Saturday, April 25, 2020

Read the book first

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceMovie Review

Dark and moody.

I watched the movie last night for the first time. And I am glad I read the book first. Movies that require more than 100 percent attention to connect all the dots are not my favorite. If I had not read the book, there would have been mystery, which is good, but would I understand it in the end?

For instance:

  • Malfoy in the Room of Requirement and Harry staring at a blank wall would have confounded me if not for the book.
  • The vanishing closets, I suppose, might have made sense in the end. But I'm not convinced.
OK, so only two things come to mind the day after. But it only takes a couple things to distract you into not knowing what is going on. I've never been one to work at figuring out what's going to happen. Just spoon feed me. Movie watching shouldn't be like homework.

That said, I did like some parts for sure.

The Quidditch was good, but why not the final match? Would much rather have seen Ginny and Harry come together in that moment than in the Room of Requirement.

I know the burning of The Burrow was not in the book, but I get it. It was a simple way to show the Death Eaters' terrorism.

The penseive scenes were good. And Slughorn finally giving in to Harry at Hagrid's was a good scene. The Slughorn character was well played.

Hermione's feelings for Ron were much more open in the movie than in the book. But they have to be in a visual medium unless her thoughts are narrated. 

I'm sure there are those who would have preferred Harry in the invisibility cloak during the Dumbledore death scene. But you wouldn't see Harry's face. So I get why the scene was constructed that way.

What did I miss?
  • A little more struggle to reach the locket. Seemed too easy.
  • As I mentioned above, the last Quidditch match.
  • The fighting that happened before Dumbledore was killed.
I have read Chapter 1 of "The Deathly Hallows." That will be my next post.


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