Half-Blood Prince Movie Reviews v.2

[KlausBaudelaire]

Originally Posted by yoshi2542

I think it was alright, Klaus. Yeah, they wasted the astronomy instruments, there was still too much cutting about and I think they didn't get the clouds in the background right, but there were a lot of different shots in there.

What irks me about that scene is the editing, it's very very very odd.
One second Dumbledore is saying:'Draco you are no assassin...' and the other 'Draco let me help you!'
Draco replies:'No, I've been chosen,[...] there's the Vanishing Cabinet...' then cut to Dumbledore 'Oh ingenious the vanishing cabinets! Years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices, Draco let me help you (again)'
Draco replies:'No, I've been chosen (again!)'
Then Bella pops up and appears very surprised 'Oh look who's here!'
Seriously! What was going on when they edited together this scene? they skip from a line to another with no sense and connection!
For a moment it looks like that Dumbledore is genuinely scared of Draco.
That's what contributes to the epic failure of the film's climax.

[Noldus]

Originally Posted by KlausBaudelaire

What irks me about that scene is the editing, it's very very very odd.
One second Dumbledore is saying:'Draco you are no assassin...' and the other 'Draco let me help you!'
Draco replies:'No, I've been chosen,[...] there's the Vanishing Cabinet...' then cut to Dumbledore 'Oh ingenious the vanishing cabinets! Years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices, Draco let me help you (again)'
Draco replies:'No, I've been chosen (again!)'
Then Bella pops up and appears very surprised 'Oh look who's here!'
Seriously! What was going on when they edited together this scene? they skip from a line to another with no sense and connection!
For a moment it looks like that Dumbledore is genuinely scared of Draco.
That's what contributes to the epic failure of the film's climax.

Try to search after Dumbledore's death on youtube. I think you'll find out he doesn't repeat his lines. It isn't the editor's fault, but the writer's that it jumps from Draco talking about the vanishing cabinet to Dumbledore's "Draco, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you!" Then Draco: "I don't want your help! Don't you understand? I have to do this. I have to kill you or he is going to kill me."
I don't think he seemed scared of Draco. He felt sorry for him and seemed surprised that he had brought death eaters into the school

Originally Posted by MasterOfDeath

Actually the track 'the book' is taken directly note by note from a OOTP deleted scene: extended Umbridge interrogation of Trelawny. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhoVpGQdiSg

I loved the soundtrack as a whole, but this reprise was kinda cheap, I have to admit...

Ha, I knew Proud Now I remember the name of the track: "Umbridge spoils a beautiful morning".

[KlausBaudelaire]

Someone (I can't find the specific post sorry) mentioned that Bruno Delbonnel loves close-ups, so it's not all on Yates.
I watched a hundred times both Amelie and A Very Long Engagement and I can tell you that the opposite is true.
I so wish Jeunet directed HBP, not Yates!

[lilyfairy6]

I'm sort of between b and c, but if I have to choose, I'd give it a b. I was pretty disappointed that there were few, close to none, wand fights and dueling. Also they didn't focus on the Harry/Ginny relationship as much as I thought they would.

[snapes_witch]

I rated the movie 'E' shortly after viewing it, but after time has passed I'm more inclined to give it an 'F'. This is the first HP movie that I have not seen multiple times in the first run cinema.

You would be correct to assume that my primary concern in a HP movie is the treatment of Severus Snape. It amazes me that Steve Kloves would rave about how much he enjoys writing for Alan Rickman, and then watch movie after movie where he departs from book!Snape and reduces the character to nearly a cameo role. Oh well, only two more movies . . .

[FirstOne617]

I had to give it a B (by the poll scale, not overall grade). I saw 3 times, and it was still as entertaining every time. It was a very good adaptation, despite the additions and omissions that will inevitably occur. What diehards should remember is that filmmakers need to market to more people than just us. It can be tough, but you have to disassociate yourself from the book somewhat in order to really enjoy the movie.

That being said, though, the Burrow scene just really got me. I probably would have given this movie an A, the first time that would have ever happened, if the Burrow scene was not put into the movie. I understand the point that they were trying to get across, that nowhere was safe anymore, not even Harry's favorite home, yadda yadda, but...I feel that they sacrificed too much to have that put into the movie. I know what I said above about dissociation, but the novel was so character-driven that it really missed a crucial point when they put in the Burrow scene instead of, say, Pensieve scenes.

My second issue is the lack of characterization they put into Voldemort. He's my favorite literary villain, and that's because he's more than evil. He's human, much as he tries not to be. In the movie, however, young Tom Riddle was less a handsome orphan fearful of death than Damien from The Omen slipping in unnoticed. What Rowling did was dilute Voldemort's evil in the book. What Kloves did was reinforce it. Tom Riddle just looks and talks like he's one evil son of a gun. How could they not tell he was evil?

My third, less important issue is Slughorn. People have said that Jim Broadbent did a great job in his role and he did. The problem was that his role was the doddery old fool looking for someone to tell stories to, a companion of sorts. I didn't get that from the novel Slughorn. I got more of a "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" vibe, someone less clingy and more of a forceful personality. A minor gripe, at best.

Now that all the gripes are gone, time for the positives. I enjoyed this movie immensely, as stated in my first paragraph. It was funny and dark and emotional and easy to get drawn into. The scenes between Hermione and Ron were funny (The Three Broomsticks) or heart-wrenching (Quidditch party) and I don't generally get emotionally involved. I'm a 17-year-old guy, for crying out loud. The effects were great, and this movie didn't drag like the last one did, despite it being 15 minutes longer. That's because it was generally more entertaining. It's hard to break down exactly why it was so enjoyable.

On to something else that I've seen in the posts here. I think people are confusing sexual tension for romantic tension. Sexual tension implies that there are issues with the actual act of reproduction, while romantic tension is more of the teenage "I like her, but she's going out with someone else" deal that we got.

[Noldus]

Originally Posted by KlausBaudelaire

Someone (I can't find the specific post sorry) mentioned that Bruno Delbonnel loves close-ups, so it's not all on Yates.
I watched a hundred times both Amelie and A Very Long Engagement and I can tell you that the opposite is true.
I so wish Jeunet directed HBP, not Yates!

That was probably me I think you got me wrong. Sorry about that! Yates praised the cinematography and said there were used some extreme close-ups, not that Delbonnel loved them.

David Yates also gives high praise to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, the Director of Photography on the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, remarking on his work in the movie: "The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes...It's very layered, incredibly rich."

Source:
http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/t/...d-held-cameras

[missjanepotter]

I give the movie a B+ to me it was very good actually, I haven´t read all the reviews, but I really liked the movie, I though it was great, it had everything I wanted to see, Harry and Draco on the train, Slug´s party, especially the quidditch , the flaws that I saw wore in the end, because Dumby died and it didn´t seem to me that anyone really care that much, because we didn´t see a reaction from the teachers or the other students, yes they cried, but I thought it needed some words too

and also , I was expecting a very dramatic Harry in the end, like in the book, breaking up with Ginny and saying that he´s not coming back, instead , after all that happend, Harry seems super cool and easy...what? really?

and Harry saying " the locked it´s fake" like it didn´t really matter, I wanted to slap him and say: hey wake up!!

[AldeberanBlack]

I'll give it a B.

The movie was good, but it was too visually dark. It greatly missed the Voldemort/Gaunt flashback scenes from the book.

On the plus side, adding Helena Bonham Carter to scenes where Bellatrix didn't appear in the book was a masterstroke. The attack on the Burrow was also a very good addition.

[JoAdams]

I loved the Astronomy Tower scene. The editing was fine. Perfectly fine, IMO. Everything was beautiful. The set, the cinematography, the landscapes, the ambient music and especially the terrific performances. Rickman, Felton and Gambon were outstanding. Carter gave her usual sinister Bellatrix performance as well. It was extremely intense, poetic and emotional. Definitely the best scene of the series, IMO.
The Cave and Spinner's End are the next sequences that were masterpieces as well.

[Hermaryne]

Originally Posted by JoAdams

The Cave and Spinner's End are the next sequences that were masterpieces as well.

I'm probably alone on the board for feeling this way, but I thought the interior cave set was second rate. It seemed like I was taken back to 70s era Superman with all those crystals. Stuart Craig did such a beautiful job with the rest of the sets, that I don't understand what happened with this one. They might have at least made the crystals looked worn in and part of a natural environment, instead they looked plonked onto a soundstage. The boat was cool, but too obviously a set piece, and the shell cup did not seem appropriate for Voldemort. Beyond that, I felt the cinematography was poor here (unlike the rest of the movie). Why are underground scenes always lit this way? I'd prefer something more like Pan's Labyrinth-- more browns and dark earthy colors to convey a sinister mood.

Fortunately Michael Gambon's work was stellar, and brought me back emotionally.

[yoshi2542]

I agree with you to a degree Hermaryne. The set was definitely a little too Fortress of Solitude-ish, and the clam thing just looked absurd. Personally I was imagining something a lot more claustrophobic, with Harry and Dumbledore literally struggling not to disturb the water, having to almost feel their way through the entrance before entering the larger chamber. It just seemed way too easy to get to the horcrux in the film. I don't think the idea of some crystalline elements was a bad idea, but I think they should have just had them around the island. It would have been cool if the horcrux had kind of twisted them as well, given them a more angular shape and maybe changed the colour. I imagined a cluster of stalactites clustered around the pedestal, with the outer ones brightly coloured and regular shaped, and the more central ones blackened and warped, looking as if they're reaching for the locket. Basically I think that if they wanted to use crystals in the set they should have done something more with them. It just didn't look right the way they did it.

[KlausBaudelaire]

Yes the cave set was really like a luna park and I don't want it shown again in DH, when Voldy goes to check the locketcrux.
I don't want to see that lame studio set again.

[Hermaryne]

Guess I'm not the only one then

Originally Posted by yoshi2542

It would have been cool if the horcrux had kind of twisted them as well, given them a more angular shape and maybe changed the colour. I imagined a cluster of stalactites clustered around the pedestal, with the outer ones brightly coloured and regular shaped, and the more central ones blackened and warped, looking as if they're reaching for the locket.

This would've been perfect As it was, those crystals looked totally random to me, and more like big chunks of plexiglass than anything natural. It wouldn't have taken much for the art department to do as you described, and effectively conveyed a sense of menace. I get the impression that Stuart Craig is more comfortable with buildings and man made structures rather than natural environments. If so, certain scenes in DH may suffer.

[Tonks_Animagus]

I think I liked that movie better than the others. The special effects were great, it had lot of humor , and was generally enjoyable ^^

[DarkLord7]

Oh yeah, those crystals looked so ridicules. They didn't look natural at all. Also, It would have been better if the inferi varied a little more. They all looked exactly the same. But, then again, I hated the entire movie, so why should I like that part? The best part of the book? The scene that was supposed to be totally awesome? The one where Dumbledore says that amazing "I am with you" line? You know, the line they removed? One of the best quotes in the book?

[Hermaryne]

So I just checked Stuart Craig's bio on IMDB, and turns out he worked on 1978 Superman. Well that explains the cave/Fortress of Solitude/Planet Krypton thing. I had no idea!

[madbouthp]

Originally Posted by AldeberanBlack

The attack on the Burrow was also a very good addition.

Really? I was so confused! I remember my friend and I looking at each other and saying the exact same thing: "That was not in the book."
I don't see why they added a made-up scene when they could of added something more important, that actually had something to do with the plot. It was a good scene, but I just don't see the relevance of it in the film.

[yoshi2542]

Originally Posted by Hermaryne

So I just checked Stuart Craig's bio on IMDB, and turns out he worked on 1978 Superman. Well that explains the cave/Fortress of Solitude/Planet Krypton thing. I had no idea!

Hey, you're right! I guess that explains the similarities. He's actually been production designer on some decent films, The Elephant Man, Ghandi, The English Patient, I didn't know he'd been around for that long.

Originally Posted by madbouthp

It was a good scene, but I just don't see the relevance of it in the film.

Nor did Yates apparently. You'd think Harry's best friends house being razed by Death Eaters would have merited just the tiniest of acknowledgments in the scenes that followed. It's quite mind boggling how Yates managed to botch the atmosphere so completely.

[NumberEight]

Originally Posted by yoshi2542

You'd think Harry's best friends house being razed by Death Eaters would have merited just the tiniest of acknowledgments in the scenes that followed. It's quite mind boggling how Yates managed to botch the atmosphere so completely.

That actually happens. Hermione mentions it when she's holding a newspaper and walking with Harry, if I recall correctly.