My review of HBP
So, I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night in Rutland. In short, the entire experience sucked. Well, that may be a little harsh, I mean, it was fun dressing up and celebrating Megan's birthday before hand, but everything from when we got in line to the end of the movie was bad.
First off, Rutland's movie theater did not handle the midnight premiere well. The entire place was a circus, and not in a good way. The people who were working that night were, for the most part, rude and disrespectful. also, the decided to assign theaters, and our group would of been split up if we hadn't managed to trade with some other people. Also, the reel broke part way through (though I'm startingn to expect that in Rutland at this point) and too a good 5 minutes to fix, and we missed like 30 seconds of a fairly big part (more on that later). However, the biggest disappointment of the night was the quality of the movie itself.
There are things that people tend to jump on reviews of movies based on books, especially popular books, about. First off, yes, I know that it is not going to be 100% accurate, and they are going to change some things. I am perectly ok with that. What I cannot excuse is a lack of important exposisition and plot, as well as being a poorly put together movie.
To avoid Spoilers, I will address specific examples in cuts, but I will give theo overview of my points in non-cut text.
First: Things that are changed, but have no effect on the plot/characters:
I really have no problems with these. In fact, I rather enjoyed most instances of these changes as they occured in this movie.
For example, the fact that it was Luna that found Harry in the train, rather than Tonks, or Bellatrix being one of the Death Eaters smuggled into Hogwarts. These changes have no real effect on the plot, and allow the audience to see some of the more important/fan favorite characters. However, I did not enjoy how Neville is becoming a house elf. Did the director just decide they don't exist or something?
Second: Things that are ommited, but not crucial to the (main) plot:
I had a bit of an issue with this, as in this movie, they basically cut out anything that served as exposistion. It isn't nessiarily needed, as most of the audience already read the books, but it should still be included to make the movie it's own seperate entity.
First there is the lack of the Dursleys. Why was it nessesary to cut them out? So Harry can awkwardly flirt with some random waitress in a cafe in an underground station, that's why. Then let's not even introduce the concept of non-verbal spells, or Inferi. And what about Bill and Fleur? Are they not going to be in the next movie? And who is this Greyback fellow, and why are we supposed to be afraid of him? He just looks like a unwashed wizard to me.
Third: Things change the plot in drastic ways:
This is one of the ones I had a big problem with. There are certain things in canon that should not be touched, even by a movie.
The biggest issue here is the attack on the Burrow. The Burrow is supposed to be safe. You know, mail checked by tyhe ministry, Aurors and OOTP memebers guarding, etc. That way, when the death eaters attack Bill and Fleur's wedding during the fall of the ministry, you know that serious shit has gone down. But Bellatrix and Greyback showing up randomly, drawing harry away, the burning (!?!) the Burrow down A) does not have the same impact, and B) did not serve to advance the plot or character development in any way. Especially when it is never mentioned again for the rest of the movie, and in fact, in the next scene, Ron, of all people, is laughing and happy with Lavender. Was it supposed to be a dream sequence? I almost felt like it, with the whole reprise of the "I killed Sirius Black" song. But if it was, why did they not end the scene as such?
Another point in which this happened, though smaller, is still significant. Dumbledore cannot apparate out of Hogwarts. The only time apparition happens in Hogwarts is in the appariton lessons taught by Ministry Officials. And in this specific instance, it is not just saving time to have them apparate out, it is loosing the imputus for action in Draco's character. How did he know Dumbledore was gone? Also, in the same line, why was it nessesary to smuggle the Death Eaters into Hogwarts? They didn't DO anything. They are supposed to cause a ruckus to make Dumbledore come running to the spot they chose to kill him, not stand around and be cheerleaders.
Ok, I lied up above when i said the biggest issue was the attack on the Burrow. Where was the ENTIRE FUCKING PLOT in this movie? Cause I certainly heard no mention of Harry having private lessons with Dumbledore to learn more about Tom Riddle and why the Horcruxes are what they are. They even say "the could be anything." No. Well, according to the laws of magic, yes, but according to the mind of Lord Voldemort, no. They had to be specific things to him that we magically powerful or historical, as well as being some sort of trophy to him. As we saw it, there was no reason for the locket to be a horcrux, and we have no idea what the other 3 remaining ones could be. Also, as a side effect of the lack of interaction between Harry and Dumbledore, I could not care less when Dumbledore finally died. I know that is a horrible thing to say, but the film did not cause me to care about his death. And honestly, it didn't seem like any of the characters in the movie cared horribly either. Why does it matter that Ron is ok with Harry dating Ginny? It is irrelevant at that point, Dumbledore is dead. Harry is not going back to school next year. Shit is going down. Why the fuck does that matter?
Finally: Things that just make it a bad movie.
This was my biggest issue with the film. It was not a cohesive movie in of its own. All the scenes were highly rushed, and i don't think there was a single scene over 7 minutes long. Additonlly, in relation to my third point, most of the scenes did not have any exposistion or imputus for action. It felt as if every single event was shown starting In medias res. Because they skipped over most of the set up, many of the actions felt random and un-founded.
In the cave, Harry made a show of being afraid to touch the water. Why? Dumbledore didn't say anything to him, and he didn't see any Inferi in the water, so what was his motivation for fear? Why did Ron eat the chocolate cauldrons laced with love potion? It's not like it was his birthday or anything, and he thought they were his. What we instead have, is Ron stealing Harry's treats, which i don't think his character would ever do. How did Harry think of going to Hagrid's? Felix only makes you lucky, it doesn't make you psycic. Harry had no idea Aragog was even ill. So why would he have thought of Hagrid's? And yet again, why does no one care that the Burrow has been burned down, and Ron and Ginny are now homeless?
All in all, i can in no way recomend anyone to see this movie. If you are a fan of the books, you will be outraged by the incredible getting it wrongness. If you have not read the books, you will not know what the hell is happening. If you are not a fan, when you would not enjoy it anyways.
2/10
First off, Rutland's movie theater did not handle the midnight premiere well. The entire place was a circus, and not in a good way. The people who were working that night were, for the most part, rude and disrespectful. also, the decided to assign theaters, and our group would of been split up if we hadn't managed to trade with some other people. Also, the reel broke part way through (though I'm startingn to expect that in Rutland at this point) and too a good 5 minutes to fix, and we missed like 30 seconds of a fairly big part (more on that later). However, the biggest disappointment of the night was the quality of the movie itself.
There are things that people tend to jump on reviews of movies based on books, especially popular books, about. First off, yes, I know that it is not going to be 100% accurate, and they are going to change some things. I am perectly ok with that. What I cannot excuse is a lack of important exposisition and plot, as well as being a poorly put together movie.
To avoid Spoilers, I will address specific examples in cuts, but I will give theo overview of my points in non-cut text.
First: Things that are changed, but have no effect on the plot/characters:
I really have no problems with these. In fact, I rather enjoyed most instances of these changes as they occured in this movie.
For example, the fact that it was Luna that found Harry in the train, rather than Tonks, or Bellatrix being one of the Death Eaters smuggled into Hogwarts. These changes have no real effect on the plot, and allow the audience to see some of the more important/fan favorite characters. However, I did not enjoy how Neville is becoming a house elf. Did the director just decide they don't exist or something?
Second: Things that are ommited, but not crucial to the (main) plot:
I had a bit of an issue with this, as in this movie, they basically cut out anything that served as exposistion. It isn't nessiarily needed, as most of the audience already read the books, but it should still be included to make the movie it's own seperate entity.
First there is the lack of the Dursleys. Why was it nessesary to cut them out? So Harry can awkwardly flirt with some random waitress in a cafe in an underground station, that's why. Then let's not even introduce the concept of non-verbal spells, or Inferi. And what about Bill and Fleur? Are they not going to be in the next movie? And who is this Greyback fellow, and why are we supposed to be afraid of him? He just looks like a unwashed wizard to me.
Third: Things change the plot in drastic ways:
This is one of the ones I had a big problem with. There are certain things in canon that should not be touched, even by a movie.
The biggest issue here is the attack on the Burrow. The Burrow is supposed to be safe. You know, mail checked by tyhe ministry, Aurors and OOTP memebers guarding, etc. That way, when the death eaters attack Bill and Fleur's wedding during the fall of the ministry, you know that serious shit has gone down. But Bellatrix and Greyback showing up randomly, drawing harry away, the burning (!?!) the Burrow down A) does not have the same impact, and B) did not serve to advance the plot or character development in any way. Especially when it is never mentioned again for the rest of the movie, and in fact, in the next scene, Ron, of all people, is laughing and happy with Lavender. Was it supposed to be a dream sequence? I almost felt like it, with the whole reprise of the "I killed Sirius Black" song. But if it was, why did they not end the scene as such?
Another point in which this happened, though smaller, is still significant. Dumbledore cannot apparate out of Hogwarts. The only time apparition happens in Hogwarts is in the appariton lessons taught by Ministry Officials. And in this specific instance, it is not just saving time to have them apparate out, it is loosing the imputus for action in Draco's character. How did he know Dumbledore was gone? Also, in the same line, why was it nessesary to smuggle the Death Eaters into Hogwarts? They didn't DO anything. They are supposed to cause a ruckus to make Dumbledore come running to the spot they chose to kill him, not stand around and be cheerleaders.
Ok, I lied up above when i said the biggest issue was the attack on the Burrow. Where was the ENTIRE FUCKING PLOT in this movie? Cause I certainly heard no mention of Harry having private lessons with Dumbledore to learn more about Tom Riddle and why the Horcruxes are what they are. They even say "the could be anything." No. Well, according to the laws of magic, yes, but according to the mind of Lord Voldemort, no. They had to be specific things to him that we magically powerful or historical, as well as being some sort of trophy to him. As we saw it, there was no reason for the locket to be a horcrux, and we have no idea what the other 3 remaining ones could be. Also, as a side effect of the lack of interaction between Harry and Dumbledore, I could not care less when Dumbledore finally died. I know that is a horrible thing to say, but the film did not cause me to care about his death. And honestly, it didn't seem like any of the characters in the movie cared horribly either. Why does it matter that Ron is ok with Harry dating Ginny? It is irrelevant at that point, Dumbledore is dead. Harry is not going back to school next year. Shit is going down. Why the fuck does that matter?
Finally: Things that just make it a bad movie.
This was my biggest issue with the film. It was not a cohesive movie in of its own. All the scenes were highly rushed, and i don't think there was a single scene over 7 minutes long. Additonlly, in relation to my third point, most of the scenes did not have any exposistion or imputus for action. It felt as if every single event was shown starting In medias res. Because they skipped over most of the set up, many of the actions felt random and un-founded.
In the cave, Harry made a show of being afraid to touch the water. Why? Dumbledore didn't say anything to him, and he didn't see any Inferi in the water, so what was his motivation for fear? Why did Ron eat the chocolate cauldrons laced with love potion? It's not like it was his birthday or anything, and he thought they were his. What we instead have, is Ron stealing Harry's treats, which i don't think his character would ever do. How did Harry think of going to Hagrid's? Felix only makes you lucky, it doesn't make you psycic. Harry had no idea Aragog was even ill. So why would he have thought of Hagrid's? And yet again, why does no one care that the Burrow has been burned down, and Ron and Ginny are now homeless?
All in all, i can in no way recomend anyone to see this movie. If you are a fan of the books, you will be outraged by the incredible getting it wrongness. If you have not read the books, you will not know what the hell is happening. If you are not a fan, when you would not enjoy it anyways.
2/10