hbp review

SO i finally watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Being the hardcore fan that i am, i feel i should write a review. lol. beware of the spoilerish post ahead. but i'm sure most have watched it already anyway :)

so my verdict is: i liked the film. i think it's a treat for fans of the books to be able to see the books come to life on screen. I think it followed the book as closely as it could, though of course being a 2.5 hour film, they would need to omit quite a bit of stuff.

my major gripe was this. i was kinda bummed that they decided to include the new scene where The Burrow got attacked, and then omitted the final battle at Hogwarts. I think their excuse was that because books flow differently when read, as compared to being translated for the big screen, therefore adding that scene in the middle of the film. personally, i didnt think the attack on the burrow really added anything to the film though. i would have much preferred if they had built up the film with voldemort's history, making it more and more ominous until an exciting battle at the end. i mean the death eaters entering and exiting hogwarts unnoticed was kinda anti-climactic.

also, there was the lack of explanation of voldemort's chosen items for horcruxes and their origins. non-readers of the books wouldn't know the significance and origin of the ring, and how would the trio figure out what items voldemort used for his other horcruxes in the next film when dumbledore did not explain to harry where he obtained the ring?

minor gripe: i found it really odd that harry wasn't reprimanded after the sectumsempra fight. wtf?

that being said, i enjoyed the film. but i think like the previous film, you gotta have read the book in order to follow the film. it was also really funny. The funny-ness of the film is a departure from the previous films which had been getting increasingly darker. rupert grint is hilarious as ron weasley. i do think they could have had less romance and more story, but i suppose that's what the books are for :)

i honestly think i've reached the point where i just enjoy seeing how the book turns out to be on the big screen, with the familiar cast. seriously, i love these books and films so much. i remember the first time i read harry potter and the philosopher's stone was when i was on a train to penang (imagine how it felt, reading about the hogwarts express on a real train) about 10 years ago, and coming back to school and telling yen and rach about owls dropping in mail at breakfast. ha. to be a kid again. i'm gonna be so bummed when the final film comes out. i hope they do the book justice. from all the casting news i've been reading on leaky, i think they're really trying to stay as loyal to Deathly Hallows as possible. here's hoping for the best!