SPOILER!!! HBP REVIEW

[Child Of Midian]

            The title of HBP has hard time remaining relevant in the film
adaptation. Seems almost like an afterthought, in fact, if it wasn't based
on a book people would likely be scratching their  heads as to why the
entire "half blood prince" plot exist and it seems like there so much more
important things to be dealt with.

            As with the past two HP films, HBP suffers from massive
information cramming and short, quickly cut scenes that propel the film
forward while dizzying the viewer. This gave The Order of the Phoenix a
roller-coaster feel, it doesn't work quite as well with the less
action-filled story line of HBP. 

            From the beginning the viewer suddenly gets the impression he
Ginny is an important character where she was just background before. It
seems weird, having a fourth wheel and not nearly as naturally integrated as
in the book where Harry and Ginny are mostly separate from Harry, Ron and
Hermione. On the positive side, you get the genuine sense that these two are
in love, on the negative you have absolutely no idea why.

            The Hermione jealousy towards Ron and Pansy is also abrupt and
unlike Harry and Ginny, there's no scenes showing that they have an
attraction. 

            The focus of the plot is not the Half Blood Prince, but Harry
getting a memory from the returning Professor Slughorn, resolving a missing
piece of the puzzle as to how Voldemort has survived death. Slughorn taught
Tom Riddle and Riddle asked him about something called a Horcrux, but what
information Riddle got Slughorn gave is unknown to Dumbledore. Turns out
Horcruxes are the key to Voldemort being immortal, and that he likely
attempted to create seven, including the diary Harry already destroyed and a
ring whose destruction as caused severe damage to Dumbledore's hand.

            The story progresses with Ron taking over as quiditch keeper,
and professing his feelings for Hermione without realizing it. Draco Malfoy
is working on a cabinet in the room of requirement that will allow death
eaters to enter the castle, while he fails miserably at assassinating
Dumbledore. 

            Once again, there's pointless changes, like Luna not Tonks
finding Harry on the train under the cloak, petrified by Malfoy. This fails
because it shows the Order is not watching him like in the book, all the
adults are gone and Harry is truly alone. The scene explaining why Harry
knows a beazor will save Ron for poisoning is gone, yet Harry does it as
Slughorn sits down and watches the student slowly die on his floor rather
than try to help or get help. Also there is no rational for Harry simply
watching Dumbledore die. He KNOWS Snape made an unbreakable vow to help
Malfoy, yet when Snape tells him to stay put and do nothing he listens and
watches then feels guilty (as he could not in the book as Dumbledore
petrified him, both to protect him and to likely make sure he wouldn't feel
as if he could have done something. Then NO ONE challenges the death eaters
as they leave the castle. Some idiot decided that the battle at Hogwarts at
the end of the planed 5hr Deathly Hallows to be seen in a year and a half
means they can't fight four death eaters at the end of HBP. Instead they
attach the burrow half-way through, but Bill isn't there and doesn't get bit
leaving no way of gracefully having that part in DH. 

            The Funeral scene, apparently filmed but cut (Radcliff made a
specific reference to the scene and all the past characters being in it.)
really leaves a void of closure at the end of the film. 

            That's not to say the movie is terrible for all its flaws and
there are flaws that will leave both the film follower and the book-reader
scratching their heads, it packs a heavy emotional punch. During the attack
on the Weasley's Harry darts out through a circle of fire to get to
Bellatrix (remember this is weeks after Sirius's death) and Ginny literally
runs through the fire to go after him. Hermione does send the birds after
Ron, which was apparently not in the early screening, and the moments
between the Harry and Hermione as they watch Ron and Ginny pair up with
other people. 

            All in all it's an entertaining film with deep emotional
resonance, excellent effects, lots of Humor and excellent acting, but it's
like 20 pounds of story in a 10 pound bag. A better approach truly might
have been to trim these films to a simpler, less hurried, busy story and
film the extra for extended Blu-Ray release later. What we get instead is an
attempt to crowbar as much in as humanly possible and with an 8 month delay
one would have hoped the parts that don't work would have been realized by
someone and fixed. Either way this is what fans get, a deeper, genuine film
that falls short on logic in some places and feels like a highlight real.

 



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