Half Blood Prince Movie REVIEW

The trio eyes Lavender with some apprehension...

Avert your eyes if you've not seen HP6 yet....
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Since I've been in list mode for the last two weeks, I'll break this down as my hot and not so hot moments of the film.

NOT SO HOT
1. Dumbledore's funeral got cut. This movie needed that scene. It ends too abruptly, with an awkward trio scene at the top of the astronomy tower (as if Harry would want to hang out there now).
2. WTF was up with the whole "Lily gave me a fish in a bowl" speech from Slughhorn? It was just dumb. The interchange between Harry and Slughorn, when he finally gives Harry the memory, is beautifully written in the book, and would have worked well on camera. Fish in a bowl, my arse...
3. The cave scene wasn't as dramatic as it might have been. We don't get a sense of Dumbledore's frailty whatsoever.
4. The burning Burrow. I had high hopes for this, but the inclusion of this scene doesn't heighten the drama all that much, and the Weasleys ENTIRE HOUSE BURNS DOWN, and they just stand there, with "Doh!" looks on their faces. The scene then cuts, abruptly again, to Lavender giving Ron the sweetheart necklace. I think I got whiplash watching it.
5. The entire film is DARK. And by dark, I don't mean an emotional tone, but rather, the lighting. So dark, that at times, I couldn't see what was going on. Turn on the light, Yates.

HOT
1. Comedy. This was the funniest HP movie of all. Ron is exquisite as a lovelorn, potion drunk mess. But the real comedian here is Dan Radcliffe's Harry. Radcliffe did a stint on "Extras" that was comedy gold, so I'm not surprised how funny he can be, especially in the Felix Felicis scene. I'm going to see the flick again just for that. There's physical comedy here, too. Quidditch namely, but there's a brief moment when Harry and Ron fight over who is getting the newest Potions book in the cabinet, and they struggle over it the way 11th grade boys would--viciously and funny as hell. Those moments came off as particularly true.
2. Romance. It was done well here, and Hermione's plight is really touching. Movie Hermione is a lot less subtle than book Hermione, but I think that works. The canary scene was brilliant (and also reinforced her friendship with Harry in a nice way) and the hospital scene with Ron (Er-my-knee) was funny and sweet. The Ginny/Harry stuff comes off as a bit less true, but tender nevertheless, especially when Ginny helps Harry hide his Potions book, and when she holds him next to Dumbledore's corpse.
3. Lavender Brown gets her very own number here. Jessie Cave was wonderful, manic, lovable. At one point, she fogs up a glass to write "R + L" on it, and it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
4. Draco. Well done, Tom Felton. He is vulnerable and horrible at once. I didn't know Tom had it in him.
5. Horace Slughorn is, perhaps, the most perfect rendition of a Hogwart's professor in the films.

As I said, I'm definitely going to see this again. Some of my favorite filmic moments of the series are in this one, though I wouldn't say it's my favorite movie overall. That title still goes to Cuaron's PRISONER OF AZKABAN. Can HP7 top it? Well, we have about three hundred days before we find out:)

V--I turn it all over to you and your NEW MOON madness. Prof. H is out.