Half Blood Prince if definitely one of my favourite books in the seriesand so I wasn't looking foward to this film as the entire book is mainly filling in backstory ready for the 7th which means lots of talking. While this may work fine in a book, I knew it wouldn't translate well to the screen. I give this film 3 stars mainly due to the fact I ended up liking things I thought I'd hate and hating things I thought I'd like.
Good Points:
Emma Watson and Dan Radcliffe. They've managed to grow into decent actors and their scenes together (especially in the classroom after Ron gets a girlfriend) were always strong.
Jim Broadbent. When I first read the book, he was the actor I had in mind for Slughorn. While he may not fit the physical description from the book, he fitted the character and its hard to imagine anyone else doing the role.
Tom Felton. An actor who originally seemed to have been hired based on his matching a description and ability to sneer has proven himself to be a decent enough actor.
The school and romance sections. I was dreading these areas of the film, but I ended up liking them a lot as they felt believable and were entertaining. My three favourites were Ron and Harry laughing at the kids getting lost, them fighting over the potions book in the cupboard and the Harry/Ginny/Ron scene in the Burrow's living room.
Bad Points.
Michael Gambon. I've never really liked his take on Dumbledore and it felt a lot like he was just phoning it it.
Ginny Weasley (can't remember the actresses name). While hiring someone based on how they fit a description worked for Malfoy, sadly they didn't get lucky twice.
Ron Weasley. This is more the fault of J.K. Rowling and the script writers. While Rupert Grint has managed to fill the role well, Ron as a character has always felt like a bit of a hanger on with his main purpose seeming to be comic relief and getting into trouble.
The Deatheaters. They turn up, go boo, destroy something, then leave. Obvious part being the attack on the Burrow. Never known the bad guys to be so boring.
The Opening. One of the things I liked about the 6th book is Harry doesn't turn up until the 3rd chapter and it would have been nice if the directer had had the balls to do the same here.
The Ending. There are rumours they filmed a battle sequence in Hogwarts, but cut it out and if so its a real pity. Dumbledores death felt very anti-climactic, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
The memories. The best bits in the book cut down to 2 scenes with no explaination of what it all means and therefore making the scenes completely pointless. Not sure how they are going to rescue it in the final films.
Wow, that went on a bit.
