RojoHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
A very strong showing from a series whose movies started weak and have gradually picked up steam. The fanfare may not have been as fanatical but the movie was defitely polished as well as enjoyable.
The film industry bandwagon has been applauding the restrained use of special effects and I'm jumping on. The fact the special effects took a back seat to the story and plot is a welcome improvement over the previous movies. The dependence on the effects is normally used as a crutch and sadly overshadows the characters and acting.
The acting is much improved; it seems the actors and
actresses are learning how to act. I would have preferred starting with actors who already knew how to act but learning on the job works too if your willing to wait a couple of movies to see the results. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Tom Felton had much an improved showing on screen as Harry, Hermione and Draco, respectively. Granted Tom Felton's past acting has been horrible an improvement to mediocre, while nice to see, is nothing to brag about.
Alas this movie falls into the familiar trap of trying to convert a mammoth book, filled with side plots and details that aren't crucial to the plot. It's always difficult to condense and one has no option but to gloss over certain things. This leads to many aspects of the story being left out in the screen adaption. One issue that pops up in this movie is how scenes which are relevant in the story lose their relevancy as you cut accompanying scenes out of the book rendering them less effective and a bit puzzling.
I vaguely remember reading the book yet even I was left with a slightly puzzled expression on my face during a couple of the scenes. Overall I give it a good score but It seems to give to much deference to the book in some of the items emphasized holding it back from being otherwise noteworthy.
The film industry bandwagon has been applauding the restrained use of special effects and I'm jumping on. The fact the special effects took a back seat to the story and plot is a welcome improvement over the previous movies. The dependence on the effects is normally used as a crutch and sadly overshadows the characters and acting.
The acting is much improved; it seems the actors and
Alas this movie falls into the familiar trap of trying to convert a mammoth book, filled with side plots and details that aren't crucial to the plot. It's always difficult to condense and one has no option but to gloss over certain things. This leads to many aspects of the story being left out in the screen adaption. One issue that pops up in this movie is how scenes which are relevant in the story lose their relevancy as you cut accompanying scenes out of the book rendering them less effective and a bit puzzling.
I vaguely remember reading the book yet even I was left with a slightly puzzled expression on my face during a couple of the scenes. Overall I give it a good score but It seems to give to much deference to the book in some of the items emphasized holding it back from being otherwise noteworthy.
Tennis
The Grudging Geek
Progressively Worse
I think that was added to the movie, and seemed kind of weird and out of place. Other than that, it really was a great movie.
I disagree about the condensation part. I think they did the best they could, and they are probably saving some material for the two part Seventh (and Eighth) movies. This movie set those up very well.