SPOILER WARNING! If you’re like me, and your favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, then the latest movie will leave much to be desired. I’m not saying it was a bad movie or anything. In fact, my husband, who has never read any of the books, went to see it with me yesterday and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, after the last five movies staying so close to the books, The Half-Blood Prince fell a little flat, especially at the end.
My favorite parts of the book, of course, include Harry’s adventures and lessons with Dumbledore, Voldemort’s beginnings, the tension between Hermoine and Ron, and of course, the battle at the end of the book. However, in the movie, several scenes were added or changed, most notably, the burning of the Weasley’s home and the ridiculous flirtations between Harry and Ginny. The rest of the movie remained mostly true to the book, despite the many details taken out (which is understandable for a 600 page book).
Regardless of my complaints about the movie, I still laughed, cried, and gasped along with Harry and the other characters. Nonetheless, I was still disappointed at the end for two simple reasons. The original fight scene in which the Order of the Phoenix fights off the Death Eaters, was completely left out of the movie. Also, at the end of the book, Harry, hiding beneath his invisibility cloak, is frozen by Dumbledore so he won’t fight back. In the movie, Harry is simply frozen by his own fear and chooses not to act–which completely goes against his character and everything he stands for. Harry is known for charging ahead without thinking first, putting his own life at risk to protect his friends. He would never just stand there of his own resolve and watch as Snape and the Death Eaters destroy his greatest friend and role model. Ridiculous.
Had those two very important details stayed true to the book, I could have forgiven the burning of The Burrow and the cheezy scenes between Ginny and Harry, but as it stands, I can not absolve the wrongs that were done. So when reflecting back upon the movie, I am left to remember Ginny bending down in a bathrobe to tie Harry’s shoe as if he’s a toddler and hand-feeding him Christmas goodies, which does didn’t translate as sweet or romantic or even awkward on screen–just a bit ridiculous. Harry’s jealousy of Ginny’s boyfriends also doesn’t translate well, and Ginny’s attempts to make Harry jealous were nowhere to be found. Their kiss was sweet, but still wasn’t as good as after the Quiddich game in the book. So basically, I have a lot of complaints about this movie, all of which would have been overlooked if the ending had been done correctly, but unfortunately, it was mucked up beyond repair.
What did I like about The Half-Blood Prince? The scene in which Slughorn gets roaring drunk and finally gives Harry the memory Dumbledore needs is probably the best scene in the entire movie. Also, Malfoy’s character seems perfect for this movie, and the directors did a wonderful job translating Draco’s struggle with good and evil. Finally, the special effects are great, from the Quiddich match to the inferi, and you won’t be sorry you watched it on the big screen rather than waiting for video.
In short, going to see this movie is worth the eight bucks you’ll pay for tickets, but if you are a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, you will likely leave disappointed and somewhat empty, muttering about why the directors didn’t consult you first before making this movie.
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