Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this post if you haven't seen the movie!

Oh, where to start. I haven't seen the other movies, but I was excited to see book 6 on the big screen. I'm on audio book 5 of 7 and have been enjoying my annual HP review. Let's break the movie down into the good and bad:

Good:
1. Some really cool scenery. The trip on the train to Hogwarts shows some neat landscapes, as do some of the shots of the castle. I wish UNC was positioned near a lake like that! (I also wish I could use magic to do my experiments, but that's another post entirely.) The opening scene during the trip to the cave to find the horcrux was also really stunning (click images for bigger pictures).

2. Excellent casting. Luna Lovegood, played by Evanna Lynch, was perfect, as was Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, were also quite good, although they didn't get very much screen time in this particular film. I also loved Lavender Brown, although I thought there was WAY too much focus on her throughout the movie.

3. Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton. HOT. I would like the bad guy, of course. Although he's not really all THAT bad... After all, he can't bring himself to actually kill Dumbledore.

The bad:
1. What about the ring? I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY LEFT OUT THE RING. There, I got that out of my system. Yes, they showed it. Briefly. Not cool.

2. Lavender Brown. Since when did Ron's interest in Lavender become part of the main plot? And why is it not obvious in the movie that he only stays with Lavender to make Hermione jealous? The tone of the movie was entirely too light-hearted and almost missed the point entirely.

3. The half-blood prince is who? Oh, Snape? Who cares... Exactly. They might as well have left this part out completely. What about Harry's repeated attempts to corner Slughorn? Nevermind Harry's amazing potion skills that force Slughorn to see how important his memory is in the memory of Lily, his favorite potions student. The point of the who half-blood prince bit was completely glossed over. Cornering Slughorn seemed like an after thought. Awful.

4. Malfoy. What about Draco's desperation to get the vanishing cabinets to work? His promise to the Dark Lord? His fear? The bathroom scene covered this a bit, but a lot was left out.

5. Why are they always wearing muggle clothing? Jeans at Hogwarts? I think not.

6. Some really bad special effects. I was impressed all of the scenes involving fire. However, some of the Quiddich shots were pathetic. And Fawkes' Hogwarts flyover at the end of the movie couldn't have looked more computer-generated. Why put some much effort into some scenes and none into others? Frustrating.

Overall review: **

Don't bother going to see it. Or, at least wait until it comes out on DVD.