Half-Blood Prince (p)reviews

[Wrongway Janeway]

Both Mugglenet and Leaky Cauldron have (different) reviews of HBP's preview in Chicago this weekend. I'm pretty excited to hear ANY news at this point!

http://mugglenet.com/


http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/

Thoughts?

 

[Broccoli]

Different reports? A quick scan seemed like they both fanganismed over the movie.

 

[Wrongway Janeway]

The one at Mugglenet didn't go into as much detail but was positive in its review. It was also a lot more professionally written than the one at TLC. I was also rather impressed by this:

After the movie I introduced myself to David Heyman. Not only was he there, but so was Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros. And David Yates, the director, David Barnes the co-producer, and Mark Day the film editor! They all sat for a twenty minute “focus group” afterwards which I did not attend, and when they came out I spoke with them at length about the film...

Pretty cool.

The Leaky Cauldron's original post about the film (in one of the forums) was written by a girl who seemed to be upset about several things in the movie. She then wrote up the spoiler-filled review and later added information about the scene in the underground cave. Apparently, she and some other vocal members aren't big fans of Gambon's Dumbledore!

I'm hoping there will be other reviews coming out later in the week so we can get more people's opinions on what they saw.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Apparently, she and some other vocal members aren't big fans of Gambon's Dumbledore!

Nothing against the actor, but I'm not a big fan of his portrayal either.

 

[DarthPipes]

It sounds like that hack Steve Kloves butchered another adaptation. Wait till you read what he cut out and altered in the film. That man should be barred from writing and have to find a new profession.

Gambon is an atrocious Dumbledore. He never read the books. Neither did Richard Harris but at least Harris actually had a pretty good idea what DD's character was like. Harris captured Dumbledore's eccentric humor while Gambon's DD is completely humorless, yells at his students, and pratically attacks Harry in the GOF adaptation.

I don't even know if I'm going to enjoy this adaptation and I dread how barely The Hack will butcher The Deathly Hallows.

 

[Broccoli]

It sounds like that hack Steve Kloves butchered another adaptation. Wait till you read what he cut out and altered in the film. That man should never be barred from writing and have to find a new profession.

Gambon is an atricious Dumbledore. He never read the books. Neither did Richard Harris but at least Harris actually had a pretty good idea what DD's character was like. Harris captured Dumbledore's eccentric humor while Gambon's DD is completely humorless, yells at his students, and pratically attacks Harry in the GOF adaptation.

I don't even know if I'm going to enjoy this adaptation and I'm dread how barely The Hack will butcher The Deathly Hallows.

Uh...wow.

 

[Small White Car]

Gambon is an atrocious Dumbledore. He never read the books. Neither did Richard Harris but at least Harris actually had a pretty good idea what DD's character was like.

Dumbledore is supposed to be a sleep-deprived zombie? I'm not defending Gambon, but I'm always confused when people point to Harris as a "pretty good" option. That's really how you saw the books?

 

[DarthPipes]

No, I see Dumbledore's character with a zest for life. Even dying, Harris's DD had more life in him than Gambon, who plays him as grim, humorless, and constantly yelling at his students.

 

[Small White Car]

No, I see Dumbledore's character with a zest for life.

I just never saw that in Harris. At all.

Gambon, who plays him as grim, humorless, and constantly yelling at his students.

I've always seen him as having two sides. The "real" side that Harry and we see, and this side which is how all the other students perceive him.

I thought I was seeing both sides portrayed in the movies. The 'real' side as well as the 'fake' perception that he's grim and humorless, when in fact that's just an incorrect perception.

Dunno why I'm seeing something you're not, but suffice it to say, it feels quite nuanced and perfect to me and much better than just showing us Harry's perspective.

 

[Mr Light]

I like Gambon as an actor a lot, but I did have issues with him yelling at and man-handling Harry all the time. I really didn't remember anything like that in the books. During the DD vs. Voldy fight in the book, does DD really keep smacking Harry back down to the floor like that?

I think the literary DD is somewhere between the two film interpretations. He never got angry at anyone no matter how awful they are, he doesn't even yell at Voldy. He always makes some kind of silly joke to diffuse having to admit his true emotions. He's also a man of action in spite of being so old.

 

[MNM]

It sounds like that hack Steve Kloves butchered another adaptation. Wait till you read what he cut out and altered in the film. That man should be barred from writing and have to find a new profession.

Gambon is an atrocious Dumbledore. He never read the books. Neither did Richard Harris but at least Harris actually had a pretty good idea what DD's character was like. Harris captured Dumbledore's eccentric humor while Gambon's DD is completely humorless, yells at his students, and pratically attacks Harry in the GOF adaptation.

I don't even know if I'm going to enjoy this adaptation and I dread how barely The Hack will butcher The Deathly Hallows.

You cant butcher what was crap to begin with, both the Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are terrible pieces of work.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

You cant butcher what was crap to begin with, both the Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are terrible pieces of work.

Half Blood is actually really good.

 

[Mr Light]

After the initial high of reading a new Harry novel, HBP dropped in esteem in my mind. Nothing really happens in it; it's Voldy flashbacks and teenagers making out the whole time. And the ending is so abrupt and anti-climactic!

Deadly Hallows, on the other hand, is the best of the series and absolutely amazing

 

[Pilot Ace]

Deadly Hallows, on the other hand, is the best of the series and absolutely amazing

Deathly Hallows is the worst Harry Potter book by far. It literally has the worst epilogue I have ever seen published in my entire life.

 

[DarthPipes]

After the initial high of reading a new Harry novel, HBP dropped in esteem in my mind. Nothing really happens in it; it's Voldy flashbacks and teenagers making out the whole time. And the ending is so abrupt and anti-climactic!

Deadly Hallows, on the other hand, is the best of the series and absolutely amazing

I think we're both in agreement. Deathly Hallows was indeed amazing and the best of the series.

HBP is my least favorite of the series. Voldemort's backstory doesn't yield any real surprises (he was always evil!) and there's so little action that takes place. That's actually why I don't mind them creating the Burrow scene in this film. The movie needs something to happen before the end. One of the few decent changes (on paper) done by the Hack.

I would ask anyone who's read Harry Potter to actually say that the Dumbledore we see in the movies, manhandling Harry while frantically asking him like a drama queen if he put his name in the goblet, and yelling at students really resembles the Dumbledore we see throughout the series.

Gambon's DD lacks most of the character's essential charm and is little more than a humorless, grim, stereotypical mentor figure.

 

[CaptainCanada]

HPB was a bit middling when I last read it (should probably give it a reread at some point, same with the last one); it's got an ace conclusion, some needed backstory on the villain, and the rom-com stuff that makes up most of the rest could make for a fun film.

TDH is probably the best book in the series; it's probably for the best that they went for two movies, with the number of amazing setpieces Rowling throws in. Just made for film.

I prefer Gambon to Harris; he's serious, sure, but that's a dialogue thing; if he's not be given jokes to tell. He has the energy that Harris never had (no disrespect to Harris, of course, given his health at the time of filming); particularly in PoA, some of his mannerisms are perfect (the way he acts around H & H in the infirmary, for example).

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

two screening reviews
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38251

If those are accurate I dont know what to think. I mean, cut all you want throughout the movie but I can't believe they would butcher the climax so much. The entire battle at Hogwarts is a killer finale, real dark action, the death eater escape should be riveting. Harry and Snape at the end should be a killer RACE BATTLE across the lawns of Hogwarts.

 

[Neeka Keet]

Deadly Hallows, on the other hand, is the best of the series and absolutely amazing

Deathly Hallows is the worst Harry Potter book by far. It literally has the worst epilogue I have ever seen published in my entire life.

Harry/Hermione shipper? j/k

I had no problem with the epilogue because it in essence allow Jo Rowling to clearly state what the character's futures are and that they are happy in general. I just hear that epilogue hatred mostly from those shippers who seem to be really bitter about what the final couples were.

I read all the reports from the previews and I think the movie is going to be a fair adaptation of the book. I operate by the understanding that the books and movies are completely different entities that in the end get to the same conclusion.

 

[CaptainWacky]

two screening reviews
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38251

If those are accurate I dont know what to think. I mean, cut all you want throughout the movie but I can't believe they would butcher the climax so much. The entire battle at Hogwarts is a killer finale, real dark action, the death eater escape should be riveting. Harry and Snape at the end should be a killer RACE BATTLE across the lawns of Hogwarts.

WOW, that ending is bad. That should anger half the internet and amuse the other half.

 

[ParticleMan]

two screening reviews
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38251

If those are accurate I dont know what to think. I mean, cut all you want throughout the movie but I can't believe they would butcher the climax so much. The entire battle at Hogwarts is a killer finale, real dark action, the death eater escape should be riveting. Harry and Snape at the end should be a killer RACE BATTLE across the lawns of Hogwarts.

WOW, that ending is bad. That should anger half the internet and amuse the other half.

Yeah, I read that review and the piss-poor ending really jumped out to me. No funeral, no battle in Hogwarts, no running firefight across the grounds and no Harry/Snape shouting match? I know you have to take liberties when you translate books to film, but my goodness. They add the Burrow scene to give more action to the middle of the film (which I personally don't mind at this point), then remove the big action set piece from the end of the film??? That just makes no sense whatsoever...