My Take on The Half-blood Prince

I'm fresh off viewing the latest Harry Potter flick, The Half-blood Prince. A very well done film and of course when it comes to adaptation, some things were right, others not. (At least from my perspective.) If you haven't read the books or want to keep adaptation surprises fresh, don't read further. If you haven't done so, read the books. Half the planet can't be wrong.

As with all of the Potter films, this one feels incredibly rushed to someone who has read the books. As a result, there are fine details or nuances I've built into scenes and characters that I miss on screen. HBP's trade mark is the teenage infatuation or puppy love moments. Snogging. Books convey thoughts and emotions with much more power and clarity, rather than trying to read an actor's face (Twilight a good example of this - too much of it). Likewise, Harry's anger, sense of loneliness and realizations of who he is are also hard to get out of Radcliffe, although I can't say an actor could do a finer job.

The opening sequences with the Death Eaters went well and I thought Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) turned in a wonderful performance. His work in the cave sequence was excellent. Most of that passage was exactly as I imagined it. Drinking all of the "Bitter Cup" in an act of sacrifice, was very powerful to me. Additionally, the Felix scene (perhaps my favorite in all the books), while impossible to replicate on screen worked well for me.

I can live with most of the modifications in this movie but the ending sequence didn't do justice. In the book, Dumbledore paralyzes Harry before he is killed. Harry has to watch Dumbledore die in a state of total helplessness. Much more effective than watching from below. Later a huge battle errupts in the castle between the DE's and the Order as well as some students. Severe harm is inflicted on many characters. In the film version, a few acts of vandalism occur, but the sudden violation of the Hogwarts safe haven and the devastation left in its wake seemed grossly understated in the film. The raising of the wands to abolish the dark mark seemed a reasonable substitute for the funeral.

Overall, I have mixed feelings. I really did enjoy the film, perhaps I just need time to digest this alternate idea of the story. If anything, this film has made me very happy that the 7th book will be split into two movies so adequate time can be given to the details, as I'm sure most fan will savor them. Until November 2010.