Half-Blood Prince discussion

[cleolinda]

Aw, hell, why not. I'm still too tired to really articulate much, but I did go see it last night, and I did really like it. I'm going again tonight with my aunt, so that should help with the mental processing. The Made of Fail podcast might record next week, if not earlier, and we'll talk about it then; I probably don't need to discuss the movie in too much depth just because I want to save my thoughts for Something Of Which We Will Not Speak Unless You Just Want to Jinx It Utterly, Because These Things Have Gotten Kind of Hard for Me to Write Lately.

HBP is actually up there with POA as my favorite books of the series; I purposely didn't reread it so I wouldn't focus on the things they would have to leave out, because they do have to leave these things out; the movie's 153 minutes as it is. I'm pretty easygoing about these things, so while I thought of some odd omissions in retrospect ("I'm the Half-Blood Prince" doesn't actually tell the audience what the hell a half-blood prince is), at the time, I thought it worked as a movie. I mean, yes, I would have liked a shitload of Tom Riddle memory-flashbacks, but I'd also like a million dollars and a pony. We can't have it all.

The one problem I really had was with two scenes that were included, because YOU DID IT WRONG tends to bother me more than YOU DIDN'T DO IT AT ALL.* And "wrong" may be overstating the case here. But in both these two scenes, we have exactly the same problem: a moment full of energy and chaos is slooooowed down. The first is the Harry-Ginny kiss, which I loved in the book because it was like they just jumped each other, which (for some reason) just always seemed right to me, and now in the movie it's this really weird, slow, ponderous, almost creepy thing. Like, seriously: the kid's had a hard life. Let Harry have a joyous snog once in a while. They did the same thing in the last movie with the Cho kiss, where it was all slooooow and momentous and whatever, but--well: Cho. I liked Ginny bolting through fire like a moron after Harry in the Burrow scene, because that's so Ginny. Let me take you up to the Room of Requirement and be all weird and stealthy about it, that's not (IMO).

* Exception: they left out Dumbledore's line about not being afraid because he was with Harry. This may have been for the best, because I would have bawled if they had left it in.

The other scene with the same problem is Snape and the Death Eaters leaving the school, and it's not so bad--I guess it works on its own, but I loved how helter-skelter the whole thing was in the book. (I'm totally okay with the Death Eaters not actually getting in a big fight with the kids and Aurors, because that's basically the second half of Deathly Hallows anyway--kind of redundant. But when you remove that fight... you don't really have any reason for the Death Eaters to be there. I mean, Draco and Snape pretty much have the Dumbledeath covered between the two of them. But if you don't have the Death Eaters sneak in, you don't have anything to do with the Vanishing Cabinets at all, so you pretty much have nothing for Harry to notice him being suspicious about. So you have to have them sneak in. But now that they don't have anything to do... they're basically just there for moral support. And I don't know about you, but when I think "moral support," I totally think "Bellatrix LeStrange.")

So anyway, no one really noticed that the Death Eaters were there, so they can blow away a couple of security wizards and stroll on out, that's fine, but I loved in the book how there was all the running and the taunting and Harry losing his shit and trying to throw curses at Snape and Snape being all like BITCH, SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT, and in the movie, it's like, he knocks Harry over a couple of times while Bellatrix is toasting marshmallows around Hagrid's hut and then rolls on home to Voldemort. Oooookay. Maybe I'll like it better the second time I see it, I don't know.

And yeah, the movie is really, really funny--it's a nice mix of light and dark that keeps the movie from being too ponderous. Although you can totally tell that Kloves is back on script duty because suddenly there's multiple scenes about how Hermione is Harry's best friend omg and only they understand each other's lovelorn pain (although I did laugh SO HARD near the beginning when Dumbledore's all like, "So what's up with you and Granger? Icky like a sister, you say? Awesome, just wanted to twist the shipper knife a little before we get started with the actual plot") and Ron's all in the background like, "Remember that last movie, when I actually got to say things? Good times."

Anyway. I should probably save it for That Of Which We Do Not Speak. Cough.

Comments

[cjk1701.livejournal.com]

...what is that of which we do not speak?

Only watching the movie this weekend, so can't say anything constructive yet.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Look at the entry tags.

[chibimitch.livejournal.com]

"Something Of Which We Will Not Speak Unless You Just Want to Jinx It Utterly, Because These Things Have Gotten Kind of Hard for Me to Write Lately."
hmmm... Sounds good to me!

[dreamingenigma.livejournal.com]

I pretty much agree with your comments. I loved the movie, but some of the H/G stuff was just awkward (...you can attempt to read my completely inarticulate "review" for more, but you don't really need to) :P

[risti.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I'm still going WTF CHRISTMAS????

I'm going to go see the movie again, hopefully tonight - maybe I'll process that random addition then.

(also - I am - or was, when I was in the fandom - one of the few hardcore Percy Weasley fans. I was pretty resigned to the way they've written him out of the series, but seeing his appearance at Christmas replaced with a random scene that wasn't in canon AT ALL was just twisting the knife...)

[lucky-guess.livejournal.com]

I liked certain ways they combined/eliminated plot lines -- like solving the "Tonks as red herring/actually lovelorn" and "Luna and Neville get dropped like hot potatoes" by having Tonks and Remus as an obvious couple right from the start, and having Luna discover Harry on the train instead of Tonks. I fully endorse more Luna time!

I was also puzzled about the Death Eaters' sudden departure at the school, because in the book, it's much more violent and bloody -- Fenrir gnawing on Bill and all, Neville knocking himself out trying to get through the barrier, etc. -- but I guess they really didn't have enough time to introduce Bill in this movie with the Bill/Fleur storyline and all... but... they'll kind of have to have both of them in the next movies, because their wedding is such a vital scene in the book.

[aquidis.livejournal.com]

Roundabouts the bonus Burrow attack scene, I got this nagging feeling that the movie was all about giving Bellatrix more screentime. Which is...weird. And sits wrong with me, because it's not about Bellatrix, y'know?

I don't even know. I probably need to see it again.

[aranel13.livejournal.com]

"Exception: they left out Dumbledore's line about not being afraid because he was with Harry. This may have been for the best, because I would have bawled if they had left it in."

Wait, what? Wasn't that one of the taglines for movie promo?

[count-01.livejournal.com]

But this one doesn't even have ZOMG SID VICIOUS GOT LOOSE! to recommend it, given they (spoiler alert!) killed off Oldman in the last flick.

Not that I won't go and see it, but you know. Sidney.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh . . . *Bites tongue (and fingers)* Sorry. I Will Not Speak.

"I'd also like a million dollars and a pony."

There's a sparklepire somewhere around there who could set you up, at least with the second one. Sorry again. Couldn't resist. Yes, I'm in a weird mood.

[feisty-beden.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty much what you said. And that whole ... cornfield scene, did that happen in the book?

I thought the actual fetching of the false horcrux was pretty great and freaky, although the weird crystal structure of the stuff in the cave reminded me a little too much of the Fortress of Solitude, which made me giggle inappropriately.

I wish there were LOTS more snogging. I recall there was LOTS OF SNOGGING in the book, especially with Harry/Ginny and Hermione/Ron. I WAS PROMISED SNOGGING.

One connection I never quite got in the book or movie--the horcrux stuff, getting that information from Slughorn. Dumbledore's already destroyed the ring, and he knows Harry's destroyed the diary. And he knows pretty much immediately where to find the locket. So what did he need Slughorn's memory for? To know that there were seven? *confuzzled*

And ITA about the final battle thing with Snape. I mean, Harry's ready to throw down some Unforgivable Curse action! And the way Snape just deflects them, and, yeah, "Say it like you mean it." Yeah.

Anyway. I was prepared to weep a shit-ton (see avatar), but I was mostly dry-eyed until the O-Captain-My-Captain-esque moment in the courtyard with the wands. When McG did it, I was like, oh, this looks like she's raising a lighter at a concert, and I almost snickered, but then LUNA. And NEVILLE. And then WAH. (See avatar.)

I do feel cheated that we didn't get a funeral though.

Eh, I'll probably still watch it a few dozen more times though.

[shadwing.livejournal.com]

Actually...per the set reports the Wedding has been cut. It'll be refered to in passing or not mentioned at all, yeah wondering how they are gonna get around THAT one.

[girlandetc.livejournal.com]

Very much in agreement here. I actually really loved all the Harry/Ginny stuff, but I felt that the Ron/Lav kiss took the place of the H/G quidditch kiss, which was disappointing. Ginny is definitely more of the running-through-fire type. That said, she's also very .. solid. and very sure of Harry. So I wasn't totally taken aback by the Room of Req kiss, although it was a little weird.

I didn't like the end, I felt like they totally neutered the whole "Fight back, you coward!" scene. This whole movie really removed a lot of Harry's suspicion towards Snape and Draco, just due to them not showing the trio plotting and talking about it so much. It felt ... tired, like Harry used to hate Snape so now he still does, vs having a legit reason for it. I would have liked to see more of that, more reasoning, and more exposition on the RoR - they didn't explain at all it was for "lost" things, which was unnecessary but helpful information - and Snape's relationship with Draco. I guess there is time for that in DH, where we find out so much more about Snape.

Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love HBP the book, but I think this is a good example of the film being an interpretation - if they had been true to the book it could have made four movies probably. I liked it and I'll see it again but ultimately I'll just go back and read the book again :)

[kauricat.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if this is why the last book will be split into two films.

[keeps3.livejournal.com]

I figured that's why they attacked the Burrow in this film --no wedding in the next.

[triplethreat310.livejournal.com]

Can we also talk about the Elder Wand? Like, I don't mean to be all OMG I AM THE BIGGEST HP FAN EVER THEY DON'T FOLLOW THE BOOKS AHHHHHHHHHHHHH but it was just sitting there. In the headmaster's office. Chillin'. ARGH.

And the whole Horcruxes stuff. "Oh BTW Harry, Voldemort probably has 7 Horcruxes. Let's go maybe get one! Oh j/k, brb dying. Leaving you with even fewer clues than I left you in the books." Geesh.

But other than that and a few nitpicky things (I agree with you on the Harry/Ginny kiss), I thought it was pretty good. Tom Felton was great. And Michael Gambon blew me away.

[risti.livejournal.com]

This. Totally. They made a pretty good "HBP Movie", but it wasn't my HBP. I actually had the same issue with OotP...

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

We do not speak of it.

[shadwing.livejournal.com]

The way I read that, was two fold.

One- To confirm what Dumbledore already knew and who told Riddle about it. Better to have confirmation then going off on a hunch and it turns out to be the wrong one.

Two- More obvious, to let the Reader know. Better to 'show' via the various Riddle Flashbacks then to have Dumbledore do a series of infodumps, let Harry figure things out about Riddle/Voldermort on his own more or less, via observation

[wumbawoman.livejournal.com]

Kloves waves the flag Harmony eh? Never thought about that before.

Poor Ron. Back to being a Fozzy Bear impersonator.

Beginning and End....

[keeps3.livejournal.com]

My two problems with the movie were the beginning & the end. The beginning seemed very herky jerky. I get that they needed to streamline, but what's Harry doing hanging out in a tube station? And more to the point, what's a tube station doing in Little Whinging?

Then, the end. Um, awkward. What was the last line? "I didn't realize how pretty it was here" or something? And then Ron comes over. and end....scene. It reminded me of the ending to HP4 when the last thing was like, Hermione making them promise to write, and Harry was like, "right! every day (yeah right....)" It's like they couldn't figure out how to end either film.

[kauricat.livejournal.com]

OMG that is rotten! Why would they do that??

Hrmpfh. Well, crap; I just thought of my own reason. Because Radcliffe would have to be either incredibly made up for the whole thing or be replaced by someone completely different for the whole scene.

[triplethreat310.livejournal.com]

You're right! I totally forgot that Harry does have a legit reason to hate Snape in this book - it's when he finds out that Snape was the one who overheard the prophecy and told Voldemort! Wooooww. That was kind of a big thing to cut out...

[melusina-snake.livejournal.com]

I really liked the movie, but the ending bothered me. It seemed rather... anti-climatic. Like you said, taking out the fight meant that the Death Eaters had no purpose being there. Also, I found the fact that Movie!Harry just kinda stood there and did nothing as Snape killed Dumbledore was rather absurd. O.o The only reason Book!Harry didn't do anything was because Dumbledore immobilises Harry when they come back. Movie!Harry can move just fine, but decided to listen to Snape, who he has never once trusted, and just sit and watch? Seemed out of character to me.

[ailaes.livejournal.com]

I think my biggest issue was the kiss. WHAT WAS THAT??? OMG!

...I'm still not sure what to think of it, they left out one of my favorite parts [U No Poo], and though to battle at the end was epic in the book, I think it does border on repetitiveness for the next movie[s]. I'll have to see it again to form a more coherent opinion [and hide again when Aragog is in the picture, I'm deathly arachnophobic].

I've also decided I'm dressing as Bella for the next one. Yes, I am a nerd, shaddup.