Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2009-07-22 12:20 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2009-07-22 12:20 pm
Entry tags:
Click Click Click Click. (A Representation Of Noise, Rather Than An Instruction.)
I was surprised to realise how excited I was about seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but of course I grew up with these books. I read the first one when I was ten, and even with the delays in their being released I more or less aged alongside Harry. My enthusiasm waned a little towards the end, but the Harry Potter books were still a huge, huge part of my teenage years.
Here are my thoughts on the film!
- I am so glad that the films stopped being scene-for-scene retellings of the books around Prisoner of Azkaban. The first two are so dreadfully dull, because you already know everything that's going to be said and everything that's going to happen. Since the filmmakers gained the courage to edge away from the books a bit, the films have been getting better and better.
- Destroying the Millennium Bridge! You and Doctor Who should hang out and blow up London landmarks together, Harry Potter. (I did find seeing places I recognised on the cinema screen rather exciting, I have to admit.)
- I really liked the little wizarding-world touches in this film. The fire lizard roasting chestnuts! Wonderful!
- I think I may like Harry and Ginny's relationship more in the films than I do in the books. I am not quite sure why! All I know is that, when the Unexpected Fire And Running Through A Cornfield And Blowing Up The Burrow Hang On I Don't Remember This Happening In The Book scene interrupted their almost-a-kiss, I was genuinely disappointed.
- I couldn't quite keep myself from envisioning a monster bursting out of Harry's chest when he saw her with Dean, though. THANKS, ROWLING.
- Also, I am now thinking about Ginny Weasley/Dean Winchester. That would be interesting, certainly.
- Has Emma Watson become a better actress? She no longer breathes every one of her lines! I was actually rather enjoying her Hermione.
- Also I was maybe possibly 'shipping Harry/Hermione. A bit. I can't 'ship it properly, or at least not on its own, because I can't bear to leave Ron out (unlike the filmmakers, apparently, who will happily put Ron in the background of the final scene and give him no lines whilst Harry and Hermione converse in the foreground), but, er, yes. I want internal conflict within the trio over Harry/Hermione and Hermione/Ron, perhaps with a few Harry/Ron hints, eventually concluding with a charming little polyamorous cohabitation resolution.
- Ron really could have done with more of a role. I feel he's generally been neglected over the course of the films. He's used for comic relief, and that's fine, but then Serious Scenes come along and he is immediately and completely forgotten about. You can't do that! Ron is really important!
- (Yes, the fact that Hermione was the one to notice the scars on Harry's hand in the Order of the Phoenix film still stings. MY FAVOURITE HARRY-AND-RON MOMENT EVER, AND THEY JUST TOOK IT AWAY.)
- Now that I think about it, Ron's lack of a role in the final scene really is extremely odd, because surely he should have a say in the 'YES, HARRY, OF COURSE WE'LL DROP OUT OF SCHOOL AND TRAVEL IN SEARCH OF WHO KNOWS WHAT WITH YOU' thing.
- Was Dumbledore really creepy at the beginning of this film, or was I imagining things?
- I LOVE LUNA. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She just sort of disappeared halfway through, didn't she? COME BACK, LUNA; YOU ARE AMAZING. 'It's like walking with a friend.' Oh, I want to give her so many hugs. And Harry saying he is a friend, and her dreamy 'That's nice', and I love them and I love their friendship and I want her to have a role several million times bigger.
- Slughorn was rather excellent. He's not quite as I imagined him, but I think I preferred him here, and I liked that he actually asked for Aragog's venom. And Tom Riddle was perfect. I always imagined Young Tom Riddle looking exactly like the younger of my brothers did before he hit puberty, and the actor gets close enough to my little brother and then adds creepiness.
- Why introduce Fenrir if you're not going to do anything with him? His most significant role is attacking Bill, and Bill seems to have been expunged entirely. It is bizarre.
- Hee, Ron under the influence of the love potion! And Harry after taking the Felix Felicis! Marvellous!
- The force-feeding Dumbledore the liquid scene was not nearly as horrific in the film as it was in the book. I can't say I am disappointed that I was not twisting uncomfortably around in my seat and trying to hide my face.
- I had forgotten what a massive obsessed stalker Harry is in this book. Harry/Draco: entirely plausible. I was expecting him to fall to his knees in the water and pull the bleeding Draco into his arms after the Sectumsempra incident, and when he did not I felt mildly cheated.
- In the film, Draco says, 'I've got to kill you, or he'll kill me.' In the book, he says that Voldemort threatened to kill him and his family. I am quite sad that they took that out. Say what you will about the Malfoys, but they love each other, and that was always one of Draco's better qualities.
- Oh, poor terrified Draco. Bless him. I really love the poor boy in Half-Blood Prince, and I love the way Felton played his story here.
- I'm glad they took out the battle in the castle. I was rather dreading that. I'm not sure why. (Although, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
twicetheheart31 pointed out, it makes the entire vanishing cabinet business rather pointless.)
- I cannot judge the emotional impact of Dumbledore's death, because my dad leant over to me when he (Dumbledore, not my dad) was falling from the tower and whispered, 'Anyone who cries has to walk home,' and I was too busy giggling to focus on the screen. Sorry, Dumbledore. Also, I'm not really a great fan of Michael Gambon's portrayal.
- I did get a bit sniffly during the raising of the wands, though.
- In conclusion: I enjoyed it! Also, the entire film was really, really, really pretty.
- EDIT: OH, YES, I FORGOT TO MENTION. The bit where Snape escorts Draco from Slughorn's party, and then pins him against the wall and tells him he's an idiot?
I have never 'shipped Snape and Draco before, but, er.
Er.
Here are my thoughts on the film!
- I am so glad that the films stopped being scene-for-scene retellings of the books around Prisoner of Azkaban. The first two are so dreadfully dull, because you already know everything that's going to be said and everything that's going to happen. Since the filmmakers gained the courage to edge away from the books a bit, the films have been getting better and better.
- Destroying the Millennium Bridge! You and Doctor Who should hang out and blow up London landmarks together, Harry Potter. (I did find seeing places I recognised on the cinema screen rather exciting, I have to admit.)
- I really liked the little wizarding-world touches in this film. The fire lizard roasting chestnuts! Wonderful!
- I think I may like Harry and Ginny's relationship more in the films than I do in the books. I am not quite sure why! All I know is that, when the Unexpected Fire And Running Through A Cornfield And Blowing Up The Burrow Hang On I Don't Remember This Happening In The Book scene interrupted their almost-a-kiss, I was genuinely disappointed.
- I couldn't quite keep myself from envisioning a monster bursting out of Harry's chest when he saw her with Dean, though. THANKS, ROWLING.
- Also, I am now thinking about Ginny Weasley/Dean Winchester. That would be interesting, certainly.
- Has Emma Watson become a better actress? She no longer breathes every one of her lines! I was actually rather enjoying her Hermione.
- Also I was maybe possibly 'shipping Harry/Hermione. A bit. I can't 'ship it properly, or at least not on its own, because I can't bear to leave Ron out (unlike the filmmakers, apparently, who will happily put Ron in the background of the final scene and give him no lines whilst Harry and Hermione converse in the foreground), but, er, yes. I want internal conflict within the trio over Harry/Hermione and Hermione/Ron, perhaps with a few Harry/Ron hints, eventually concluding with a charming little polyamorous cohabitation resolution.
- Ron really could have done with more of a role. I feel he's generally been neglected over the course of the films. He's used for comic relief, and that's fine, but then Serious Scenes come along and he is immediately and completely forgotten about. You can't do that! Ron is really important!
- (Yes, the fact that Hermione was the one to notice the scars on Harry's hand in the Order of the Phoenix film still stings. MY FAVOURITE HARRY-AND-RON MOMENT EVER, AND THEY JUST TOOK IT AWAY.)
- Now that I think about it, Ron's lack of a role in the final scene really is extremely odd, because surely he should have a say in the 'YES, HARRY, OF COURSE WE'LL DROP OUT OF SCHOOL AND TRAVEL IN SEARCH OF WHO KNOWS WHAT WITH YOU' thing.
- Was Dumbledore really creepy at the beginning of this film, or was I imagining things?
- I LOVE LUNA. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She just sort of disappeared halfway through, didn't she? COME BACK, LUNA; YOU ARE AMAZING. 'It's like walking with a friend.' Oh, I want to give her so many hugs. And Harry saying he is a friend, and her dreamy 'That's nice', and I love them and I love their friendship and I want her to have a role several million times bigger.
- Slughorn was rather excellent. He's not quite as I imagined him, but I think I preferred him here, and I liked that he actually asked for Aragog's venom. And Tom Riddle was perfect. I always imagined Young Tom Riddle looking exactly like the younger of my brothers did before he hit puberty, and the actor gets close enough to my little brother and then adds creepiness.
- Why introduce Fenrir if you're not going to do anything with him? His most significant role is attacking Bill, and Bill seems to have been expunged entirely. It is bizarre.
- Hee, Ron under the influence of the love potion! And Harry after taking the Felix Felicis! Marvellous!
- The force-feeding Dumbledore the liquid scene was not nearly as horrific in the film as it was in the book. I can't say I am disappointed that I was not twisting uncomfortably around in my seat and trying to hide my face.
- I had forgotten what a massive obsessed stalker Harry is in this book. Harry/Draco: entirely plausible. I was expecting him to fall to his knees in the water and pull the bleeding Draco into his arms after the Sectumsempra incident, and when he did not I felt mildly cheated.
- In the film, Draco says, 'I've got to kill you, or he'll kill me.' In the book, he says that Voldemort threatened to kill him and his family. I am quite sad that they took that out. Say what you will about the Malfoys, but they love each other, and that was always one of Draco's better qualities.
- Oh, poor terrified Draco. Bless him. I really love the poor boy in Half-Blood Prince, and I love the way Felton played his story here.
- I'm glad they took out the battle in the castle. I was rather dreading that. I'm not sure why. (Although, as
twicetheheart31 pointed out, it makes the entire vanishing cabinet business rather pointless.)- I cannot judge the emotional impact of Dumbledore's death, because my dad leant over to me when he (Dumbledore, not my dad) was falling from the tower and whispered, 'Anyone who cries has to walk home,' and I was too busy giggling to focus on the screen. Sorry, Dumbledore. Also, I'm not really a great fan of Michael Gambon's portrayal.
- I did get a bit sniffly during the raising of the wands, though.
- In conclusion: I enjoyed it! Also, the entire film was really, really, really pretty.
- EDIT: OH, YES, I FORGOT TO MENTION. The bit where Snape escorts Draco from Slughorn's party, and then pins him against the wall and tells him he's an idiot?
I have never 'shipped Snape and Draco before, but, er.
Er.
no subject
My theory is that they're going to have Lupin and Tonks' wedding at the beginning of the next film, as Bill and Fleur and therefore what I found a rather touching subplot of the last two books appear to have been eradicated. Thoughts?
no subject
I'm expecting Lupin and Tonks' wedding as well. (Yes, Bill and Fleur were lovely! But I suppose the film was already rather long.)