Half-Blood Prince

[dragonyphoenix]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: A review, well more like random thoughts, combining notes from the movie and the novel

• So right at the beginning there are all these photos being taken of Harry and Dumbledore and I'm straining to think why. For some reason my brain jumped back two books to the TriWizard Tournament. It took me a moment to realize they were coming out of the Ministry of Magic just after Sirius' death. If I'd started the novel first, I wouldn't have had that problem because the novel does a better job of anchoring into the timeline.




• I think it was Ron who said this: “Hogwarts. Dumbledore. What could be safer?” Really? After all the almost dying you've done, you really believe that?




• I had a hard time watching the scene where Harry was about to be caught on the train by Draco.




• When Narcissia and Bellatrix visit Snape, is this the first scene that does not include Harry?




• Hermione, rejected, attacking Ron with the birds (when he stumbles in with that Lavender girl) rather parallels Snape attacking Lily by calling her a mudblood.




• Felix Felicis: Of course Malfoy wants a lucky day. I'm actually rather surprised the vial wasn't stolen.




• Riddle's mother staggers into an orphanage, gives birth, and dies. Why, Riddle is Oliver Twist. I'm not sure what the little scamps would be singing in that musical.




• Voldemort when asking for the teaching position from Dumbledore: “I have experience. I have pushed the boundaries of magic.” Sounds like Snape with his modifications of potions and creating his own spells.




• In the movie, I wish they'd show the scene with Fleur at the Burrow over Christmas ragging on Mrs. Weasley's taste in music.




• Toward the end of the novel, I cried.

And look how many credits there are before we see a female name, other than Rowling's:

1. Directed by David Yates




2. Screenplay by Steve Kloves




3. Produced by David Heyman




4. Also produced by David Barron




5. Executive Producer: Lionel Wigram




6. Director of Photography Bruno dedBonnel




7. Production Designer: Stuart Craig




8. Edited by Mark Day




9. Co-producer John Trehy




10. Score composed by Nicholas Hooper




11. Visual Effects Supervisor: Tim Burke




12. Costume Designer (FINALLY!): Jany Temime

Comments

[snogged.livejournal.com]

The film version of Half-Blood Prince is my least favorite of the whole series. Something about it just bugs me.

I do like seeing the conflict that Draco has to go through when he's torn between loyalties. I thought Tom Felton did a great job with that.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he did make that work.