really mad at it. I really hope that wasn't the intended result, but all I could think about were my favorite scenes which had been removed. I just can't really take a side in this.
In the moment it felt epic yet funny, but afterwards it felt dumbed down and removed of all the action and dark moments.
For instance, a detail I probably shouldn't have noticed, when Snape escapes Harry in the end of the book, he first tortures him painfully, giving more of a sense of mystery on which side he was on. In the movie, he just hits him with a stunning spell and then dramatically looks over his shoulder with sympathy and regret. It's as if to say "HINT HINT" "SNAPE MAY NOT BE AS EVIL AS HE SEEMS".
It was things like that that made it an odd experience for me
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