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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, July 16, 2009
I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince today with my family. As most of you know, this is the sixth of the Harry Potter films. And as you might have heard, it is surely one of the better movies in the series.
I thought I’d share a few comments with you. I’ll be sufficiently vague so as to avoid serious spoilers.
Comment #1 – As always with the Harry Potter movies, The Half-Blood Prince is about one-fifth as entertaining, thought-provoking, clever, and moving as the book. I always find this a bit disappointing when I see a Harry Potter film, though I’m not faulting the screenwriters or the filmmakers. It’s simply impossible to capture the richness of J.K. Rowling’s writing in a movie with a realistic length. (This one is just longer than two and a half hours, as is.)
Comment #2 – The characterizations of and relationships among the three main figures (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) are outstanding. The parts are well-written, well-directed, and well-acted.
Comment #3 – Some guy named Mark Roberts was part of the Visual Effects and Animation crew for the movie. I was excited to see my name in the credits.
Comment #4 – The depiction of teen romance was over-the-top, but delightful and often hilarious. I laughed more in this Harry Potter film than in any of the others, I think.
Comment #5 – As you would expect, there are some fantastic special effects in this movie (thank, in part, to that Mark Roberts guy). But the effects did not overpower the movie.
Comment #6 – I sometimes wonder how anyone can follow a Harry Potter filme without having read the associated book first. I highly recommend that you don’t see this film until you have read the book.
Comment #7 – My biggest gripe, by far, with the Harry Potter movies is the depiction of Albus Dumbledore, especially the characterization of Dumbledore by Michael Gambon. I wish I could say that The Half-Blood Prince is different, but I can’t. Albus Dumbledore is one of the most delightful, fascinating, mysterious, funny, and loving of literary characters. But in the Potter movies, he comes across as relatively flat. This is too bad, especially given Dumbledore’s crucial role in The Half-Blood Prince. It’s too bad that we rarely taste Dumbledore’s sparkling wit or his deep, fatherly love for Harry. Rats!
Comment #8 – The Half-Blood Prince is a great set-up for the final Harry Potter movies. As you may know, the seventh book will be portrayed in two, count ‘em, two full-length films. The Half-Blood Prince wonderfully whets one’s appetite for what is still to come.
Comment #9 – I’d give The Half-Blood Prince four out of five stars. There are some great scenes in this movie, which is generally well-acted and well-filmed.
Topics: Movies |
20 Responses to “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
Comments
Thanks for your willingness to make a comment. Note: I do not moderate comments before they are posted, though they are automatically screened for profanities, spam, etc., and sometimes the screening program holds comments for moderation even though they're not offensive. I encourage open dialogue and serious disagreement, and am always willing to learn from my mistakes. I will not delete comments unless they are extraordinarily rude or irrelevant to the topic at hand. You do need to login in order to make a comment, because this cuts down on spam. You are free to use a nickname if you wish. Finally, I will eventually read all comments, but I don't have the time to respond to them on a consistent basis because I've got a few other demands on my time, like my "day job," my family, sleep, etc.
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July 16th, 2009 at 5:24 am
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July 16th, 2009 at 5:27 am
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July 16th, 2009 at 6:34 am
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July 16th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I wish i could see that movie but i havent seen it I heard it was good but some people said it was just a lovestory
July 16th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Hi there!
Thanks for providing me and many with the valuable piece of information. Tha Half Blood Prince has elevated our hopes to see a movie that is complete and perfect in every term. However, still I would like to see the movie myself and form my own opinion. After all, i can’t give negative marks to my favourite Harry Potter series!
July 16th, 2009 at 10:18 am
I really hope its a love story, i think it would make this movie better..
July 16th, 2009 at 10:55 am
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July 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I agree with you as I have also seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince. It was phenomenal. The cast’s acting gets better and better and this movie was one of the funnier ones in the series. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Expect humor, horror, and to be blown away. If Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince doesn’t win any awards I am going to be really angry.
July 16th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
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July 16th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I dont get these movie or the books…why are they so popular??? I just dont see it!!!!! WHY??
http://c-trainsentertainmentreviews.blogspot.com/
July 16th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I never read the book until after the movie is out. That way I enjoy the richness of the movie without comparing it to the book. As I know that the movie has limitations. BUT, I did read THE last chapter of the the LAST book, could not resist. I FORCE my kids, to not tell me about the “future”, so not to spoil the movie.
July 16th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I can’t wait to see it. I read all the books.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
As a big Harry Potter fan it was interesting to watch this new movie. It was definitely not my favorite of the Harry Potter movies, but it was still a fun event. It’s always difficult to think about how long it will be before the next one comes out!
aliciacrowder.com
July 16th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I agree with your review, mostly.
I took my two daughters, 10 & 11, and the 11 year old, tongue in her cheek told me how much better Twilight was (this is a huge laugh because the 11 year old, started reading the first book in the second grade and we’ve shared a potter bond since then) while the 10 year old was pretty darn upset that she hadn’t had a chance to read the book first. (This is her first year of really being into reading anything not having to do with horses….)
Once you mention it, I agree with you concerning Gambon. I like his Dumbledore, and yet, Dumbledore, and most of the characters are so much more than how they are portrayed in the movie version. I blame directors not brave enough to deliver 8 hour movies.
I think this movie in particular though, because of the way they emphasized the teen love aspects and minimized the half blood prince will ultimately be forgettable, or reduced to a 30 minute segment to advance the story regarding the horcrux. I didn’t mind the love story aspects, and I could tell my kids were just at the age where they kind of sort of not really understood them. But in terms of Potter as mystery or quest, this movie didn’t do a whole lot.
Now if I really knew anything about movies, I would ask about the colors used or the printing process or why the colors seemed so artificial, or reduced, or narrowed, or limited. Did anyone else see that and if so why, or do I maybe have a tumor?
July 16th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Thank for you willingness to make a comment.
beyond compare
July 17th, 2009 at 12:11 am
I am the great fan of Harry Potter,so how can I miss this movies,movies is really fantastic…here is some new adventures added too this film
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samrick
July 17th, 2009 at 1:17 am
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July 17th, 2009 at 1:17 am
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July 17th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I saw the new movie yesterday, and thought it was fantastic.
Might be my favorite among all 6, toss up with Prisoner of Azkaban. I loved that one.
I don’t know if I can wait until next November for the next movie. Seems so far away.
July 17th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
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