Q&A: Wow, Half Blood Prince movie review, it sounds amazing?

Question by JakesRosenblum: Wow, Half Blood Prince movie review, it sounds amazing?
I’ll post the link, it has a few minor spoilers and I’ve put together some facts
1: Harry is waiting for Dumbledore at a resteraunt, he flirst with a waitress (I know cause in Entertainment Weekly it said in the first scene with Harry includes him flirting with a waitress. The review said that he meets Dumbledore in an interesting place)
2: The opening scene is a bridge explosion.
3: It followed the book very closely
I would say more but just read this review, I for one cannot wait for the new movie, it makes up for the movie being delayed

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

A test screening experience and review by Eric Scull

~~~~SPOILER WARNING!~~~~ The review below includes mild spoilers for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Read at your own discretion, but consider yourself forewarned.

First, let me explain that what we saw was a pre-release test screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – the first one, apparently, which is always held in Chicago stemming back to the days of the first two films. There were, if I had to guess, I’d say 300 people who made it, and none of the people I talked to knew what we were going to see beforehand. All we had been told was that the movie was expected to be rated PG-13, no video or audio recording devices were in any way allowed (they confiscated our phones) and the purpose of the screening was to obtain feedback from the diverse audience prior to the film’s actual release. Rather standard, I’m sure.

While sitting in the theatre all we could do was speculate what the movie would be. We were completely unsure, until something happened that made me look twice. David Heyman entered the auditorium and started talking to an associate. Although I hadn’t met him in person before, I’d seen him in enough interviews that, once I saw him, my furthest hopes came to mind. Sure enough, the lights dimmed, and it was announced that we were going to be seeing a rough cut version, not fully completed but generally in tact, of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Onward to the movie.

We knew they had filmed a bridge collapse scene which in the book was mentioned during the first chapter, “The Other Minister.” This makes for a great opening sequence and, although we don’t meet the Muggle Prime Minister, we get to see the disaster happen from the Muggle perspective. Actually it’s from both Muggle and a wizarding perspective that we see what happens – a really cool trick which you can do with film. It’s pulled off quite nicely. Already I like the style and care that is put in to characterizing people in this world who we don’t even meet.

The Dursleys are not in this film, but that information was also already available. Instead, we find Harry waiting for Dumbledore, and I won’t say where except to say that they’ve constructed a scene which I think works well. The movie has already given a couple of seconds to reflect quickly on the horrors of Harry’s previous year, and we are ready as moviegoers to watch Harry pick up the journey and go further from there.

Harry and Dumbledore Side-Along Apparate (the special effect, which appeared to be completed, was perfect in matching the canon description of the act) to the village where Slughorn is staying, and one of my largest concerns for the movie was getting to see Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Don’t worry. Throughout the movie, I was continuously impressed with how they adapted the character to the film, and to say that he does reflect my Slughorn from the books satisfactorily, with a little extra, is true. The scene where they meet Slughorn is surprisingly close to the events of the book, as is most of this movie, actually. I was surprised and delighted to see Couch-Slughorn put to film.

The events of “Spinner’s End” take place also in the beginning of the film. We’ve received a promo picture of Alan Rickman’s Snape and Helen McCrory’s Narcissa doing the Unbreakable Vow, and that’s why – it’s in the movie. Alan Rickman looks good. They’ve tailored his Snape suit and he’s got nicer hair, the full main villain treatment I suspect. The scene is compellingly acted and doesn’t feel out of place with the many events of the start of the film.

And thus, the movie continues. With the initial story-setting behind them, although it didn’t feel rushed at all, we are taken to the Burrow. Here is where I’ll speed up the review.

A lot of the things people seemed to dislike about the fifth HP film, such as vast amounts of time passing in visually appealing yet otherwise disappointing montages, does not happen in this. The film maintains its director’s neat visuals, however. Right from the initial Burrow scene, it is clear that Mr. Yates has not lost his creative edge and rather moved on to do different and wonderful things with the camera.

The entire movie seems to keep its pace, and I think one of the things that has helped the filmmakers is a clear-cut

Best answer:

Answer by a-x
I KNOW! I’m so excited! And doubley dissapointed that we have to wait so long 🙁
My only worry is that this is written by Eric. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Mugglecast but Eric has some very strange opinions sometimes (IMO). Like he didn’t like Deathly Hallows. I LOVED Deathly Hallows.
But yeh I just read it on Mugglenet. looks AWESOME!

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