the half-blood prince

[adina]

anyone? anyone?

So the new Harry Potter movie is out, and I'm not going to see it tonight. why, because we don't have a sitter.

Anyone see it? Is it good? I heard it was probably the best so far, whatcha think?

I'm "this close" to convincing dh to pick up the series in hardcover. we haven't bought any of them, because i was waiting for them to release them as a set. then they did, and i haven't gotten to it yet.

[Nyreth]

I thought it was pretty darn good. They did add/change some things from the book. A couple of those things I thought were unnecessary, but some of them served to emphasize how powerful and brazen the Deatheaters were becoming. But on the flip side, they omited a few things that I thought were really important. People who haven't read the book will have to take for some plot developments for granted. Some of those things would bother me a lot. Overall I still think it was really enjoyable and they did a fairly good job condensing the book into the movie. I'm sure I'll go see it at least one more time in the theatres.
(Keep in mind my gripes stem from the fact that I am very much a purist when it comes to book to movie translations. Hollywood needs to keep their grubby paws away from book storylines, just look at Eragon for a perfect example of how they muck things up. I'll happily sit through a much longer movie to stay true to a book.)

[adina]

funny. my 10 yr old hated Eragon, for the exact same reason. she said she's got it all imagined in her head when she's reading, and then the movie goes and wrecks it.

been a while since i read the books, i'm going to read them again tho...probably watch this on blu-ray...i hate the theater. dh loves it, tho, so i suffer thru.

[Sushigaijin]

I agree with Nyreth more or less.

One thing I find frustrating is the comic relief. The last two books are pretty somber and the hollywood witicisms that are injected into the movie are totally unnecessary and fill the same space that a fart joke might. Seriously, I don't need silly double entendres to keep my attention - I read the book without them, and I liked that just fine.

[mwfanelli2]

anyone? anyone?
I'm "this close" to convincing dh to pick up the series in hardcover. we haven't bought any of them, because i was waiting for them to release them as a set. then they did, and i haven't gotten to it yet.

Or, get it for free at the public library!

[adina]

Or, get it for free at the public library!

that's how i read them the first time. but you know how some people spend obsene amounts of money on movies or video games? that's how we are with books.

my kids keep saying when we move they want a room with shelves to the ceiling and a ladder on wheels.

[SmartWombat]

my kids keep saying ... they want a room with shelves to the ceiling and a ladder on wheels.

Me too, but I haven't told Angie yet.
I'm putting in bookcases by stealth

[Nyreth]

My parents had a rule when my brother and I were growing up that we might not get every toy we wanted, but if there was a book we wanted we always got it. Mind you it had to be a real book, no magazines or comics. That has helped me in so many ways in school and with my art.
I think my husband is still a little bemused by all the books I own (and I don't think he realized how many more are still in boxes). However, as I won very few that I haven't reread at least once, I refuse to get rid of any of them. I look at building bookshelves as an excellent opportunity for him to cultivate his woodworking hobby.

[SmartWombat]

Back to the subject, it wasn't as dark as the book, but it was worth the 12 certificate it has over here.
There were some young children watching, and one in particular was very distressed by Dumbledore's death scene crying almost to the end of the film. I think hearing that affected me more than the film.

[walterick]

I liked it a lot, I think it is the best of the series followed by the one before it. I haven't read any of the books, and probably never will I am only a curious observer of the films but now I am interested in seeing the last 2, this one did well to set them up.

Kinda like The Empire Strikes Back.

[barb_48]

I never really found the time to read the books, my boys read it. I guess for me that's a good thing, because I have nothing to compare it to. I found this last movie weak in comparison to the other Potter movies. It's hard to explain, maybe I should of written about it after I seen it. Oh well, it's a distant memory now, I'll watch it again when it comes out on DVD.

[xystren]

Looking at it as an individual movie itself, I found it a bit lacking... It is not a movie that the uninitiated muggle should go to see. Without the background of the other movies or books it is very lacking.

But, for the well initiated, you can easily see that it is laying the groundwork for something very big to come. I totally agree with walterrick's comparison to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back; that being said, I still think SW:ESB stood on it's own much better than Half-Blood Prince did.

Still, I enjoyed seeing it, and look forward to the next two movies.