Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Grading and Discussion
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That's the thing, though. You CAN'T judge these movies based on the books. You have to look at them on their own merits, as if you don't even know the real backstory.
I haven't read the books. I don't know the backstory. And I'm completely fine with the way the movies are telling the story.
Like I said - to each their own. I regard the books and movies as pretty much separate entities at this point anyway. I enjoy the movies for what they are, and I've enjoyed them a great deal...but I won't deny that I prefer the books. If others prefer the movies that's perfectly okay.
I reserve the right to find it kinda odd that you want the movies "judged" on their merits, while dismissing as "lame" a major plot point that was omitted from the movie (and gave the movie its title) - and without the context of the books - though.
I reserve the right to find it kinda odd that you want the movies "judged" on their merits, while dismissing as "lame" a major plot point that was omitted from the movie (and gave the movie its title) - and without the context of the books - though.
Oh, the lack of explanation for the Half-Blood Prince is probably my biggest criticism of the film, but I also find the book explanation really dumb. Like...ooh, Snape was an angsty half-breed and gave himself a nickname. Who gives a shit?Like I said - to each their own. I regard the books and movies as pretty much separate entities at this point anyway. I enjoy the movies for what they are, and I've enjoyed them a great deal...but I won't deny that I prefer the books. If others prefer the movies that's perfectly okay.
I reserve the right to find it kinda odd that you want the movies "judged" on their merits, while dismissing as "lame" a major plot point that was omitted from the movie (and gave the movie its title) - and without the context of the books - though.
I would have preferred an explanation, but not that one.
The name itself is not really all that important. It's that through reading the Potions book and all it's annotations, Harry grows to respect and admire the HBP. Then Harry discovers what Sectumsempra, a spell the HBP created, actually does and he wonders what kind of person the HBP was. Finally, Snape, who Harry has grown to distrust and hate even more as the story goes on, culminating in the murder of Dumbledore, reveals himself to be Harry's former hero.
JKR was basically calling this book Harry Potter and Snape. Pretty fitting.
JKR was basically calling this book Harry Potter and Snape. Pretty fitting.
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I saw Half-Blood Prince with my best friend and my brother's 12-year-old twins. We all agreed it was bad.
They should have called it "Harry Potter and the Teenage Angst."
Either the screen adaptation was poorly done or they hired an idiot to edit the film.
It's been quite a while since I read the HBP, but I could have sworn there was a lot more going on involving Draco, Voldemort, Snape and the Deatheaters. That's where the meat of the story was.
And how could they leave out Dumbledore's funeral?! It was the most heartbreaking scene in the book!
This is one Harry Potter DVD I won't be wasting any money on.
They should have called it "Harry Potter and the Teenage Angst."
Either the screen adaptation was poorly done or they hired an idiot to edit the film.
It's been quite a while since I read the HBP, but I could have sworn there was a lot more going on involving Draco, Voldemort, Snape and the Deatheaters. That's where the meat of the story was.
And how could they leave out Dumbledore's funeral?! It was the most heartbreaking scene in the book!
This is one Harry Potter DVD I won't be wasting any money on.
Just saw it. Liked it but it did drag a bit, something I don't remember feeling about any of the prior movies. Dumbledore's death was shocking to me. I had no Idea. And Snape...ack!
I've never read the books and I do have a question or two for fans who know. But please no future spoilers.
At the end of the movie after Harry and Dumbledore return from the lake, why does Dumbledore request Harry summon Snape and no one else? Does Dumbledore not know that Snape is the Dark Lord's boy? Did I misremember the scene?
Why are Voldamort's henchmen and women called "Deatheaters". And what is a "Deatheater"?
Please no future spoilers. Just give it an "all will be revealed".
Thanks.
I've never read the books and I do have a question or two for fans who know. But please no future spoilers.
At the end of the movie after Harry and Dumbledore return from the lake, why does Dumbledore request Harry summon Snape and no one else? Does Dumbledore not know that Snape is the Dark Lord's boy? Did I misremember the scene?
Why are Voldamort's henchmen and women called "Deatheaters". And what is a "Deatheater"?
Please no future spoilers. Just give it an "all will be revealed".
Thanks.
For anyone interested in such things, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince took in an estimated $30 million over the weekend, coming in second (!) at the domestic box office, behind new release G-Force but ahead of the other two films that opened on Friday, The Ugly Truth and Orphan, which placed third and fourth respectively. I'm not surprised it beat out those movies, both of which played at over a thousand fewer theatres than HP, but I must admit I didn't really expect G-Force to emerge victorious over Harry (and if anyone's curious, G-Force had over 600 fewer locations than HP did this weekend).
Nevertheless, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince certainly hasn't failed at the box office -- far from it. Its domestic total now stands at about $221,834,000 (making it the fifth highest-grossing film in North America of 2009 thus far), and its foreign estimates are placed at $405,300,000. This puts its global total at about $627,134,000, making it the third highest-grossing film worldwide of the year, behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
I believe HP & THBP will be opening on more IMAX screens as of Wednesday, and I will be interested to see if that gives it any kind of boost.
Nevertheless, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince certainly hasn't failed at the box office -- far from it. Its domestic total now stands at about $221,834,000 (making it the fifth highest-grossing film in North America of 2009 thus far), and its foreign estimates are placed at $405,300,000. This puts its global total at about $627,134,000, making it the third highest-grossing film worldwide of the year, behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
I believe HP & THBP will be opening on more IMAX screens as of Wednesday, and I will be interested to see if that gives it any kind of boost.
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It isn't unfortunately possible to answer that question without future spoilers. As you say, 'all will be revealed'.
That won't be revealed
It just sounded cool to Rowling. Tbh, it sounds cool to me, too.
No reason given, AFAIK. I think JKR just liked it. Certainly better than the name she originally had for them, The Knights of Walpurgis.
Dumbledore knew Snape has been working for Voldemort because he was doing it on Dumbledore's orders, to act as a double agent. But Snape explained to Bellatrix early on in HBP that he was actually a triple agent working for Voldemort. Any doubts anyone had were put to rest when he killed Dumbledore.
Why Dumbledore wanted Snape specifically though is a big spoiler to be left for Deathly Hallows.
The best answer, that isn't a spoiler, is something that the book does a better job of establishing:
In the film, you see Dumbledore's "dead hand." The book explains that Dumbledore's ailment is a result of the ring you see in the film (the one he puts alongside Tom Riddle's destroyed diary). The book further explains that Dumbledore was cursed as a result of destroying the ring and has been receiving potions from Snape to attempt to counteract against the curse.
The other non-spoiler element to calling for Snape is that Dumbledore had just drank a whole lot of poison -- and needed an antidote.
Both are reasons for Dumbledore calling Snape that were revealed in the HBP book, but not clearly articulated in the film.
I finally got to see it & I enjoyed it, but I could have done with less of the teen romance stuff & more Snape backstory...
I also have to mention, one of the the things Ive enjoyed about the last few films in this series is the cinematography. I love the- I dont know what you call it- icy bleakness? of it all. And the scenery, the long rolling hills & foggy skies, is always gorgeous. Where is this stuff filmed?
wow I totally disagree, I could sense the conflict in his face(its subtle but there). Also Rickman just looked stunning in this one.
I also have to mention, one of the the things Ive enjoyed about the last few films in this series is the cinematography. I love the- I dont know what you call it- icy bleakness? of it all. And the scenery, the long rolling hills & foggy skies, is always gorgeous. Where is this stuff filmed?
RobertScorpio
Pariah
I agree..some of the perfomances seemed to be 'phone' in by the vets. But I liked the kids.
Rob
wow I totally disagree, I could sense the conflict in his face(its subtle but there). Also Rickman just looked stunning in this one.
I also have to mention, one of the the things Ive enjoyed about the last few films in this series is the cinematography. I love the- I dont know what you call it- icy bleakness? of it all. And the scenery, the long rolling hills & foggy skies, is always gorgeous. Where is this stuff filmed?
I disagree about that Rickman comment, too. For me, the acting was ALL in the eyes in HBP. I have never seen as much amazing eye-acting as Rickman in HBP. Never.
And I do believe that beginning with Cuaron, they have been trying to film a majority of their stuff in Scotland, where Hogwarts is purported to be (there is no canon saying it outright, but the fact that the Hogwarts Express travels north and takes a whole day to get there... yeah, it's pretty much assumed it's in Scotland).
Joy
Just got back from this one and gave it a "Dumbledore." I think I enjoyed this movie the most of HP movies even though of course I have gripes. Personally, I think it was much better than Azkaban, which I think was the worst of the movies- but I loved the book of POA so much that even the best made movie would fall short. I can't honestly understand the people who haven't read the books. *L*
Thoughts on the movie
-First, it should have been called "Harry Potter and the Mysterious Potions Book" they totally left out anything of interest about the Half-Blood Prince. Granted it wasn't the main thing going on in the HBP either but by the time Snape says "I was the Half-Blood Prince!" who cares? They didn't even give a hint at why he would call himself the Half-Blood Prince. It makes me worried about how he is going to be done in the next movies.
-The kids seemed like they were much more actors in this movie. I was impressed by all of them.
-Harry's going with the flow of the luck potion and his reactions
-I loved the style used in filming. The cinematography? I liked Dumbledore meeting Riddle in the orphanage and how it was filmed
-Also I was glad that there wasn't an opportunity to have some monster in it and make it look silly/fakish (I'm looking at you Sorceror's Stone)
-Luna- she is underused- these movies need a good extra hour in them or be made as a huge miniseries instead of a movie format.
-Snape/Rickman- he does so much with a look and has Snape's subtleness but at the same time I wish he'd also do some of Snape's over-the-topness. He isn't give the opportunity to in this movie though- wish they'd at least done a DADA class and the ending with him and Harry is just so subdued. When it came out I thought this book had the most exciting climax yet it doesn't show in the way it was filmed.
Michael Gambon is my favorite Dumbledore- yet again I thought the scenes with him and Harry on the island were so subdued. The scenes were so much more powerful in the book and so wrenching and painful when Harry was making him drink the potion. I missed "I am not worried, I am with you Harry." Kloves does have a talent at cutting the best lines it seems. (Surprised he didn't give it to Hermione- he sure tried to cut Ron out of the final scenes- what is up with Ron sitting way back away from Harry and Hermione on the balcony!?)
-Totally impressed with Tom Felton- I think he did his best performance in this one. Never before had I felt like I wanted to know more about what was going on with Draco, moreso even than in the books. I would have liked to seen more of him.
I could go on more but while I think this movie was the best of them filmed at the same time it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. Maybe because I remember how I felt after finishing the HBP- I couldn't wait for the last book. I don't get any feeling of excitement from how the movie ended. Maybe it is because of the lack of Snape in the movies as compared to in the books. I wouldn't really care too much about the movie Snape or why he did the things he did.
Those of you who haven't read the books- what do you think about the ending of the movie? I didn't find the island scene or Dumbledore's death and Snape's role in it all that compelling. Am I just jaded because the books did it so much better?
Thoughts on the movie
-First, it should have been called "Harry Potter and the Mysterious Potions Book" they totally left out anything of interest about the Half-Blood Prince. Granted it wasn't the main thing going on in the HBP either but by the time Snape says "I was the Half-Blood Prince!" who cares? They didn't even give a hint at why he would call himself the Half-Blood Prince. It makes me worried about how he is going to be done in the next movies.
-The kids seemed like they were much more actors in this movie. I was impressed by all of them.
-Harry's going with the flow of the luck potion and his reactions
-I loved the style used in filming. The cinematography? I liked Dumbledore meeting Riddle in the orphanage and how it was filmed
-Also I was glad that there wasn't an opportunity to have some monster in it and make it look silly/fakish (I'm looking at you Sorceror's Stone)
-Luna- she is underused- these movies need a good extra hour in them or be made as a huge miniseries instead of a movie format.
-Snape/Rickman- he does so much with a look and has Snape's subtleness but at the same time I wish he'd also do some of Snape's over-the-topness. He isn't give the opportunity to in this movie though- wish they'd at least done a DADA class and the ending with him and Harry is just so subdued. When it came out I thought this book had the most exciting climax yet it doesn't show in the way it was filmed.
Michael Gambon is my favorite Dumbledore- yet again I thought the scenes with him and Harry on the island were so subdued. The scenes were so much more powerful in the book and so wrenching and painful when Harry was making him drink the potion. I missed "I am not worried, I am with you Harry." Kloves does have a talent at cutting the best lines it seems. (Surprised he didn't give it to Hermione- he sure tried to cut Ron out of the final scenes- what is up with Ron sitting way back away from Harry and Hermione on the balcony!?)
-Totally impressed with Tom Felton- I think he did his best performance in this one. Never before had I felt like I wanted to know more about what was going on with Draco, moreso even than in the books. I would have liked to seen more of him.
I could go on more but while I think this movie was the best of them filmed at the same time it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. Maybe because I remember how I felt after finishing the HBP- I couldn't wait for the last book. I don't get any feeling of excitement from how the movie ended. Maybe it is because of the lack of Snape in the movies as compared to in the books. I wouldn't really care too much about the movie Snape or why he did the things he did.
Those of you who haven't read the books- what do you think about the ending of the movie? I didn't find the island scene or Dumbledore's death and Snape's role in it all that compelling. Am I just jaded because the books did it so much better?
Perhaps the filmmakers don't like Ron or at least don't take him too seriously, and there's something of a point to that-he was immature nearly the whole film, how can he drop that and become a supportive equal at the end?
this was the first film where I actually felt bad for Draco.
also, what happend to Cho? I felt bad for her too(in OOTP.) Wasnt her fault she was drugged into revealing their hiding pace.
also, what happend to Cho? I felt bad for her too(in OOTP.) Wasnt her fault she was drugged into revealing their hiding pace.
The trouble is that Cho has used up her dramatic importance for a while with the ending of OotP. She's not remotely important to HBP, book or film, and as this film was keen on establishing Harry/Ginny, it seemed Cho was cut completely.
Watching HBP today, for the third time, I think I might have figured out about Ron in the end, from a cinematic point, at least.
Ron's the tallest of the bunch. In the very last shot, of the three of them looking out on the grounds and watching Fawkes, Ron is standing a bit back from the other two. In doing so, it cuts down his height, and so the shot, to me, looks a bit more balanced than if he'd been standing close and towering over the other two.
Just a thought I had when seeing it today...
And I can't remember if I mentioned it here or not, but Rickman's face during Dumbledore's little speech about the "keen sting of love" in the infirmary.... PRICELESS. His eyebrows ascend, and the corners of his mouth droop in a way that makes it seem he's exaggerating his facial emotions in order to hide that he's about to burst into laughter. I mean, I SWEAR he looks about ready to bust a gut!
Joy
Ron's the tallest of the bunch. In the very last shot, of the three of them looking out on the grounds and watching Fawkes, Ron is standing a bit back from the other two. In doing so, it cuts down his height, and so the shot, to me, looks a bit more balanced than if he'd been standing close and towering over the other two.
Just a thought I had when seeing it today...
And I can't remember if I mentioned it here or not, but Rickman's face during Dumbledore's little speech about the "keen sting of love" in the infirmary.... PRICELESS. His eyebrows ascend, and the corners of his mouth droop in a way that makes it seem he's exaggerating his facial emotions in order to hide that he's about to burst into laughter. I mean, I SWEAR he looks about ready to bust a gut!
Joy
I'm sorry- this was truly a rhetorical question. Steve Kloves is not Ron fan and it shows. Ron comes off a lot worse and seemingly useless in the movies. So, of course, he doesn't look like he could be an equal to Harry and Hermione. Just look back to Chamber of Secrets-Kloves has Hermione explain the whole "mudblood" slur instead of Ron- taking one of his big scenes. Kloves has Hermione impart a lot of the Wizarding World information which in the books Ron provides.
