Yesterday for my birthday (yet another year closer to 40) we went and saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This was one of my favorite books in the series, I think because it was bringing us closer and closer to the climax of the story and also the end of the story.
The book was packed with a lot of things, the fact that both Ron and Hermoine are prefects, Ron helps them win the house cup, all the relationships of Ginny, not to mention Harry and Dumbeldor always leaving the school. Then there was the huge battle that takes place at Hogwarts at the end of the book, where a lot of really important things happen.
While I was watching the movie I really enjoyed it, it wasn’t as fast paced as the book, or the last two movies, and the major points of the book were there however there were a couple of things from the book that were left out that I (and those that saw it with me) thought really needed to be in the movie.
The end of the movie where Dumbledor dies, that whole scene was wrong. Only the dialogue was the same, and the battle that takes place in the great hall doesn’t happen. Also when Snape tells Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince he doesn’t explain how. Oh and at the beginning of the book, when Uncle Vernon is trying ot kick out Harry, and the howler from Dumbledor comes and tells them they promised and some other stuff (can’t remember off the top of my head and my HP books are all packed for the move), this explains a lot about why Harry has to live with them and why he can’t live with the Weasley’s.
The last three chapters of the book (from the point that Harry and Dumbledor leave to get the lst horcrux) are crucial to the next book. By cutting out a mojority of that from the movie, how are they going to be able to explain them in the next movie, because they can’t cut them from the movie or you lose a lot.
So overall I give this movie a 4 out of 5, it would have been a 5 if they hadn’t cut out some of the other crucial parts of the book.
I saw it on saturday. I felt the same. They could have used some dialogue, or at least explained more about some of those plot devises. It was good, and they really tried, but…..I hate that Ron is always such a doofus. He's got more oomph in the books. He should have gotten his "day" in this movie with the Prefect thing and the Quidditch cup. Anyhoo! We liked it.