Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

This will be my very first movie review ever, so here goes nothing!!

Since the beginning of the summer movie season, I've been going to the movies with a lot more frequency than previously because I finally have a couple of buddies that I go to the movies with finally. One of them will usually pop in MSN chat and ask if I want to go to see a movie with them. Sometimes we go some place to eat before the movie. I've been going to movies that usually I wouldn't have bothered to go by myself but I go for the good company. One of the movies that we went to see this summer was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.


Now, you must realize that I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since I last saw the last Harry Potter movie. You also must know that when the last book of the Harry Potter series was published, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I purchased it but also found myself unable to read it right away because I needed to read all the previous books in the series. So, about two years ago around this time of the year, I went about the task to checking out the Harry Potter book series from beginning to end. The books are fairly easy reads and I managed to get them all read in about a month's time. My favorite place to read was the Starbuck's across the street from where I live. Usually I would enjoy a nice hot chocolate and a slice of lemon loaf while perusing through the pages.

So, you can imagine when I read the Half-Blood Prince, all the shock that I went through when one of the major characters of the book series dies and all the ensuing that occurs at the end of the book. Yes!! It was definitely good read!! But, I was in deep shock when a major character died and I couldn't believe that J.K. Rowling would do that. So, that by the time I did get to read the last book of the series, all along I kept thinking that the character would return to life again...surely, he wasn't dead, but no, he remained very much dead.

So yes, I was expecting a lot from the movie version of the Half-Blood Prince. Oh, what a disappointment the movie was!! You must realize that for those of us who read the book, the movie was the worse one in the series. So many things were left out from the book and new things that didn't happen in the book were plugged in. You've probably seen the numerous Harry Potter websites protesting the sacrilege done to the movie. The thing is that I saw this movie twice with my movie buddies, the regular movie and the 3-D. I was disappointed in the 3-D movie since I didn't know beforehand that it would only be shown on 3-D for twenty minutes at the beginning of the movie. Had I known that, I would not have forked over the $ 14.00 to view it.

The movie (unlike the book) emphasized the teenage angst between Hermione, Ron, and Lavender, as well as, Harry and Ginny's blossoming romance (a romance which I never found believable in the book much less in the movie). What a waste of film!! The book emphasizes Lord Voldermort and his background but all the detail of that information was not included and it is pivotal in order to understand what happens on The Deathly Hallows. There was also a much greater mystery when it came to Harry's potions book and its previous owner the Half-Blood Prince, as well as, Malfoy's activities pertaining to his assigned mission by Lord Voldermort.

But, what cannot be forgiven, are the last scenes of the movie where a major character dies and a fierce battle at Hogwart's ensues (at least in the book). The movie again disappoints. The long awaited climax didn't happen and flopped like one big wet noodle.

What is scary is the fact that this same director will direct the two part Deathly Hallows movies. Please bring back Chris Columbus for the last movie of the series!! Please!! That is the only thing that will save the Harry Potter series movies.

Maybe the theatrical movie releases may not be the vest venue for the Harry Potter movies (though most of the movies have been very good and entertaining) but in order to do it proper justice to the books, maybe each of the Potter books would best be shown as a television miniseries.

My rating:



Below average

What is Carlos the Critic?

Carlos the Critic is my little piece of heaven where I review movies. I am an avid movie watcher and now I have an opportunity to share that love for movies with others. My love for movies began from the time I was very young but it certainly grew after my family moved to the U.S. when I was 14 years old. I loved all the old movies that I watched on TV especially the Abbott & Costello movies, numerous classic movies, and much more. Movies have certainly embedded itself into American culture.

I will review both old and new movies, as well as, recently released and those on DVD. Rankings will be from 1 to 5 with 1 being awful and 5 being excellent.

What will I consider in making that determination? Writing, directing, performances, cinematography, etc. Comments pertaining to appropriateness for family viewing will also be made.