“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” movie review

By curiousillusion ( July 15, 2009 at 6:30 pm) · Filed under media, , ,

[As always, my reviews are 100% spoiler-free!]

Today the movie “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” came out and, well, there’s just something I love about seeing movies when they’re first released.  I don’t really like having to wait until weeks after the movie has already come out, or even days… I’d rather see it straight away.  So off I went this morning.

Now I will say that I am a big fan of the Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies.  I had wanted to reread Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince before seeing the movie but unfortunately it is packed away in my storage unit and I never got around to getting it out.  So therefore, I’m afraid I can’t really compare the movie to the book… although I did spend some time looking online to find the differences, after I got back from seeing the movie.

All in all, I thought the movie was really well done.  I thought it was an accurate depiction of the book, from what I can recall.  It was a very dark movie, but considering the storyline, it had to be dark.  Felt very moody too, and definitely sad at points – the climax of the movie made me tear up, even though I knew what was coming.  There were several light moments that made me and the audience laugh, and of course there were those “romantic” scenes every once in a while, which I found somewhat annoying at times.  It slowed down the action, but then again I think it was like that in the books too.

Now, to nitpick a bit: for a movie called “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, the “half-blood prince” part of the title didn’t play as big of a role as I think it should have.  I believe it was more important in the book and here it seemed like it was almost an after thought. But I guess that’s what happens when you have such a big book to condense into a small movie. Well not small, the movie was 2 and a half hours and I felt it… I found myself checking my watch a few times, but not *too* often.

So all in all, I would have to say I really enjoyed the movie.  I probably would watch it again, and I’d like to own it on DVD someday – I don’t own any of the DVDs anymore but I’d like to get the whole set eventually.  If you haven’t seen the last movie (and don’t read the books), you might want to watch it because they don’t really set up the characters or what already happened anymore, they assume that you know all about what’s going on and if you don’t, you’ll be lost.  Reading the books would probably help, there were a few instances where I found myself referring back to the book in order for an explanation that was otherwise not given… but I don’t think it’s necessary to read the book before watching the movie.

Has anyone else seen this movie yet?  Have any additional thoughts?  Or… are you going to see it?  Hmm… what other questions can I ask?  :)

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  • Hello there! I learned about you from my dear friend Ariana, who just discovered your blog today. ^_^ Nice name, huh?

    I too think The Half-Blood Prince should've played a more significant role. I know there has to be that mystery and all, but I believe the book would have allowed delving into his character a wee bit more.

    Nice to meet you!
    .-= Heather Rose´s last blog ..Shuffle =-.
  • So nice to meet you, thanks for coming over! And yup, great name!
  • I saw it. And I was "kidnapped" into seeing it. I haven't read the books (tried, but just couldn't get into them!) and I have only seen the first movie.

    So, I was a bit confused. There were some characters where I don't think they said their names, so I had no clue who these people were!

    But I still had fun.
    .-= Jessica´s last blog ..Chocolate Turnovers-From Hershey's =-.
  • Oh yeah, I can definitely see where you would be confused! you should go back and see the rest of the movies!
  • I'm glad you went yesterday! Was it full with little kids or was it relatively kid-free cause all the kids are at day camps and field tripping to the rink where I work? Hahah.

    Mike asked me if I wanted to go to the midnight showing but I knew I'd be way too tired after working out. I'll probably go this weekend when I'm not so sluggish haha
    .-= Heather´s last blog ..Something Had to Go My Way Today =-.
  • Actually the whole theater was pretty empty... but it was a pretty bad theater to begin with.
  • Good review - I went to see the film last night at the IMAX, we got the first sequence in 3D! Totally share your reservations at the way the "half blood prince" subplot was glossed over in the film - obviously it was less important than certain other things to the overall narrative arc, but it did kinda make a joke of the title and when we did get the "reveal" at the end it seemed like an afterthought.

    I liked the relationship stuff in this one. I don't like the way Rowling writes those scenes in the book, because they always come across as faintly embarassing - like your mum talking about periods, was how I described it to my sister last night. But the young actors gave great performances, and those scenes were so convincing and provided light relief from the darker scenes. Not one for the kids!
    .-= last year's girl´s last blog ..tramps like us, baby; =-.
  • Oooh I saw the last movie in 3D... not much of it was in 3D tho. Now the FIRST part of this movie had so much movement that I think in 3D would've made me sick!

    Definitely not one for the kids, you're right!
  • C-Towner
    I feel strangely left out when people talk about Harry Potter, as I have not read any of the books or seen a single movie. Everyone recommends them, though! I figure I will grab all the books and movies, and enjoy them all at once, no waiting at all.

    I do need to start reading a new series of books, my personal library isnt big enough yet, lol!
  • I really do like the Harry Potter series, and I always recommend them. I think that's a good idea, to wait til they're all done so you can enjoy them all at once!
  • Nicolle
    We're going to see it on Friday. Seeing the HP movies the day they came out was always something my sister & I did together. We would make a day of it. Since my sister no longer talks to me, I am having a hard time feeling the usual excitement I always did when the newest movie came out. Oh well. I have heard positive reviews of the movie so far from most people. You're the first person who has said it felt like a 2 1/2 hour movie. Everyone else said it flew by quick. One guy I follow on Twitter said he was disappointed they left out what he felt were 2 major scenes in the book. It's been so long since I read book 6 that I honestly don't remember every detail. I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part!!
  • Awww I'm sorry to hear that, about you and your sister... that must be hard. :(

    Well but I think I have ADD when it comes to movies and I can't sit still most of the time.. maybe you won't feel the length!
  • I really liked the movie too! I do however, think they need to quit putting cheesy last lines at the end of every movie, like:

    (Movie 5) "Everything's going to change isn't it?"
    "Yeah! It is."

    (Movie 6) "I never realized how beautiful this place is."

    Cheese cheese cheese! I could live without it! Other than that, yah, it was fabulous. I got to see the 12:01 showing and I always *love* the atmosphere in the theater. It's like everyone's friends. People were starting Taboo and UNO games at the front of the theater, and a security guard even came in and joined the UNO game. So silly!
    .-= Chelsea Steed´s last blog ..picturing the life aquatic: new london ledge light =-.
  • Ha ha, definite cheese, you're totally right! And omg that's so cool that you went to the midnight showing, I'm jealous. Sounds like a blast!
  • We were going to see it this afternoon, but we ended up going car shopping for my boyfriend instead. Kind of disappointed that we didn't see it, but the car thing was important too..
    .-= Ashley´s last blog ..Senior =-.
  • Yeah, you gotta do what ya gotta do!
  • Heather (with lime)
    I loved the movie! It was my favorite so far. I think the humorous bits were really well done. They had some good emotional scenes and far less awkward scenes than the previous movies (lol!). I think you're right though--they could've played up the Half-Blood Prince bit though. I think Draco got some really great scenes in there, as did Snape. And Jim Broadbent is wicked awesome!! I did tear up at the end too...cheesy as it was (not the very end...the Dumbledore bit). I'll def. be buying it on DVD!
  • Yeah Draco and Snape did get some good scenes! hmmm, I think I still like the first movie best - just being introduced to the world, seeing all the classes and watching them learning magic..
  • Lucy
    I cannot wait to see this! I keep hearing good things about it.
  • Eek, let me know what you think of it when you see it!
  • I cannot wait to see the movie. It isn't here in Korea yet but I'm excited. From what I remember I enjoyed the book and I dread the ending already. *sniffle
    .-= cognitivedistortion´s last blog ..Astrology =-.
  • Yeah the ending is... *sniffle*
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