For a 2 and a half hour movie I never thought I would say that the movie felt like it was missing a lot of material.

Here's the thing, the movie isn't bad, the relationships between the characters are the heart of the film. These moments make the film endearing, worthwhile, and even at times outstanding.

The problem with the film is that it's missing the mystery of the past films. The Potter films have always been akin to a wizardry Scooby-Doo gang which is sadly absent from this film. Instead the audience are delivered sequences that advances the plot that the characters simply accept passively and then play their allotted parts.

Who is the Half Blood Prince should have been a main thrust of the film but instead is barely mentioned, although that question is resolved rather matter of fact at the end of the film.

In the end it is an enjoyable film but lacks, well for lack of a better word, the magic of the previous films.

I put my review up on our blog last night shortly after we got back from the movie.

http://www.worldofmeh.com/2009/07/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-review/

It was nice meeting everyone (that I met)!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was wonderfully depressing. I loved Ron's hair even more.

Meh, there could have been a lot less teen romance and a lot more plot (especially in the way of Voldy's memories and the HPB). In fact there were a couple key events from the book that were sadly omitted, but I digress. It was still entertaining.

I thought the HBP was really great! I really enjoyed the special effects and the dark settings added to the film. It really gave the film a nice edge. I also enjoyed the humor that was used to add a light feeling to the film. It stayed pretty accurate to the book, so i'm happy. Overall it was an amazing movie!

I will start off first by saying I am a watcher of the movies, not a reader of the books. That might sway what I'm about to say, and maybe your average Harry Potter reader will not feel the same way I do.

But I loved this movie!

It was dark, demanding of your full attention to the point where I would venture to say it's not as kid-friendly as the previous films, yet light and humorous. It was shocking at times- especially at a certain very pivotal scene where the theatre went completely quiet but for a few sniffles and shocked exclamations.

I will not give anything away but to say it might be wise to bring a handkerchief or some tissue for more than just that pivotal scene if you're a weeper like me.
David Yates commands these characters, and if you have grown to love them as much as I have, you will undoubtedly get tears in your eyes more than once.

Agh...hrm...Yea...oh...sigh, OK.

It almost isn't fair to the movies how good the books really were. Once again, I was forced to remind myself that the movie isn't the book. Don't get me wrong. It was a good movie and I'm still going to rush right out and pick it up on DVD when the time comes. But I would have liked it if they stayed a little truer to the book. Of course I don't know how they are going to do the next two films. The things they changed may make sense after seeing their interpretation of the 7th book. Which I will undoubtedly walk away from feeling much the same as I do now, underwhelmed.

I LOVED the movie. In my opinion, it was SO much better than the others. Not only was it packed with humor, but with scares and suspense also. I thought the added scenes like the attack on The Burrow was great!

I'm a reader of the books and watcher of the movies and I thought this was probably the best of the films so far. It very funny, looked great, and even at 2 1/2 hours it still felt fast paced and exciting.

I can understand the book lovers feelings about parts being left out, but if you include every little plot point in a film, its bound to bog down the work. I think that was the big problem with the first movie.

All in all, my favorite summer movie so far. Thanks Beehive for the great time last night!

I really enjoyed the movie. When
i see adaptations of books on film I usually take the film for what it is, there is no way you can fit a book that is roughly the size of a brick (I use it sometimes as a yoga block) into a movie, not gonna happen. I thought it stood on its own pretty well. I appreciated the humor, which was well timed and executed, without it the movie could have easily been too depressing and dark to handle two and a half hours of.

Now to begin the waiting game for Deathly Hallows!

    I was stupefied. Me. I just sat there, staring at the screen – but not seeing the end credits… Not ready to believe that it was actually over. It couldn’t end like that.

    Like previous Harry Potter films, The Half-Blood Prince delivered. The screenplay, the visual effects, the cinematography, the actors’ performances… Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix is absolutely wicked, and Tom Felton drips with hostility as Draco.

    I wanted to cry with Hermione, and when Ron was trying out for the Quidditch team? That was one of my most favorite parts. Well, that and when Harry drank the Felix potion. OMG – Daniel Radcliffe’s delivery?! Superb. Brilliant. It still makes me laugh and it's hours later!

    But like all book-to-film adaptations… There. Will. Be. Changes. I expected them, and I’m almost always okay with them. But there was one, big change in The Half-Blood Prince that did not sit well with me… It was as if someone had hit me with the Confundus Charm. o_0

    I’d been getting tweets, asking how the movie was. What did you think of it? Was it as good as we thought it’d be? When we left the theater, this is what I tweeted:

"Just got out of HP6 and am driving home... I guess I'm a bit... stupefied. But - does it deliver? You bet it does."

    And when we got home, I tore the house up looking for my copy of The Half-Blood Prince, frustration pouring out as I confirmed my suspicions. You know I had to tweet through it:

"Tearin' the house up looking for the book - Half Blood Prince"

"I knew it. I KNEW IT! Ugh! I thought I was getting the books mixed up, but no - that wasn't it..."

"They changed the ending - it's the same, but then again... it's not. You gotta let me know when you see HP6!"

*tortured cry*

    I'm trying to rewind and see it all again in my head - NOT thinking about the change in the ending - and asking myself, "Was it still a good movie?"

    Well, of course, it is! It's still entertaining, still follows the story... [Pause.] So why the hell do I feel so... shortchanged?

My Husband, Stuart, surprised me and took me to the screening. Isn't he awesome!!!

I am just going to first say that it was a Harry Potter movie so of course it's going to be good, but...

I just felt it could of been much better with some scenes that were left out. Those who have read the book will understand.

I was waiting for the fight at the end, which never came, (I'm assuming their saving all the "fighting" for the last movie?) And I would of liked to see the funeral. I also would of liked to see more build up with Harry and Ginny's relationship, especially where Ron's involved!!

But I do understand they have to fit everything in a 2 1/2 hr movie. So all in all it was good!!

Thanks for the movie Fresno Beehive!!

This was a two hour and thirty-three minute movie, but it seemed to have gone by quite faster. I think that it lacked a lot of the elements, but overall, I thought it was quite good and halarious at most points, especially Ron. Without Ron, it wouldn't have been what is was. He made this movie funny and interesting; he definitely stole the spotlight. There were some dark parts as well, which I thought were good for this movie. My opinion, overall, it was a good movie and worth seeing. I just think that the end lacked a lot of its elements.

After seeing HBP I was left feeling a little let down.
With a huge movie like this there is always a lot of anticipation that goes along with it. Was the movie entertaining? Yes and it had a great Production value to it as well. However, being one of the many people that go and see the movies because I've read the books, I was left feeling like this was not even close to the book that I read.
Calling the movie "the Half Blood Prince" and then barely touching on that aspect of the book was a little disappointing. Also, Burning down the weasley home made it so that I am already anticipating a let down of things that will never come in movie 7 and 7 1/2.
Things left out that made the story feel off to me: Where were Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour in this film. If they are gone so is the Wedding in 7. No Huge Battle at the end of 6? That was suppose to be a huge battle between the Dead eater and the residents of Hogwarts castle. And lastly, No funeral for Dumbledore. Instead of making his death feel finale and giving the audience closure they left things feeling sad and like Dumbledore was not as important as he was.
Of all the movies this one changed the story line the most. Which, being a fan of the series made me very sad. I did enjoy the film. However, I was still disappointing.

The beginning of the HBP left me a bit disoriented, starting, as it did, in the diner. The book started at home with his dysfunctional aunt and uncle. Dumbledore arrived and told them off. After it settled into a more familiar storyline, I got caught up in it, and feel that it was a well put together movie with good acting and humor, great special effects. The actor that played Malfoy showed a lot more depth in this installment of the series. He was so conflicted about what he had to do...proud to be picked and terrified at the same time. Ron and Harry's typical denseness about love, and the girls they cared about..even though Ron doesn't know he cares about Hermione yet...were enjoyable. Having read the book, I expected the ending, but didn't expect how hard it would hit me. The only thing missing was the funeral, which would have given more closure to the story, and given a chance to showcase people from past books, coming to pay their respects, plus I missed the inhabitants from the dark forest saying farewell the Dumbledore. On the whole, I think it was the best HP movie yet, and can hardly wait for the next 2 movies to come out!

First of all I have to say thank you to the Fresno Bee staff for allowing my son and I a sneak preview of a great movie. The tone of the film is dark but if fits the subject matter.

It's exciting to see the characters grow as actors and more exciting still to see the special effects.

This film is a must see if you enjoy the series.

Thanks again to the Fresno Bee staff.

One thing to keep in mind if you're going to watch HP6 -- do read the book first (or at least know the great outlines of the plot) or watch previous HP movie installment, esp. # 5. Yes, if you read book 6, you'll find out about the gut-wrenching ending before you watch the movie, but it's worth reading the book first because you'll get more understanding into the movie plot. Most of the previous HP movie installment is well enough to stand as its own but, since book 6 is setting up for events on book 7, for non-readers the movie might be a bit overwhelming and disjointed.
The movie itself is great and very closely true the book -- the scenes where Harry, Hermione & Ron deals with their teenage romances are very endearing. Especially scenes with Lavender Brown's semi-obessions with Ron are very funny. The revealing of the half-blood prince and the hocruxes scenes are more dramatic in the book than in the movie, but it served the purpose. Again, here's where knowing the book or the plot would definitely help to enjoy more of the movie. The final scene with Dumbledore is almost as good as the book and should satisfy Potter fans.

As with the other Harry Potter movies I can sit through the movie and swear I've already seen it. They capture the minds eye visuals so well. There was one particular scene that was quite striking in it's biblical reference and I had not thought of it before I saw the way the character was lit.

I am always impressed with the cast. There is never a moment that doesn't feel genuine. Even when Watson is putting her library books away, the scene feels natural.

I am a book reader and tend to be more critical of movies. However, I thought the movie did a fine job of handling the main points of the story. Saddly, some of the smaller characters and stories are lost, but with only two and half hours of time, they had to make cuts. I think they kept the heart of the story. They placed all the chess pieces in the appropriate corners for the next installment.

I will also state that I would view "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" as the set up for the next movie. So much of this movie was like a teaser for the shake down that's to come.

Like Ashely stated, this is a much less kid friendly Harry Potter movie. However, the rule of thumb ( even with the novels) is that the right age of the audience should be within a couple of years and older of the characters in the story.

The romances didn't bother me, but I think it's because I view those relationships as pivotal for the next movie. I would say the same for the disclosure of who is The Half Blood Prince.

Overall it was an enjoyable if emotional movie. Don't let the idea of two and a half hours scare you away, it went by far too quickly.

Thank you Beehive for giving us such a treat.

I think the movie had some definite high points, but merely going off my opinion it lacked plot. The substance that made the other movies invigorating and exciting to watch was missing. It lacked the signature happy ending that made the past movies great.

Wicked... I kept waiting for that hilltop scene at the end. Heck, I read the book when it first came out and I can still "see" it in my mind.

I'm not sure why they changed that part... I do understand the loss of the secondary stories, but it's a shame because I'm afraid some of the aha moments to come may be lost as well.

First i want to start of by saying i loved waiting in line. One of my bestfriends went with me and we were in line since 1....i loved all the people we met and it was so much fun....

I liked the movie i thought they did a wonderful job...it kinda shocked me that it was so short the fith one was much longer. i felt they left out a large portion of the plot and alot of the majic....other then that i think they did a wonderful job. Funniest part is when my mom screamed really loud....yup if you were wondering who that crazy loud scream belong to that was my mom and that was also me laughing at her.

I think the movie was good and i cant wait for the last one.

Even with these mixed emotions about the movie, we had a SPECTACULAR time. Shoutouts to the Beehive for making this happen for us!!

~Wicked Faery (previously Evil Pixie)

I enjoyed this film, I laughed and cried. I didn't feel like I was sitting for 2.5 hours. I was completely enveloped in the story and the scenes that played before me on the screen. The effects were great and the humor was fabulous.

I am very disappointed they left out Dumbledore's funeral. His role was very important in Harry's life. To see the funeral come to life with the number of his supporters would have been a wonderful sight. The funeral would allow readers and nonreaders alike to see that there is still a large following for good versus those that have decided to follow evil.

Thanks again to the Fresno Beehive for bringing Harry Potter fans in the community together for a very special premiere. I had a wonderful time!

I wanna shout out The Fresno Beehive for a great night, even though it wasn't all like I expected. Once again you guys have outdone yourself with the give-aways. Thanks guys!

I wrote a review HERE It was a bit too long to take up some space here on the 'Hive...

Thanks again! Karma and I had a great time!

Oh my goodness!!!! That was a great movie!!! The characters are believable, I cried with them, cheered with them and was in awe with them as the story of Harry Potter continues to unfold...yes there were some differences from the book...but I think that is what makes a movie great...taking what was written out and adapting it to the big screen...that movie would have to be 5 hours long to include everything...

LOVED IT!!!! THank you sooo much fresnobeehive.com for making it possible for my husband and I to see it!!! This made my summer!!!

mrsdjp_rez

I loved the darkness surrounding Malfoys character. The way some of the shots were shot, it really showed how torn he was after being "given the assignment"

All in all, I knew what was going to happen, and I still jumped, I still cried and I still stared at the screen in amazement the entire time.

P.S. Ron beefed up. Hubba hubba.

We love these movies, plain and simple! What fun they are and while there would be no way to match the depth and detail of the book, HBP clearly stands on its own. The best part is to see how the actors have matured into their roles, especially Draco Malfoy.

The only change I would have liked to see is more of Luna! She is wonderfully quirky and light.

Thanks to the Beehive staff for such a treat. My three kids and I jabbered all the way home about it and they were still talking about it today.

Major props to Kathy Mahan for jumping through hoops to set up a Beehive screening.

And props also to Mike Oz for emceeing and for gamely trying to pretend he cared about the movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

I loved the movie! At first I was a bit worried when I read that this movie was less dark, comedic, and had a PG rating instead of the usual PG-13 rating...but I wasn't disappointed at all. I laughed more than expected and the movie (though 2.5 hours long) seemed to go by so fast. I can't wait for the next movie to come out and hopefully I'll get to enjoy it with the Fresno Beehive again!

I'm so glad everyone had a great time. I did too. I love HP and was so happy we were able to do this screening.

I agree with many of the comments on the ending. I thought it was downplayed too much because it wasn't nearly as emotional as I expected. But I suspect they want to save the Hogwart's battle for the final movie (and I bet it is going to be AMAZING). I loved the Horcrux scene, and I thought the teen romances were charming. Overall, I think these movies keep getting better, and I'm glad David Yates, the director, is doing the last 2.

I was one of the few lucky people in the world to see the latest Harry Potter movie yesterday evening - A movie which should have been out since last November.

In case you are not familiar with the stories, the movie follows the life of young wizard Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione in their adventures at Hogwarts School of Wizardry. This particular movie deals with trying to uncover the past of Voldemort, the one responsible for the death of Harry's parents and many others. In doing so, Harry and Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school, hope to be able to have an advantage over Voldemort in any future confrontations.

First, let's start with what is good about the movie, then the bad, then good again (a complementary sandwich as stewie calls it). First off, as usual in the series, the story is entertaining and compelling (which is why the books were so popular). For an adaptation, the movie was very well done, and truly submerses you in their magical world. Everything from the castle, to the grounds, to the wand flicking action, to the music is orchestrated masterfully. I don't want to mention too much because, in the words of Dumbledore, "I want you to see it."

With that said, there was some flaws, most dealing with the adaptation of the book (what do you expect, I am rather picky). First off, there is no introduction, as soon as the title screen is over, you encounter action right away, without any particular reason for it ocuring (unless you've seen the last movie, or read the book). the movie blows by like two chapters within literally 3 minutes. Then again, a picture is worth a thousand words, and by that definition, since a movie is a bunch of pictures, 30 per second to be exact, by the end of the 2.5 hours you should have collected 270,000 words, which should be plenty to cover the whole book and then some. However, it feels a bit rushed, and the scenes that they did keep are good, with a few exceptions that are dragged on in order to show funny sexual tension between the characters (which does get old). They are trying to show that the characters are teenagers, but they should not turn it into a Twilight like movie for 13 year old fangirls. If you didn't know. I hated that movie.

Back to the subject at hand, I feel very satisfied with the movie. THe lenght was good, the main content retained, and the acting was brilliant. Top notch effects too. Anywho, if you're a fan of the movies, you will not be disappointed at all, but if you're a fan of the books, you might regret having read them before the movie, because you'll wonder "what happened with..." Don't get me wrong, as I enjoyed the movie completely, and will go watch it again tonight (with a broken wand....thanks a lot alfredo for breaking it).

Enjoy. A

I loved the movie overall. There were many parts that were in the book that I believed should have been in the movie, such as the battle scene between the death eaters and the Order in Hogwarts after Dumbledore was killed. I believe that they should have at least spent more time after his death such as the funeral I think that they downplayed this too much. Through the books you develop a relationship so to say with all the characters and when one is killed you would think that they would elaborate more on it. Overall I trully enjoyed the movie and I would like to thank you for giving me the oppurtunity to view it with you early. Overall I wasn't disappointed what more can one expect in a 2 1/2hr movie...I'm going to go see it again this weekend.

Ohhmygosh. I thought that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the best Harry Potter movie that has been made. I don't usually like the movies very much because I am OBSESSED with the books, and hate when the movies leave out too much information, but even thought it left out a lot of the book, the awesomeness of the movie made up for it. I love how the movie was so awkward and funny, but at the same time sad and serious. The movie really did grasp the fact that they are growing up now and do base their feelings off of each other. Of course, being me, I really did start crying when Hermione was sitting with Harry talking about Ron, Lavender, Ginny, and Dean. And yess, I also cried for Dumbledore which just goes to show how amazing this movie was in turning a genius book to an incredible movie.

Harry and Ginny! Ahhhh((:

David Yates (director) did a superb job just magnificent to watch, may be Alfonso Cuarón would have made them ROCK. I am a great fan of Harry Potter series. My favorite still remains HP3: Prisoner of Azkaban. But Half Blood was simply outstanding on levels. I'll be seeing it again Saturday on IMAX which will be even better as it's one of the original IMAX screens that loom up and over the audience as opposed to newer screens that are just big.
Being a great fan I have collected a list of good sites and articles (may be around 200) related to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (movie information, movie schedule, movie reviews, books, games, news, wallpapers and many more). If you are interested take a look at the below link

http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-you-want-to-know-about-harry-potter.html

HP6 was more of an art film than an event film in many ways. The look and tone of the film was more subdued compared to the previous incarnations. However, it was still a magical film.
I may be digressing, but compared to the 2.5 hour monstrosity of Transformers 2, this is heads and shoulders above. To create a world where wizards and magic is far more plausible than robots is quite a spectacular achievement.
In a way, while this was undoubtedly the best book of the series, it does not make the most cinematic one. That will be a toss up between 'Prisoner of Azkaban' and the second part of 'Deathly Hallows'.

I loved the movie! My husband and I took our niece and nephew Monday night and all for of us were buzzing afterwards. All of us have read the books and were so excited that we got to see the movie Monday night! Thanks Fresno Bee!
We all agreed that the opening of the film was the best scene from any of the movies so far. We loved how dark it was and how the teenagers were allowed to be teenagers. Having Malfoy lurking around the castle was so cool. It added to the experience being able to see the movie with such an excited crowd and full theater. We appreciated the adaptation of the book but wonder about a couple of key things that were missing and need to be set up for the last book (the ring isn't in the snitch!) Our only complaint would be the ending. Dumbledore in the cave wasn't dramatic enough. We did scream when Harry was dragged under but we felt it needed to be more gut wrenching. One of us (OK me) cried when they raised there wands at the end but Dumbledore deserved more. It needed to be more significant. We didn't understand why Ron was just sitting on the steps in the last scene either? Even with our misgivings with the ending we all loved the film. It was well balanced with the book ad dark, which is what Harry Potter needs to be.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Most everything about the movie is different--the characters have definitely matured, Hooper's score is better (thank goodness), the special effects have improved, and even the castle itself has a different feel to it...cold and covered in shadows. It's a refreshing touch, though. The series NEEDS constant change, or else it would become quite stale...

There are many funny moments in the movie, and the hormones are definitely raging. But, relationships aside, there is also a darker side to the newest Potter entry. Dumbledore and Harry try to unlock the secret to Voldemort's past. Harry must retrieve a precious memory from a long-lost friend of Dumbledore's (an excellent Broadbent).

The last thirty or so minutes are marvelous. In particular, there is a scene in which Harry and Dumbledore must venture into a protected vessel of Voldemort's soul...very creepy, very emotional...it was well-done.

I think the movie was pretty good! There were a few things diffrent though. In the begining, Instead of starting at harry's home like in the book, it started at a diner where harry was trying to get a date with the waitress. also, instead of ending the movie with dumbledoor's funeral, they ended it with a talk scene, not quite as much closure as in the book. there were a few more things, but other than that, it was a well made movie.

We went to the Midnight showing at Edwards.. The sound quality was terrible.. Too low, then skipping then the crackling.. I was a bit disappointed.. Thought I would see Voltemort but he was a no show.. It was cute with the kids growing up and flirting but otherwise it was a 2.5 out of 5!

I think the movie was amazing! Yes, it did miss some parts that I was looking forward to see but I still found it a great movie.

I thought the movie was pretty good. The visual effects were more advanced than the others and the addition of more comedic relief eased the tension of the intense sections. For people who have not read the books, I wish they had explained the significance of the Half-Blood prince more. What exactly is he?

“It’s my new favorite!.” Those were the first words I said after seeing a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In 2007 I was very disappointed with the Order of the Phoenix, my previous favorite being The Goblet of Fire, but this film is so EXCELLENCET, it makes up for it. They created so much humor for this film! All the actors, including Micheal Gambon, did a MARVOLUS job! There is no finer cast in ANY other movie. They really made you believe in magic in this one. I got sucked into the world of Hogwarts, and when the movie was finished I did not want it to end.

I feel that Half-Blood Prince followed as close as it could get to the book, except for the ending. Dumbledore did not have a funeral. David Yates said it didn’t fit well with the tone of the film but I know a lot of people will be disappointed, and will feel like they did not get a proper chance to say goodbye to the headmaster, that a lot of us grew up with. I hope that they will include the funeral in the DVD or maybe even be the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half Blood-prince.

Overall, this is the BEST Harry Potter by far. I intend to see it many more times in the theater. If you haven’t already seen it, you should run to the movies because this is a Harry Potter you do not want to miss. :D

The movie is excellent on it's own. Excellent and wonderful and engaging and funny. I just wish so much of what I really enjoyed from the book hadn't been sacrificed.

I've never in all my life been subject to so many grown-ups clammoring over each other to watch a bunch of teeny-boppers cast spells!
I have never seen a Harry Potter movie in my life.....Thank God.

As a movie I thought that HP6 was very good. As a movie made from a book it was sadly lacking. I was really looking forward to the final fight scene and Dumbledor's funeral. I do understand that they can't put everything in the movie that was in the book but they left some important things out! The first half of the movie was really good and then it felt like they hurried through to the end. I am glad they are making two movies out of book 7, maybe they will include all the important stuff next time.

1. There's a scene similar 2 this: Charlton Heston as Moses in "10 Commandments" (1956). Dumbledore even parts the water-- like the Red Sea! I'm serious! >> 2. In the same scene, the surroundings look strikingly familiar. Anyone? Anyone? It's “Superman II” (1981), the scene at the North Pole. Just replace Superman with Dumbledore and Lois Lane with Potter. Get the idea? >> 3. I hate to burst a bubble! The final spell: ABRACADABRA! You’ve got 2 B kidding me! > What’s next? “OPEN SESAME!” perhaps? LOL >> http://twitter.com/peterrobertson7

I am an avid reader of the Harry Potter series, so I base the movies off of the books. I admit there were some scenes that I was disappointed in and felt that other scenes should have been added. But nevertheless it was still an amazing movie. I greatly enjoyed and saw the midnight showing as well as the special screening!

My wife and I took seven children ages 6-20,
all of us enjoyed the long flick. Some professors
seemed to be getting old and the bad folks seem to
be used over. The might of been a need to add
a little in the end. Felt like they took on a ride and
dumped me off at the end with out enough filling.
Reading the book might have done me some good.
The change of freindship with age and the conflict of
good and evil were well done. No better way to inspire
the child in all of us to take chances and look for a better
way to keep good ontop of evil.

These are my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, because some people are stupid I'm going to say this extremely slowly... this is my opinion, if you don't like it then f'ck off. This movie was brilliant, it was honestly the best in the series. Some people... purists... might bitch that too many things were either cut or changed, like the Harry/Ginny kiss, or the funeral at the end being replaced with a tribute... it's just petty.

A purist does not understand the meaning of Cinema, because of their severe attachment to the books, they have become void of all logic and reason. They don't understand that some things look better on paper, and on screen would look either colossally stupid or awkward when it could be replaced by something that means pretty much the same thing. A purist is someone who says that the first two movies were the best since they were the most faithful. By saying the first two movies were the most faithful, is like saying that the books they were based on were sh!t, and the films must continue to be sh!t in order to remain faithful. Half Blood Prince was faithful, but it was not sh!t Harry and Ginny kiss, the funeral was replaced with a tribute but they both mean the same thing. The important things HAPPEN and they make SENSE, and that's all that matters. Just because they didn't happen EXACTLY does not make them any less meaningful! People need to understand that watching a movie, and reading a book are two completely different things.

On to the movie. I thought it was brilliant! Well Directed, David Yates is Lucifer, well Written, I don't know where the hell Steve Kloves went between Order of the Phoenix and this... but it clearly did something crazy to his mind since Half Blood Prince was extremely well written. Nicholas Hooper completely redeemed himself as the composer of this film. It's a shame if he leaves, since he's a part of this now and he was just perfect. It'll be a SHAME if John Williams returns, well not really a shame... but yeah Hooper rocked.

The performances were great, the trio are really comfortable in their roles now. Daniel Radcliffe was at his best as Harry, Rupert Grint was great as Ron, and Emma Watson VASTLY improved as Hermione. All the adult cast were great as usual, especially Michael Gambon who is by the way superior to Richard Harris in every way shape or form, Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman of course. However the one performance that didn't fully convince me was Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley. No don't blame Director David Yates since every other performance was great, she's just not that talented an actress. She was adequate is all, simply adequate.

This was the best and most emotionally engaging Harry Potter yet, and a fantastic set up for Deathly Hallows. I cannot freaking wait. I think it surpassed the book.

Harry potter fans around the world really fall into 2 camps. Those who grew up reading the books then watching the movies; and those who opt just to watch the movies never reading the books. Never before has a Harry Potter film divided these two camps, as is evident from the reviews, so dramatically. If you are a book fan you will be left ultimately disappointed at the lack of loyalty to JK Rowling's original story - especially at the end scenes. However if you are a film fan and have no prior knowledge to the story then I think you will be perfectly content.

This film under the directorship of David Yates (who also directed 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix') looks and feels the most polished of the series to date. Yates has done an admirable job bringing to the big screen what is regarded as the most boring of the books from the series. The main plot focuses on the raging teenage hormones amongst our central characters and, under Yates, sees Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson put out arguably their best performance to date. Rupert Grint is as always entirely patchable. This year we have the addition of Jim Broadbent who succeeds in bringing interest and feeling to one of JK's most under developed characters. The film feels unrushed cohesive and the visuals are astounding. The Hogwarts shots are inspired and a new musical score does the trick nicely.

Where the film fails to deliver most notably is in the lack of on screen time for the series peripheral characters which considering their formidable acting skills boggles the mind. We have seen careful character building for the last 5 films only to see a sixth film that all but abandons them. Bit parts for Hagrid, Snape, Neville, McGonagal, Sprout, The Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks, Fenrir, Bellatrix and omission entirely for Bill Weasley, Fleur, Kreacher, Dobby, Sheamus, Moody, Fudge and Scringmour. The real villain of this movie (scriptwriter Kloves) seems to want the audience to somehow know intuitively that Tonks and Lupin have finally hooked up. Also we are apparently meant to accept that Fenrir Greyback is a trusted deatheater now without any back story concerning his werewolf lineage. By the distinct lack of cohesiveness of our heroes – The Order of the Phoenix, the Faculty and the DA and in fact any resistance thereof against Voldemorts attacks throughout the film we are left feeling the good guys have no real power.

The real controversy of this movie though is in the re-writing of the story from JK's original, especially the end scene. What has been a thoughtful and slow paced but atmospheric movie drawing good acting from all central characters inexplicably breaks down into an ending that comes across as though actors and director alike just didn't care about those last 30 minutes. What should have been the climax of a slow burn movie is ruined by inexplicable story lines, character assassinations (What Harry is made to do at the end results in him looking cowardly) and a dismal lapse in Radcliffes acting ability at the most essential point - essentially proving once again although he is comfortable with light hearted comedic moments he lacks the depth of ability required to bring real emotions of loss and love to his character.

It is a crying shame to end an otherwise engaging and entertaining film with such a poor ending - however as Yates is signed on to do The Deathly Hallows in two parts lets hope he can learn from these mistakes.

Let me start off by saying, I am a huge HP fan. I have read the books countless times, am a daily visitor on MuggleNet, and have subscribed to Mugglecast for four years. The books are definitely where it's at, and the movies are so-so. I can still remember storming out of the theatre after OOTP two years ago, yelling the whole way home about how David Yates screwed everything up and how awful of a movie it was altogether, story line and directing style. However, the Half-Blood Prince surpassed each of the last 5 movies greatly in almost aspect.

I came into the movie theater completely stoked because of all of the positive reviews it was getting on Rotten Tomatoes. After seeing all the previews last fall, I thought the general look of the movie was just overall better. And it was. I owe David Yates a huge apology for cursing his name so many times over the last two years. This was a great picture and I know the next two will be great as well. I also owe Michael Gambon a bit of an apology, but WHERE WAS THIS DUMBLEDORE THE LAST 3 MOVIES?? Gambon totally exceeded my expectations, he was so good in HBP! I could not stand him at all in the previous three, he was just a grumpy old gray man. In HBP he was old, wise, with his white shiny hair he was supposed to have the whole time. A great performance out of him, so great I really really wish we had seen this out of him in the other movies.

When I first saw Slughorn in the previews, I was completely irritated. He was supposed to be a largely obese man with a big mustache? But then I got to thinking, how many quality actors are actually really fat? There's only two answers- Richard Griffiths and that fat guy from the Diabetes commercial. Neither of them could play Slughorn. Broadbent made this movie, I love that dang cooky smile he always had on and how his eyes just always looked so crazy...I can't describe it but I loved it. He performed amazingly.

I know people are upset about the omission of the battle and confused on the burrow scene, and I will say I partly agree with you. The Burrow scene was in there to show that the death eaters were f***ing s**t up this whole time. Remember in the book how they read the paper every morning and reading about everythign that was happening? That scene was a lot better than having stupid newspaper flashbacks or whatever they had in OOTP.

For me, it was the little things that made this movie. When they include tiny details from the book, it really makes it special to me. I was ecstatic that they had the whole Aragog burial scene, it was so well done and I was glad to see Hagrid get some screen time. Also, just random little lines that were so similar to the book, it makes the movie that much more special.

For everyone who's complaining about how funny it is- lighten up! This is how it's supposed to be. I catch myself laughing out loud whenever I read the books, they're hilarious. JK just has a writing style that can be so serious at one point and hilarious the next, I was laughing and enjoying myself the whole time, it just really made me feel good.

Overall, really spectacular movie. The people complaining about how they left too much stuff out are also the ones complaining that it jumped around. I liked how they focused on central things and really got deep into them, instead of going ADD and showing every little possible thing for 30 seconds. Whether you liked it or not, you really do have to admire the trio growing and Gambon and Broadbent's performances, they were so outstanding. Go see it again! I know I am.

get the impression that the people who gave this film good ratings aren't fans of the books...and that the converse is true also. I come into the second category.

Let me start off with the positives.

The cinematography was brilliant. The special effects that they included (and they are somewhat limited in this film compared to others) are very well done. But maybe I shouldn't be hugely impressed, it is fairly standard now.

The score was fantastic, but perhaps it didn't have quite the same 'epicness' to it that others did.

The acting was very well done, the actors each did their best with the script they were given. Felton, Grint and Rickman I think deserve special applause.

I get the impression that Yates was being lazy...leaving out the battle scene at the end...maybe it was too much effort? After all, he is guaranteed it to be a high grossing film, why spend more money on complicated scenes? It was a funny film and I did laugh, but it wasn't hysterical. The humour in it is fairly standard, nothing new. Unfortunately I think the humour did deviate from the darkness that the novels conjured up. Did I really get the impression that anything serious was going on? Not really, yeah sure, the dementors make an impression at the beginning, after that it is just teenage angst until the end when they make a half-hearted attempt at explaining the actual problem Harry has to face...and it's a pretty epic task! It was always going to deviate from the books, I accept that...but there is a limit. What they have included is very good, unfortunately they did leave out some fairly crucial stuff.

The movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was a great movie. I loved it. It was great. The only thing that I didn't like about the movie was that they left out some important parts from the book. One thing I think that they should have included in the movie was that Genny and Harry were together in a relationship for awhile. I also would of liked to see Rons big brother Ben with his bride to be included in the movie.
I also didn't like how they had Lupin and Tonks already together at christmas. Because they didn't get together tell the end in the book. I also was looking forward to the battle with the death eaters and the Hogwarts students and teachers and the auras. Lastly I really want to see Dumbledore's funeral with everyone there from the wizarding world. All in all the movie was great and it was worth the wait and I can't wait tell the next one comes out in November 2010.

As a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, I have to say the sixth movie made me have mixed feelings. I understand that they are not able to fit every little detail into a 2.5 hour movie from a 607 paged book, however I felt they spent too much time on some aspects of the movie which made them leave out important parts.

The biggest thing that bugged me was the scene where Bellatrix and other Death Eaters lit the Weasley's house on fire and she went screaming through the field "I killed Sirius Black." Not only was the scene not in the book, but it had no importance to the plot what so ever. We know from the 5th movie/book that she killed Sirius and the burning of the Weasley's house can only lead to complications in the 7th movie where it will have to be perfect again.

Also, while I enjoyed the comic relief of many of the romantic-y scenes, I was very disappointed that Harry and Ginny's first kiss was when they were hidden in the Room of Requirement. In the book it is a huge scene where Harry comes to the common room after detention, and not being able to play in the Quidditch final, to find out they have won thanks to Ginny and lifts her up and kisses her. While they seemed to work up to their relationship quite a bit in the movie, they failed to show how it bloomed like in the book.

I think the biggest thing that bugged me about this movie though, was how it seemed to have completely leave out the few chapters of the book. It skipped the majority of the huge fight scene in the castle after Dumbledore's death and even left out Dumbledore's funeral! Because they are making the seventh book into two movies, one thing I really hope for is that in the beginning of the first half of the 7th movie is that they have Dumbledore's funeral.

While re-reading the book right before the movie came out probably made me a bit more disappointed with every little detail that wasn't the same, I still feel they should have done things a bit differently. And while it seems like I only have complaints about the movie, I really did enjoy seeing it at the midnight showing and will most likely see it again before it leaves theaters. What can I say though as an avid reader? The book is always better.

As a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, I have to say the sixth movie made me have mixed feelings. I understand that they are not able to fit every little detail into a 2.5 hour movie from a 607 paged book, however I felt they spent too much time on some aspects of the movie which made them leave out important parts.

The biggest thing that bugged me was the scene where Bellatrix and other Death Eaters lit the Weasley's house on fire and she went screaming through the field "I killed Sirius Black." Not only was the scene not in the book, but it had no importance to the plot what so ever. We know from the 5th movie/book that she killed Sirius and the burning of the Weasley's house can only lead to complications in the 7th movie where it will have to be perfect again.

Also, while I enjoyed the comic relief of many of the romantic-y scenes, I was very disappointed that Harry and Ginny's first kiss was when they were hidden in the Room of Requirement. In the book it is a huge scene where Harry comes to the common room after detention, and not being able to play in the Quidditch final, to find out they have won thanks to Ginny and lifts her up and kisses her. While they seemed to work up to their relationship quite a bit in the movie, they failed to show how it bloomed like in the book.

I think the biggest thing that bugged me about this movie though, was how it seemed to have completely leave out the few chapters of the book. It skipped the majority of the huge fight scene in the castle after Dumbledore's death and even left out Dumbledore's funeral! Because they are making the seventh book into two movies, one thing I really hope for is that in the beginning of the first half of the 7th movie is that they have Dumbledore's funeral.

While re-reading the book right before the movie came out probably made me a bit more disappointed with every little detail that wasn't the same, I still feel they should have done things a bit differently. And while it seems like I only have complaints about the movie, I really did enjoy seeing it at the midnight showing and will most likely see it again before it leaves theaters. What can I say though as an avid reader? The book is always better.

You gotta think of this as a first part of a trilogy. Things are starting to get to the final conclusion of the story. If you've read the final book, you enjoy the movie better knowing what is coming in the final two movies. If you haven't you feel like there is so much left out, but it's all in the final book. I do think that instead of the attack on the burrow, they could've had the attack on hogwarts giving some more time to Neville and Luna and what they end up doing in the final book, particularly Neville. One more very important thing they leave out, is one very important memory that gives Harry the clue to finding the final horcruxes in the last book, this was taken out and is very important to what they do in the future. Also, the kiss was totally lame. Harry was the one supposed to take initiative, not Ginny. Anyway, if you haven't read the last book, don't worry, everything SHOULD be explained in the final two films, so think of it as a first part of a trilogy and you might enjoy the movie more. If you read the final book after watching the movie, things will make sense.

I went to see this having read many reviews--most professional critics were positive, while far more regular viewers were critical of the adaptation. To prep for the movie I re-read book 6 and book 7 last week, and so while I can appreciate that some people are upset at the changes to the details between the book and movie, I thought that the movie DID capture the essence of what the book was about--with the exception of the horcruxes (the details of where and what they were, was explained in sufficient detail in book 6, so that in book 7, this didn't necessarily have to be addressed, however their omission in the movie might mean that they will go into that in the DH-movie). As far as people complaining about the high school-ness of the movie, quite frankly, book 6 was all about the teenager-ness of the main characters (which I think makes their quest in DH that much more impressive).

This reminded me a lot of Twilight. It concentrated much more on the romance than actual important parts of the plot. It jumped all over the place. Honestly, if I had not reread the book a week ago I would have been so confused. But then again I spent the whole movie wondering where different parts were. Basically read the book again to get the plot but try not to think about it when watching the movie.

*SPOILERS* There was so much missing from this. There were no memories which was such a huge part of the plot. Voldemort's mom wasn't in the movie. When Dumbledore was killed, I didn't feel any emotion. It was so confusing how Ginny never broke up with her other boyfriend and kissed Harry. If I had not read the book I would have been extremely confused. Also I missed not having the kiss in the Common Room and seeing Ron's whole reaction. This was my favorite book because of all of the romance but I feel like they kind of ruined the movie with it. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie since it was my favorite book. And while it was really amusing and had some good part, it didn't feel like it was based on the book enough

I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies,and I thought they did a pretty good job sticking to the book.When the movie was over,it didn't feel like I had been sitting for two and a half hours.
I was really disappointed that they hadn't included the Death Eaters fighting in the school and Dumbledore's funeral.