Read my full review at http://cfilmc.com/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince/

Thanks. I imagine if they’d gone in some odd direction with Iron Man that was way different from the comics I’d be saying a lot of the same things.

Vic

I tihnk the only way this film “works” is as a quirky, goth styled teen romcom – everything else around it is either alluded to and never followed up (the ring, Dumbledore’s hand), or handled so briefly that without book knowledge you’d be hardpressed to figure it out (Draco/Harry fight in the toilets, Harry’s confrontation with Snape after Dumbledore’s death).

Its a real shame since there’s so much good stuff in the book to draw from, there really is no need to invent scenes that make no sense even to lovers of the series.

I understand you review films, not books – its just alot of us Potter nuts are dissapointed it turned out the way it did Thanks for enduring the rants though

A film must be reviewed by itself. Then in a further analysis can be compared with the source material.

Even a fateful recreation on the screen of a good book can be an awful film.

Check out Watchmen.

No worries, I understand completely what it’s like to be passionate about either a book series or film. As I’ve said many times, I encourage debate and discussion as long as people are polite and civil about it. I’ve slipped up a time or two on my own rules myself, though.

@AJ

Sorry, for me, as a film it worked. And I’m not alone, check out these review aggregation sites where the reaction to the film was overwhelmingly positive:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince/

http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/harrypotter6

Vic

I do take issue with the Iron Man example. Plenty of people thought it was criminal that there were things that didn’t jive with the comics. Its far more difficult to make a movie match a series of comics that could be a thousand deep. This is why X-men has been so controversial, there are so many different versions its hard to make a movie or movies that stay true to all of them. Same for Iron Man. But with a book, one simple book that can only be interpreted a single way, it shouldn’t be asking too much for the writer and director to hold true to that. That’s my beef with the movie. I concede if the book never existed the movie would be okay. Since that isn’t the case, I just can’t endorse it. Again, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you Vic, but it bugs me to see this movie getting kudos from people who aren’t familiar with the books.

@Oscar! – does this mean we aren’t friends anymore? We started so well.

If you’re a fan of the books and the film doesn’t match up to the story I can understand your frustration with it. But as Oscar pointed out – reading a book is NOT (I repeat, NOT) a required pre-requisite to watching or reviewing a movie. A book is a work of art that stands on its own and a movie is also something meant to be judged as a work on its own, separate from the source material.

Here’s one for you – should you not be able to appreciate or think Iron Man was a good movie if you never read the comics? No – it stood or fell as a movie, on its own.

So do me a favor and disagree if you like, but keep words like “idiot” out of your comments or you’ll find them deleted.

Vic

I agree with wat u just said . U could enjoy parts of the movie – as a movie- but as an extension to HP series it was a disappoinment for most of us( a few exceptions @ oscar ) I just hope the last movie does not end up like this ! wen i think of all that the director needs to cover in the next ones – well i am going to keep my fingers crossed !