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olivia_suttonHi all,
A bit calmer now than my last post. I just saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I liked it. Jim Broadbent was marvelous as Prof. Slughorn. It's great how many truly wonderful, older British actors are turning up in these movies. Helena Bottom-Carter (who first appeared in the previous film) really shines as the absolutely nuts Belatrix LaStrange.
More, with spoilers under the cut.
I knew going in how the movie was going to "end" and I expected it to be sad - but I found I didn't cry at the actual death of Dumbledore -- but when all the kids rose their wands and the light dispelled the darkness -- THEN I cried. That's what teaching is all about (or it should be) spreading the light of knowledge to the next generation. And I loved the light going up and destroying the Death Mark -- not only was it cool, again it was a visually stunning metaphor for goodness overcoming evil. And I don't mean that in a corny way, even though it kinda' sounds that way, if you know what I mean.
A lot of the movie was spent in the romantic entanglements of the characters - more so than I remembered from the book, but the movie also needed that lightness to balance what really was a dark story. I loved Ron and Hermione's romance (and even the other girl who develops a crush on Ron was handled really lightly. I don't remember it from the book, really, but its been a while since I read the book. Harry and Hermione's friendship in the movie was great. In fact, I love how the friendship's been handled in the movies and the three actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) are all marvelous! And Harry and Ginny's romance was also great! I was disappointed tho' that they cut Ginny's speech about "knowing what it was like to be entralled to Voldemort" because of her experience with Tom Riddle's diary. I think that was a big part of why she was able to convince Harry to give up the potion book -- and really the start of Harry realising his feelings for Ginny.
Finally, I was confused, totally by Snape's last line. I thought, for sure, that Tom Riddle, e.g. Voldemort, was the "Half-Blood Prince". How can they change such a major plot point? Or am I totally remembering the book wrong?
Anyway great movie -- bring tissues!
--Olivia
A bit calmer now than my last post. I just saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I liked it. Jim Broadbent was marvelous as Prof. Slughorn. It's great how many truly wonderful, older British actors are turning up in these movies. Helena Bottom-Carter (who first appeared in the previous film) really shines as the absolutely nuts Belatrix LaStrange.
More, with spoilers under the cut.
I knew going in how the movie was going to "end" and I expected it to be sad - but I found I didn't cry at the actual death of Dumbledore -- but when all the kids rose their wands and the light dispelled the darkness -- THEN I cried. That's what teaching is all about (or it should be) spreading the light of knowledge to the next generation. And I loved the light going up and destroying the Death Mark -- not only was it cool, again it was a visually stunning metaphor for goodness overcoming evil. And I don't mean that in a corny way, even though it kinda' sounds that way, if you know what I mean.
A lot of the movie was spent in the romantic entanglements of the characters - more so than I remembered from the book, but the movie also needed that lightness to balance what really was a dark story. I loved Ron and Hermione's romance (and even the other girl who develops a crush on Ron was handled really lightly. I don't remember it from the book, really, but its been a while since I read the book. Harry and Hermione's friendship in the movie was great. In fact, I love how the friendship's been handled in the movies and the three actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) are all marvelous! And Harry and Ginny's romance was also great! I was disappointed tho' that they cut Ginny's speech about "knowing what it was like to be entralled to Voldemort" because of her experience with Tom Riddle's diary. I think that was a big part of why she was able to convince Harry to give up the potion book -- and really the start of Harry realising his feelings for Ginny.
Finally, I was confused, totally by Snape's last line. I thought, for sure, that Tom Riddle, e.g. Voldemort, was the "Half-Blood Prince". How can they change such a major plot point? Or am I totally remembering the book wrong?
Anyway great movie -- bring tissues!
--Olivia
