A Film Review: The Half Blood Prince (From a Harry Potter Geek’s Perspective)

Yesterday I trekked to my local cinema to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, this time for purely analytical purposes (and not just because I’m a fucking loser Bella).  As a massive fan of the books I have been consistently disappointed in the films due to the amount that they leave out or change. 

Half Blood Prince (HBP) is my favourite book in the series (probably tied with Deathly Hallows) and once again I am dismayed at the amount of highly important details left out of this book.

• Where were the Dursleys?  And why was Harry wondering around Surrey on his own in the middle of the night without any protection after Voldemort’s return has just been witnessed and his Godfather killed? No Dumbledore lecturing Harry on his safety.  Don’t even get me started on him flirting with that waitress.
  
• Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes?  No indication of how they got the money to start this business was given.  But this is hardly the current directors fault when it was completely missed out of Goblet of Fire.
  
• Harry & Ginny’s relationship was all wrong.  Ron & Hermione’s argument was far too condensed.  But lovely scenes between Ron & Hermione.  Their awkwardness of their feelings is progressing nicely in the film and am looking forward to seeing how it goes in DH.
  
• The Burrow on fire.. BLUGH.  Totally unnecessary scene and the money would have been better spent on the MISSING Battle at Hogwarts.
  
• They missed out on an important pensieve memory.  Where was Riddle going to visit the Hezpiah Smith with Hufflepuff’s cup?  This is key for Harry to understand what the missing Horcruxes are!
  
• NO Battle of Hogwarts! No Bill Weasley getting mauled by Fenrir Greyback. No Fleur Delacaur.. how they are going to come around for the wedding in DH is beyond me. 
  
• The final scene. Um Why does Hermione ALWAYS hold the entire conversation and Ron is just sitting their saying NOTHING??  Golden Trio my ass. Think the director must be in love with Emma Watson.
  
• Snape is not in this movie often enough and I did think they made his allegiance a little obvious, however this might just be hindsight from now knowing the completed story.  I hope and pray that they stay true to The Prince’s Tale.  The killing scene, well it just wasn’t quite right.  Dumbledore looked too strong when he was supposed to be weak.  And why wasn’t harry frozen under his invisibility cloak? Also there was no plot development around the “Half Blood Prince” at all. Also was hanging out for “Don’t Call Me Coward!”

However after my whinge of key plot points once again being missed out, I do love this film.  It is by far my favourite film out of the series.  They got the cave scene spot on. The acting has improved leaps and bounds, especially in the trio.  Rupert Grint, he is turned into a very handsome and talented young actor, which looking back to PS/COS is unexpected, but maybe this is my ginger bias. 

And now the Long wait until November 2010 for Deathly Hallows: Part 1.