This thread is property of the Half-Blood Prince. Caution: spoilers ahead.

Another thread on HE inspired me to create the official HBP-review/discussion thread. We're just about 24 hours away from the release of HBP (LT time (i.e. East Coast)).

P.S. This thread will contain spoilers.

yay! an official thread! I can hardly wait!

I will absolutely write my thoughts on the movie as soon as I come back from the cinema tomorrow, thanks foggi!

HBP has a 98% on the Tomatometer!

Shame on Peter Travers giving away a plot point. Dufus! He likes Rupert & Tom Felton, tho.

Hmmmm....trying to decide.... Could go and see it tonight if there are any seats left in Leicester Square.... BUt it's my first night off in aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, and I would kind of like to have an early night... Decisions decisions....

getting excited about it! Two hours to go

We went to the 3:30 am showing here, and there was a big crowd. I'm dying to talk about it, but it looks like there aren't many out there who have seen it yet.

Aaaack! We can't go until Saturday. My 15-year old daughter comes home from Camp (27 day camp and boy am I glad it's almost over!) on Friday and we're waiting so all three of us can go together.

We'll probably go see the movie then have an early dinner. And, since my daughter just got her driving permit before she left for camp she'll probably drive us the 30 miles to the movie theater.

I saw it last night at 12:01! So I'm ready to talk!

There's a spoiler warning - go for it!!!

The nicest review I've read.

Saw it last night at 12:15 a.m. est -- 4 sold out shows! Really ready to talk!

Spoilers

First, I'm not a Gambon fan--until now. I enjoyed Harris' DD, as he was the wise old man. Gambon's changed his version of DD for HBP. He's much older and calmer. There are some close-ups of his face, where the multitude of wrinkles shows his age (and the great make-up department WB has). The cave scene and the astronomy tower scene were almost verbatim as I imagined them to be in the book. He even says the "knitting patterns" line!

Second, the trio (and Tom Felton) have grown and matured. They're no longer the cute 11 year olds. Dan, Rupert, and Emma are very realistic in their portrayal of teenagers in love, as they're basically acting their age. The chemistry between them has grown by leaps and bounds, and Yates highlights that relationship.

Third, the pacing and story-telling aspect of the film was spot on. The film went from action to comedy to action to comedy (and so on).

Jesse Cave is a perfect "teenage psycho" Lavender Brown and Jim Broadbent does a good job as Slughorn. The tone of the movie shows that the wizarding world is at war becuase Molly Weasley, McGonagall, and Lupin all show signs of stress.

End Spoilers

My favorites films (pre-HBP) are: OotP, PoA, SS, CoS, and GoF. After watching HBP, my list is HBP, OotP, PoA, SS, CoS, and GoF.

Even though I had to get up at 8 this morning and got back late from the midnight showing, I still enjoyed it. I can't wait to see it again (either this weekend or next).

I absolutely agree about the casting of Lavendar Brown. That bit was so funny. And I loved the whole romance angle.

I also loved Aragog's funeral. I thought it was quite funny, but I didn't hear a lot of other folks laughing.

I thought it strange some of the things they left out. They didn't show the Occlumency lessons, which I felt were important to give a better view of Snape. They didn't show anything at all about the ministry, which is probably fine, but I wonder how they will (or even if!) bring back Percy in the next book.

My daughter was disappointed that they didn't make the big showdown at the end more like the book. They didn't bring any of the Order of the Phoenix into the castle, for instance.

I also loved Ron's big Quidditch triumph. It was nice to see his character getting a bit of room to grow. And the love potion bit was hilarious!

Yes, I was disappointed there was now Order of the Phoenix showdown at the end. But there was still lots of other action. Perhaps they're saving battle action for the last movie, to make it really epic. The scene in the cave was AWESOME. I jumped a mile out of my seat, even though I knew it was coming! Regardless of what anyone might think of the plot, or what they changed from the book, I hope everyone can agree that the movie was simply beautiful to watch. The colors, the camera angles, the costumes, the settings. I'd really like to see it again.

Sinceeveryone seemed to like it I'l say That Tom Felton did well...thats all otherwise the movie .............

IT SUCKED!

Why do you think it sucked?

I don't know what book they were adapting from but it wasn't Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! There was so much left out and other things added that weren't even in the book!

No Dursleys
No Gaunts
No Hepzibah Smith
no battle of Howarts
no Bill and Fleur
no DD funeral
very little of:
Tom riddle
Quidditch
Slughorn

included for no apparent reason:

The burrow being attacked by death eaters and set on fire
Harry being dragged into the lake by inferi

No Scrimgeour either from the rumours.

I still haven't seen it, so I'll reserve judgment.

thats right No Scrimgeour

no Fudge visiting the muggle prime minister

Look at it this way, polly, it makes those of us who've read the books that much cooler because we know so much more of the story.

I'm seriously tempted to write JKR and ask her "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? LETTING THEM DESTROY YOUR BOOKS THIS WAY!

Okay, Okay, I'll chill. maybe some of you will totally enjoy it, thats fine

But the parts that they kept in, was it any good?

As a *movie* - separate from the books - I really enjoyed it. It really helps if it's been a while since you've read the books! The last time I read them all was 2 years ago; plenty of time for me to forget all the details to enjoy the movie as a movie experience.

well lets see........
Lavendar was pretty
the quidditch scenes were realistic
Luna was wonderful
the destroyed house where DD and Harry found Slughorn was cool as was the putting it back together
arogog was awesome altho dead and played down kinda hurried thru actually
Hermione did a lot of crying and Ron seemed clueless most of the time
Katie touching the cursed necklace was cool
the room of lost things was good too

I also noticed a few DH connections:

1. Snape pointing to Harry to shut up. The biggest argument post-HBP was wether Snape was good or evil. BY telling Harry to be quiet, he's implying that it okay becuase he and DD had a plan (which they did).
2. Harry touches DD's wand (a.k.a. the Elder Wand) on his desk. Although they introduced us, albeit subtly, to the Elder Wand and one of the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort is supposed to break DD's tomb open. Maybe they'll have him in the office?
3. Horcruxes. Once Harry and DD view the Slughorn's real memory, they only discuss the destroyed horcruxes and forget the other ones. Although we know what the horcruxes are, the movie viewer doesn't. So the horcruxes are going to be a bit confusing to the non-book readers.

#27: I have to agree about the horcruxes.

polly, I know what you mean but I have learned from the past movies that you can't compare completely the book with the movies. But I can totally see your point of view.

Ok, my thoughts on the movie: I really liked it! not my favorite one but in my top 3.

1. Like wingert mentioned above, if in the book you had a sense that it was impossible for Harry to find the Horcruxes even knowing what they were, in the movie they don't mention what objects they are making it completely impossible to track them all.

2. Loved the acting on Emma, Rupert, Dan and Tom. Loved Evanna too. I think acting wise everything was spot on.

3. Some of my friends said that they didn't think there was sufficient on-screen time for the Harry/Ginny kiss, but I loved how very sweet and touching it ended up.

4. I really missed the battle at hogwarts towards the end of the movie, because if we aren't going to see much of D.A. in the first part of the last movie, we should have gotten to see them fighting at least here.

5. I didn't like the fact that Harry was not petrified at the end of the movie, because Harry wouldn't just hang there without acting if they were killing Dumbledore.

6. Draco didn't really need to bring the death eaters into Hogwarts, I mean they didn't do anything except destroy the Great Hall and Hagrid's hut, they didn't help him kill dumbledore either.

If I remember any more thoughts on the movie I will add them, right now I'm really sleepy...

I saw the movie tonight. I enjoyed it for a movie and it was very reminiscent of the first HP movie. Although it did not have a lot of crucial scenes in it, I still enjoyed it. A number of times I was saying 'what the he&* was that...

I thought it was odd that they didn't show a single DADA lesson with Snape, which you know Harry and his friends would have been upset about, even if you are taking the movies as separate from the books. Those lessons were really important too.

This was actually the first Potter movie that I did enjoy. I have never seen any movie that did a good book justice so I came to terms with the HP movies long ago.

All the things that drove me nuts in the last 2 movies
Emma and Tom OVER ACTING...
Every sentence ending with "Harry" or other names over and over and over again...
in-your-face dark & dreery scenes and special effects that made me think they were turning into mini-matrix movies...

all are greatfully gone in this film

I just can't figure out why Tom Riddles childhood took such a back seat.

I took my daughters to the 12:05 am showing, we enjoyed it, but I agree I was disappointed in spots..

Spoilers....Spoilers.....Spoilers

I wished they would have included the big fight and DD's funeral at the end.

I would have also liked to see DD's visit to the Dursley's in the begining. It would have been amusing to see the cups of butter beer knocking them upside thier heads!

end of spoilers....end of spoilers...end of spoilers

My husband is taking the boys to see it tonight, I think I might tag a long to see it again...

I liked it! I liked it a lot! When I watched the Where the Wild Things are trailer I thought this better not be the only time I get goosebumps and teary and it wasn't.

*Here there be spoilers*
There were parts from the book that I missed (Dumbledore at the Dursleys, Fluer), and there were a few extra parts I could do without (the Burrow), but that is why I don't read a book before a movie. Finally realistic Quidditch! When Dumbledore said "please" I sobbed and I wasn't even crying yet.
*/spoilers*

This is definitely one of my favorite HP movies! I can't wait to watch it with other LTers!

like others have said, i enjoy the films because i'm able to seperate them from the books... mostly.

i thought this film was really beautiful. watching Draco's very obvious shift into depression and chaos was wonderful. for the first time, i actually felt like Tom Felton was a good actor. he was heartbreaking.

i also feel like the emotional lives of these 15 and 16 year olds is so honest. heartbreak at that age feels like such a devastation. it's great to see that, even though they face REAL dangers constantly, they aren't immune to the pangs of adolesence.

the consensus among people i've talked to is that the biggest misstep this movie made was leaving the battle out at the end. because of that ommission, the movie felt like it fizzled out where all the others have ended on a bang. not that the death scene wasn't painful and well done, but it just didn't have the oomf i was expecting the end to have.

and on the note of ommissions, there are things from the previous movies that have been left out that i just don't know how they are going to remedy in the last 2.

- what about Bill and Percy and Charlie? i've been wondering where Bill and Charlie would pop up for ages, but Bill has a pretty significant role in the last book... are they just going to introduce him then and act like he's been there all along?

- what about Grimauld Place, and Kreecher and Doby? so far there is no indication that Harry owns Grimauld Place, but that is why the 3 go there in DH. Kreecher and Doby both also play significant parts in DH, but we haven't seen Doby since CoS and Kreecher was hardly a character in OoP.

- the murders of the Riddles was never discussed (other than knowing that Voldemort's father is dead) and the connection Voldemort has to the Founder's Objects isn't even touched upon. like someone else said, how exactly are Harry and crew to figure out what the Horcruxes are if Harry doesn't even know that the first were made when Tom killed his own father?

i'm looking forward to the next two movies, especially to see how they remedy these issues. even flawed, i really enjoyed Half-Blood Prince. can't wait to see it again.

Just got back from seeing it and felt like a lot of you did, it was ok but could have been so much better. Unlike OtP, I won't be seeing this a second time.

Whereas in all of the others, there has been a grand finale which gives you a) something to build up too and b) a good way to finish, this gave neither. There wasn't enough gradual build up to the searching for the horcruxes, not enough Tom Riddle so that Voldemort could be understood better (e.g why he hates Muggles quite so much) and no final battle scene to enjoy.

It felt far too much like just working up to the final book, without any real story in itself. For instance, PS had the getting the stone moment, CoS the Basilisk and Tom Riddle, PoA freeing Sirius Black and all those twists, GoF the graveyard, OoP the Ministry. Where was this one's grand ending? It should have been the battle, or the funeral and instead we had Dumbledore on the ground??

Also I was really disappointed that Ginny wasn't in the final scene, and there wasn't the discussion about splitting up with her. Grrrrr

Things I did like:

Tom Felton's acting was brilliant as Draco, a real step forward from him. Helena Bonham-Carter was also great as Bellatrix. Didn't get as much from Snape as I had hoped, although the bit in the Astronomy tower was very good. I also liked Michael Gambon's Dumbledore much better in this, as it felt much closer to what Richard Harris had started.

The lake scene was FANTASTIC! Exactly how I had imagined it. By far the best bit.

Beginning also very good, flying through London like that, what brilliant special effects.

The Burrow burning down was..........strange, but ignoring that it wasn't in the book and there could have been a better way to use that film time, it was certainly atmospheric.

I just came out feeling quite disappointed. Many more of my favourite lines could have been slipped in without damaging the continuity or making it longer, and its going to be hard to make the final two match enough with the book AND enough with the previous film. Simple scenes like having them sitting in the Great Hall and commenting at someone's family having gone missing would have created much more tension.

And having had heard it was the funniest.......not so funny to me!

I giggled that they had included the 'Knitting Magazine' comment though.

I hadn't read HBP beforehand and I am sooooooo glad I didn't, I picked holes in it enough as it is. Now going to read it and enjoy the 'real' story.

Re: end battle

In the book, we (readers) don't really see the end battle. Harry's under the cloak and petrified on the astronomy tower and runs after Snape after he AKs DD. All we see of the actual battle were spells flying over Harry as he chased after Snape, Draco and the DEs. We get a more rounded sense of the battle in chapter 29, "The Phoenix Lament" in the hospital wing. I'm actually glad that they cut out the end battle. How would they film a battle seen through Harry's eyes in the book, but through a third person lens in the movie?

Yes but he is well aware of a battle and the spells flying around. There is no reason why we couldn't have had the sound of shouting in the background with Malfoy glancing behind him, and spells flying over as Harry runs.

There was also no reason to not have someone injured and have the summing up in the hospital wing. It would have brought more resolution and significance to Dumbledore's death, showing other people turning up and hearing, as well as talking about Snape's 'treachery' so that the implications of it could be seen as far reaching.

Edited to add: and there is no reason it couldn't have been done through Harry's eyes. How effective would that have been........Harry petrified and watching and hearing, so we see all that he can see and hear but nothing else until he is released from the curse.

Yay I saw it!!!

I agree with most of you when you say that it could've been better. But nevertheless, as a movie, it was really good.

Things I liked:

Quidditch scenes
The whole Ron-Hermione-Lavender thing
When Harry tood the Felix Felicius potion and kept being all jolly with everyone.
The cave scene.
Katie touching the necklace.
The sectusempra in the bathroom.
The bridge falling down.

Things I think could've been better or were completely irrelevant:

I missed the battle scene at the end. I was so disappointed in that.
I also wanted to see Fudge talk to the prime minister.
I also missed DD's funeral at the end. I think that would've been a very touching moment.
The Burrow's burning.

I overall think the acting was much better. They all looked like they knew what they were doing, and it was just really good. Lavender Brown was really well cast, although I was a bit disappointed by some of Bonnie Wright's acting...I feel like I've seen her do better.

So I think I'm not exactly disappointed. I feel like it is the best of the movies so far, although even though it's 2 1/2 hours long, I still felt it was short.

Oh and another thing... I liked how there was various references to previous movies, like how when Slughorn asks Hagrid if Aragog had family, Harry says yes right away. Or how Bellatrix goes around the Burrow yelling she killed Sirius Black, although that one was kinda obvious.

Oh, and I would've also liked to see a bit more memories to get a bit more the connection to Tom Riddle. The memories we saw were important, but somehow not enough...

I liked it!

Things not mentioned above (I don't think):

Luna having Tonks' rescuing Harry section and lines. I did like that she found him because of wrackworts (or whatever), although there is something to be said for never actually seeing anything from the Quibbler. I really wish they had left in her Quidditch commentary, tho.

Loved Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!

The only thing that really bothered me about the ending was NOT that they left out the battle (since they will be doing that up big in the final movie) and not even that Harry was not petrified by DD on the astronomy tower (since they tried to explain it), but the missing bits from the Harry/Snape confrontation as the Death Eaters escape. No "again and again" etc., no "don't call me a coward!" And they barely even showed Snape's face as he is delivering the killing curse, of which much is made in the book. I can't wait for foggi to weigh in on these things.

In general I really enjoyed the film, loved the performances, especially Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent & Rupert (dare I say it, I thought Rickman overdid it a bit this time *winces, avoids being hit with a book*). Many of the changes I approve of, but the misses with Snape do sting.

#40

dare I say it, I thought Rickman overdid it a bit this time

Absolutely agree. He gets more and more overdone each time. By the time the 7t part 2 comes around, can you imagine how extreme he will be??

I love that they put more Luna in the movie. She is so great. I also liked the Felix Felicus and the bridge. That was dang cool.

But I loved Rickman as usual. And I thought he looked way hotter in this one.

#42

Yeah, its great have more of me around isn't it ;)

I thought the movie was very good. I look at all of the movies as different versions of the books, so things don't bother me as much. But I did not like the fact that the Burrow burned down, there wasn't enough Snape, no lessons, and no Dumbledore funeral!

I loved Lavender/Ron/Hermione, Quidditch, the Felix Felicius potion, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (how cool!), and the half-blood prince's potions book.

The acting was great in the movie and like others, I enjoyed Dumbledore more.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and thought it was awesome. :)

am i just misremembering things or was Voldemort not even in this one? i feel like i would have remembered Ray Fiennes (he's so dreamy!) but i can't think of a single scene with him in it. i haven't read the book in a while so i don't remember if he was as absent in it as the movie.

no, aside from the appearances of Tom Riddle Voldemort was not in the movie.

I thought the ending fell flat without the battle. But there were two points in the movie that I also thought didn't have the impact they should have. The first is when Malfoy stomped on Harry's face. It was shocking and sickening when I read it but it seemed like almost nothing in the movie. Harry didn't seem to be in pain, there wasn't much blood and you had to look closely to even see that it wasn't straight before Luna fixed it.

The second was the Sempra Sectura scene where the book describes Malfoy's body being criss-crossed with cuts and was disturbing reading, while in the movie you didn't even see it happen which can be effective I guess but in this case it wasn't. Wasn't there a line from Snape about Potter using dark spells?

I liked it :D

#45, The only time Voldemort appears is in DD's memory of Voldy asking for the DADA job.

No one has mentioned Neville. He had one line. One line. As a waiter! Filch had more lines.

Harry may kill Voldemort in the end, but only because of Neville.

I'm miffed about that.

I didn't care for Harry's promise to Dumbledore being the only thing keeping him from intervening, and wish more had been made of both Snape as Half-Blood Prince and of the horcruxes, but perhaps we'll see that in the beginning of the next film.

Otherwise, lovely film. Can't wait to see it again to see bits I missed.

yes poor Neville got short shrift in this movie, I am hoping that the next two movies will pick up the slack here

Another thing I liked in the movie was the relationship between Harry & Hermione. I think real teenagers would be more open about their feelings with their best friends. They never talk about it in the book until after Ginny & Harry get together, but I think it's natural that they would commisserate more openly. Plus it made for the funniest line - when Hermione tells Harry to shut up before he says anything at Ron's hospital bedside.

I was somewhat disapointed in the Half-Blood Prince movie. It was too weighted with narrative comments about the nature of the plot, and violated the first thing taught in creative writing courses--"Show-Don't tell." Also, I didn't see any growth in Potter. There was little tension and suspense, and it seemed that the writers and the director were running out of invention. I left the theater feeling unsatisfied. Sure, it's part of a series, but every movie must stand on its own legs...most unsatisfying

Jake

As always, I'm a little disappointed by what they left out, but I'm willing to see the movie as something seperate from the book. After all, there's so much detail in JK's world...it would be impossible to fit it all!
Overall though, this was one of my favorite of the movies....SPOILER ALERT
-Emma's (over) acting usually annoys me, but I thought she was a lot better in this one (hopefully that continues into the DH movies...)
-Jim Broadbent as Slughorn was AMAZING. He played Slughorn spot on, and I thought the story about the lily petal and the fish was beautiful.
-I really liked how they handled Harry and Ginny's romance - it wasn't cheesy or all "teen-angsty" like Lav-Lav and Won-Won's...
Also, all the vital stuff they left out, such as the Horcruxes, I'm ASSUMING that the screenwriter knows what he's doing and has a plan for how to work it into DH.
One last thing: I haven't loved the soundtracks since John Williams left - but I love this one! The music is perfect for the feel of the film. And I thought the Scottish music at Aragog's funeral was hilarious.

I was disappointed that they couldn't put everything in, like everyone else, but overall I liked it. I don't think I would have liked it if I hadn't read the book(s). My husband, who hasn't read the books, liked it the least of all and had tons of questions. Daughter and I liked it well enough.

I really liked the way they had the memories start - Harry dipping into the pensieve and then the memory just sort of flowing into existence, like smoke.

I loved Aragog's funeral! And even though it wasn't in the book this way, I liked that Slughorn asked Hagrid if he could have the venom.

I definitely want to see it again soon. If I keep the book and movie separate, I am content.

I saw it for the second time this afternoon, this time with my mother. She's only seen the movies, and hasn't read the books. While I enjoyed it, she didn't. She thought the beginning of the movie didn't fit into the story. I explained the book's opening, and some of the back story. She also likes the wonderous and magical side of the movies (i.e. the feats, etc.) and didn't like the darkness of HBP. I explained that as the books progress, they've benn getting darker, and the movies are trying to replicate that.

Like foolofatook, I liked the music. I bought the soundtrack and have been listening to it for over a week. Although John Williams is my favorite composer (in every thing, not just HP), I think every composer has done a decent job with the material. My favorite songs in the movie/soundtrack are "Journey to the Cave" and "Inferi in the Firestorm."

I liked this movie. Although it didn't help that the 3 other people I went with hadn't read the books and were making comments the majority of the time.

I had forgotten some details of the book. But the cave scene was exactly how I pictured it. I loved the love spell part and the luck part. The acting for them were just perfect!

Actually, as I recall, the cave was supposed to be one that young Voldemort visited on trips from his orphanage (not the cave, but a nearby beach). The cave entrance depicted in the movie did not look like one that was accessible from a beach that might have been the object of an orphanage's field trip. But that's a quibble.

#58 Maybe the tide was just in when they got there.

I think looking at the movies as completelyseparate from the books is the only way, considering the way things were added or deleted willy-nilly. Snape's line, "No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!"--where was it? That line carries so much weight.

And, ahem, Kreacher? Hellooo? Dobby??

But at least Quidditch was back.

Finally went to see it this evening!!

I actually got really engrossed - I think it's my favourite thus far. That's not to say I didn't find it lacking. I agree with many here in that the battle was not nearly enough. However, I LOVED the moment between Snape and Dumbledore in the last instant before Avada Kedabra. "Please" - perfectly ambiguously pitched by Michael Gambon. I really liked the scenes following as well. The victorious parade through the great hall was very effective.

I was proud of Daniel Radcliffe as he did some acting in this one, and managed to clock up some of his own comic moments and give Rupert a run for his money. I have my suspicions that his run in Equus has done his range a lot of good. I was also pleased that Emma Watson did less "acting" than she has done in previous films. I also thought Jim Broadbent was a wonderful Slughorn. Mind you, as soon as I heard he was cast I was thought he'd be perfect.

Another vote for the soundtrack - I thought it was great. I don't usually notice soundtracks much, unless for the wrong reasons, but on this occasion I actually found myself paying attention too it, and valuing it more than I have before.

So yes, things were missing, but what was there was great. Looking forward to the next two films. But then what???

Saw it for the second time today and have to say my fav scene is the one between Harry & Slughorn at Hagrid's where we get the fish story. Broadbent is so amazing, and Dan is also quite good in it. You don't need explosions or fx when you have great acting.

I think I liked it better the second time. Plus it's always great to see Kerian.

#18 polly:
I missed some of those scenes, too!

#19 LG:
And therefore no "Dumbledore's man through and through!" :( Aww, I had forgotten. Now I'm bummed out.

#27 wingert:
Too true. The movie-version Harry doesn't know what sort of things to look for that could be horcruxes.

#28 Ron.
RE: point 5. Thank you! I completely agree with you.

#33 compski:
That was a nice trailer. I can't remember how the book goes at all, but I really want to see the movie now.

#52 LG:
I liked that, too.

#56 wingert:
I bought the soundtrack a few days ago and have been listening to it a lot, too. :)

#62 LG:
And great to see you! Today has been my favorite time seeing a HP movie by far. DH! We must! :)

Everything below is pretty much stuff I typed before reading what anyone had to say here and I say now please forgive me for the novel. Basically, I missed some stuff, loved some stuff, and overall really enjoyed the movie.

SPOILERS

It was an interesting start with a great opening. I was not expecting and really loved that they put in some ending touches to OotP in the start of HBP. It set the movie in the right mood. They really changed how Dumbledore comes to get Harry. I'm not upset over it. I would have liked to see Kreature and his shouting of "I WON'T!" though. Also now that I think of it, I did miss those 'book ends' - "You are with me" and "I am with you" - but this is a movie. I knew we'd be lucky if they stuck it in there; they couldn't really put everything in.

They did a lovely job of the Burrow, in my opinion. I thought it never looked nicer. They made it even kind of cool-looking. I loved the little balcony on what I took to be Ron's room. "It's not much," as he says of his home, but I totally agree with Harry. I especially loved how everyone could look over the stair railing from so many different floors. It wasn't in the book but that was a cool scene. As for the Burrow burning up, though - my heart was there for Mrs. Weasley. That was just so sad that they did that and I wonder what the living situation or their home will be like for future movies.

I wanted to yell at Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they went after Draco and Mrs. Malfoy without the invisibility cloak. Thinking of it now, though there's no way they'd all fit under it. Those kids have really grown. On the subject of trailing Draco, why wasn't Greyback introduced?! No one but readers would have known exactly what he was, aside from being oddly hairy.

The Quidditch was perfect with a few things aside. They had some really nice angles and the whole time we saw them play it just felt more 'real' to me than in previous movies. I suppose they could have mentioned in there that Harry was made captain, but then it was also made obvious. I loved, loved that we saw Luna with her lion head! She's been pretty awesome in both movies she's portrayed in so far.

What an increase Bonnie Wright had in lines for this movie. I wonder that it was a necessity for those who don't read the books. I thought to myself how typical Ron was when he sat right in between Harry and Ginny at the Burrow when they clearly, as it even seemed to Mr. Weasley in my opinion, could do with some time alone. Later on I knew they had to scratch out Harry's detentions with Snape, but aside from the fact that it would have been interesting to see what he made of Dark Arts with Snape, there was this: The Quidditch cup! Harry and Ginny still had a kissing scene, but it really changed what it meant, in my opinion. It made it as thought it was more of a one-time kiss, versus them being so much more in the book.

The point in the movie that scared me most was when a hand first grabbed Harry from the water in the cave. I did quite a jump in my seat. I don't know if LG saw but I think her friend did. I was a bit embarrased because they had both already seen the movie so that scene wasn't as scary for them. ;) I waited, while Harry gave Dumbledore the cups of potion, but missed all the things Dumbledore says in that scene in the book. Also, I wondered what they were thinking when Harry went so deep in the water. What a scene, though! That fire was unbelievable. They did a really great job on the whole bit of it. Glad we didn't have to watch Harry and Dumbledore as one stood in the boat with the ring of fire, us wondering when Gambon would fall because the boat really didn't look like it would support him and Radcliffe well.

Like some others I was disappointed that the Order members didn't turn up at Hogwarts at the end. I disliked that Dumbledore and Harry apparated to and from Hogwarts itself. It was okay, but my main disappointment on that matter rests with them returning there versus seeing the mark in the sky first from the village.

I really didn't like it when I learned that Harry would be perfectly able to move when Dumbledore would be killed. The true Harry wouldn't just stand there below and watch it all happen, wand aimed but no spells even used. It was interesting that Snape seemed to almost sneak down there first before meeting the Death Eaters above. (I thought of you then, foggi, btw, wondering what you were making of the scene. :) His little shush for silence to Harry and Harry's accepting it made me at first feel Harry was showing a sort of trust for Snape. Later on I decided no matter what he ever thought of Dumbledore it still had to come as a great shock that, on either side, Snape would kill Dumbledore, and I decided this was the reason for his silence.

I was kind of sad to see the Great Hall get detroyed by Bellatrix. It really made me look back through the years and imagine everything that's gone by there in those six years, and then of the year to come. Fawkes probably should have been singing then or later on. It's something I was disappointed about.

Maybe it's just because I worked hard on my first-ever fan fiction poem at this point in the book, but I really missed Dumbledore's funeral! Even Cederic Diggory had something to the effect of one in the GoF movie. I was happily suprised a bit, that though it's not at all like the book and even a bit maddening, that everyone pointed their wands up and the mark was erased. (I called that. It was so in my poem. You can go dig it up on an ancient thread. :P) That was a very touching scene. I noticed Luna cried as well as Hermione.

It was nice to get to see Dumbledore in his portrait. Watching Fawkes fly away across the sky made a satisfying ending though I took wonder at Harry and Hermione doing all the talking, Ron sitting aside for the most part.

Lastly, I'd like to add that those were cute Gryffindor t-shirts the Gryffindors seemed to have, and despite that I hate the color red on me, I really want one of those shirts now. :)

Kerian, I jumped the first time I saw the hand come out of the water, too. And I was expecting it from the book, and it still got me!

Tigercrane, isn't it wonderful that it could do that to us? :) I must say, the people I saw the movie with told me "This is the scary part" at the very start of the movie, so I was more so wondering at that time if something would make me jump. ;) I felt bad for those muggles on the bridge.

63-65
I'm another Inferi-jumper too!!

And I forgot to say in my post earlier, that I loved all the London footage! If I recall, it's the first time we could pretty much pinpoint where in London Diagon Alley is located, and I can see there being more HP fan excursions to, say, Millenium Bridge (which I might add was scary enough to be on when it was first opened, let alone being subjected to dark magic!They had to close it as soon as it was opened in order to reinforce the supports as it moved too much in the wind!)

So where in London is Diagon Alley? I've been to London, but I don't know it well.

63-66

I jumped at the Inferi scene, as well.

I jumped at the Inferi both times. So did the lady sitting next to me.

We discussed how it makes no sense that Draco would know to go to the astronomy tower in the movie. In the book, DD & Harry go to them, but in the movie, it just makes no sense how he'd know where DD is.

Yay, Tigercrane is posting in the HE! (She came with us yesterday.)

Well, according to the opening shots, you go up Charing Cross road, past the Hippodrome, and then take the second right (I forget the name). This is where it was very well done, as I've never noticed a pub on that stretch of street, but then, I wouldn't have, would I...?

I jumped when the inferi hand came out too. I knew it was coming, but it still scared the crap out of me.

This is just a little thing, but did anyone else notice that NONE of the portraits moved? I just thought it was odd.

And I not only jumped, but squealed at the Inferi. And yes, I am 39 years old.

#72 Yes, I noticed, and yes, it was irritating.

#69 LG:
Bwaha! You are kidding me. Just look at my post. *turns red*

Please don't be laughing at me, tigercrane! ;) Also, it's great to see you here. :)

#72 cmbohn:
I hadn't. I want to see it again. With Dumbledore's portrait I had just taken him to be sleeping. Do you recall if he snored? I can't remember myself.

RE scary scenes:
The scariest movie for me in a theater remains to be Scream 3. I know you're thinking it wasn't that scary. A kid was sitting behind me who got scared pretty often and he would randomly and unexpectedly kick my seat during the scenes that scared him, thus scaring me.

Okay . . . I liked it! I didn't love it, but I liked it. I'm going to see it again on Wednesday, so I'll come back and give fuller impressions then.

And I didn't feel like Rickman was over-acting . . . but then, I wouldn't, would I? ;-)

Here's a short list . . .

What I liked:
- Snapey goodness! Despite not showing the DADA lessons, he got a good bit of screen time this movie.
- Tom Felton's acting -- he really came in to his own here.
- Michael Gambon's acting -- surprise, surprise! I hated him in the third and fourth movies, but he's been growing on me in the fifth and sixth.
- Harry on Felix Felicis -- terribly funny!
- The Unbreakable Vow scene -- thought it was spot-on. They cut a lot of the exposition between Snape and Bella, but got the meat of the scene.
- Jim Broadbent as Slughorn -- he really got the essence of the character. I do think they should have padded him a bit more (I thought the same thing about Umbridge in the last movie).
- Won-Won and Lavender -- perfect! Rupert was also quite good in the scene with the love potion and the chocolates.
- Lighting the wands to chase away the Dark Mark -- made me cry. I can see not feeling like there's time for a full funeral scene, and I thought that moment was very powerful. Also the shot of the empty Great Hall with the windows blown out, showing that there was no end-of-term feast, no speech from Dumbledore that year.

What I disliked:
- Burning the Burrow -- I always dislike when they make such a severe departure from the book.
- No battle at the end -- in fact, most of the end (apart from the bits I mentioned above) was a let-down for me. I thought they could have shown spells flying as Harry left the building, shown people on the ground or injured, just a bit of chaos to indicate that something had happened. And I really missed the line, "Don't call me a coward!" from Snape. I did like the way that he deflected spells with his wand -- he parried with it just as one would with a sword. I guess they've been doing that all along, but I really noticed it this time. Still, I felt like there wasn't a climax without that battle.
- Harry not being Petrified during Dumbledore's death -- that was all set up so well in the book. I think it's out of character for Harry not to do something when DD is under attack. And he wouldn't have held still because Snape shushed him -- when has Harry ever done anything because Snape told him to?!
- Harry/Ginny kiss -- it didn't seem to mean much. I think they did it that way to differentiate between the Ron/Lavender kiss, but I thought that it could have been much more meaningful. And someone else in our movie watch group mentioned that they didn't like Bonnie Wright's acting; that she didn't have the spunk Ginny has in the book . . . and the more I think about it, the more I agree with that. She's a bit bland.

#75: Our group also wondered why the Burrow was in the middle of nowhere.

Ginny hiding the book made me very upset. I've already ranted many times over it.

I don't know what they were thinking with Harry hiding at the climax. I thought it made him appear very un-Harry-like. Mandy did a wonderful imitation of the shushing, throwing in a wink, which I am surprised Snape didn't do.

#76 -- I also felt like the ambiguity of Snape's position was lost, a bit. It just seemed so obvious to me that he was acting on Dumbledore's orders. Then again, maybe that's just because I know what happens in the seventh book? But a co-worker who has not read the seventh book said it made him think that Snape was acting on DD's orders, so I guess it's not just me.

I don't think we were meant to think Harry stayed shushed because of Snape, only that it indicated that Snape knew what was up, was in cahoots with DD, which was also established when Harry overheard them talking on the tower.

Which is one of those "better in the movie than the book" kind of things because, while I get the running joke of Hagrid always giving away the big clue, having Harry hear about it second hand from Hagrid always seemed kind of ridiculous.

Are we meant to think that Snape told Draco and the DEs to be at the tower? How else would they all know to go there? Ugh, it's still bugging me no end. We shall have to discuss in the chatroom.

#77 hahah, jinx!

#78 -- Wait, Harry hearing about what from Hagrid?

#80 In the book, Harry hears about the Snape/DD conversation re: "no, I don't want to" "But you promised" etc.etc. from Hagrid.

First thing was no "the other minister" chapter.Was really wanting to see that.
Second -Fluer(Phlem) & Bill ??How are they going to do the wedding for next movie??
Third-Tonks NOT Luna found Harry ont he train.
Fourth-The fight and burning of the Burrow??It was NOT DE's that showed up xmas eve it was the Minister of Magic.
Fifth and MAIN problem-The ending they made Harry look like a coward how hard would that scene have been doing it right throw a cloak over him and freeze him--And No big fight at the end when Harry left the tower thought that was going to be the real meat of the story and it never happend!
And last but probably not least-No funeral???That better be part of the next movie I felt cheated.
All in all I'm very disappointed!IMHO

#81 -- Ah, got it. Thanks!

I was glad they didn't do the funeral. I kind of hated that part of the book, one of the bits that really needed editing imo.

However, I think they mishandled the Ginny thing completely. Their kiss lacked passion, they had no time together (no joke about tattoos!) and no Peter Parker nobility breakup at the end of the book. I agree with others who found Bonnie Wright's portrayal flat.

Alright, most of the points I was going to bring up have already been brought up by multiple people, but there's always room for more. Oh, and there definitely will be spoilers...

I absolutely hated the burning of the Burrow. I can't figure out why this screen was added in, especially when having the fight at Hogwarts to end the movie would have given all the same people screen time. The only thing I can figure is that they wanted to establish Lupin and Tonks, but even then they could have done it without a contrived fight scene. Also, what was up With Fenrir Greyback being a wizard? Is he one and I've just never caught it? It even seems to me like he wouldn't be because while he's allowed to wear Death Eater robes, he does not have a dark mark. I've always thought he was a muggle, or perhaps a squib who got bit by a werewolf.

I'm split on the Harry-Ginny relationship. On the one hand, they did a great job of externalizing what is really an internal thing in the books. They also were able to use it to further the Ron-Hermione relationship while establishing the brother-sister relationship between Harry and Hermione. But I agree that there wasn't really the right feel to the kiss. Maybe they did it to differentiate between that kiss and the Lavender-Ron kiss, but in the book they're really similar. Maybe that would have been the snog-fest that changed the movie's rating...

Tom Felton's acting made me believe in his Draco for the first time since the first movie. I know that sounds weird, but I really felt like his scenes showcased Draco as a real three-dimensional character and not just someone who hates Harry. It's like in the books where this is the point that Harry realizes that Draco is a human being who has made bad choices and is going to have to live with them. He's not evil, he's trying to do what he has to do to stay alive. Tat said, I feel like they gave away the vanishing cabinet much too early. Arthur Weasley knew what it was, knew it was in Borgin and Burke's, knew that Draco was going to use it and did nothing. AUGH!

Harry on Felix Felicis... ROFLMAO! Really fun scene. Nothing like what I pictured when reading the book, but somehow right anyway. Also had to laugh out loud at the "pincers" thing. I still am not completely sold on the fish thing. I thought it was a really touching moment when Slughorn told the story, but I also felt like it wasn't completely necessary and could have been cut to focus on other things.

Harry not being immobilized in the astronomy tower? I'm sure they did it because his cloak wasn't with him (it may be great for plot, but invisible people don't make for good movie shots...), but I felt it was entirely against Harry' character, especially after Snape showed up. I really did keep expecting Snape to immobilize Harry at that point. Harry couldn't just stand by and let Dumbledore be killed. He kinda has a "saving people thing" that would already be strained by the cave scene.

I think that wraps up my thoughts right now. I liked it as a movie, though there were definitely some plot holes that I only knew the answers to because I've red the book. Good movie, not so good movie adaption of a book.

There's always room for Espy!

I just got an email from Carrie-Ann Kerian who says, despite probably being able to get in the chatroom (since I emailed her the url), she has to work tonight so she can't chat with us. If anyone wants to check in earlier, she may be there then.

edited because going back & forth between email & LT has its hazards.

I've just remembered - I hate that we don't see Hagrid trying to put out the flames on his house. I looked around expecting to see him and Fang, but neither was in sight.

#82 susie:
I feel that they're probbaly going to skip right over Bill and Fleur's wedding but instead perhaps show a wedding for Tonks and Lupin. It's just a guess.

re #86:
I'm in chat until either 8:30pm LT time, or it seems possible I might be leaving early for work, so even any minute. Someone offered to drive me when they go out that way.

One more thing that bothered me. In the scene where everyone lifted thier wand in a tribute to DD Hagrid had a wand

I also thought Hagrid had a wand the first time I saw that scene, but the second time I saw it I made sure to look and I'm pretty sure he didn't, because from the position of his shoulders I could see both his arms were at his sides. It just looks that way because there are so many upraised wands around him.

Foggi and Espy especially have hit on the things that bothered me and that I loved about the film; in particular dislike, the burning of the burrow and lack of battle at Hogwarts (LG, you're right, they totally could have swapped those). In particularly enjoyed was the IMMENSE improvement in all three main characters' acting. Harry on Felix, Ron on love potion, and Hermione's heartbreaking moment at the bottom of the stairs were three of my favorite moments.

One of the things noticed was when Harry saved Ron from the poison by using the bezoar...no explanation on how he knew to use it.

I also really didn't like the who attack on the Burrow...it made no sense to me.

I agree w/ #85 about the scene in the Astronomy tower. didn't like that scene at all.

But mostly I liked the movie a lot.

To be fair, the bezoar is one part of the books that seems contrived to me. It seems by far the easiest way to cure someone of a poisoning but Harry seems to be the only one to have figured it out. Even the potion master couldn't thing of it quickly enough and Harry is credited for his quick-thinking.

In fact, I would think that Hogwart's would have a bezoar-station in every room (like a fire extinguisher in the muggle world) in case of poisoning as it is easy to administer and requires no training.

Re: bezoar. Slughorn is mentioning them to his (not Harry's) class when Harry comes in, but if you're not paying attention you totally miss it. I didn't hear it til the second time.

#91 -- I noticed that, too! Though, didn't the first movie still have the line from Snape about a bezoar being an antidote to most poisons? Maybe he was supposed to have remembered it from then? Or maybe they assume that the watcher will make the connection that Harry has been studying the book and would have read about bezoars there.

One thing I don't think anyone mentioned here: no apparition lessons!

So right after the movie I was entertained but upset. The more I think about it the more I realize that I really did love a lot about the movie. There were tons of little things in it that just flat out made me laugh. And I love Rupert and Dan's chemistry. But there were enough big things that were changed or just completely fabricated to keep me upset for a long time. But as a movie and a simple form of entertainment I enjoyed it. I'd like to see it again soon, this time knowing what's coming that's going to upset me and see if I'll enjoy it more or less. but just want to say these 5 things that Pissed me off the absolute most..Harry flirting at the train station weeks after Sirius' death, The burrow burning down (what was with that shoe tying scene?), Ginny in the room of requirements WTF!!!, Harry not being frozen during Dumbledore's death and the Elder wand just chillin' in Dumbledore's office at the end.

I loved, Ron on the love potion, and Harry after taking the felix stuff, I loved all scenes between Ron and Harry, Thought all three were immensely better actors, thought Malfoy did a good job. I loved Snape, of course, and Prof. McGonagal. Like I said tons of little things.

#92 -- I think that Harry's quick thinking, rather than his knowledge, was the point there. In the book, Slughorn definitely knew about bezoars (even before Harry used one in a lesson), but he just was so shocked at Ron's collapse that he didn't react as fast as Harry. It does seem like that would be one of the first Potions lessons: in case of accidental poisoning, use a bezoar.

I like your bezoar station idea! But perhaps they're hard to find? I mean, it's a stone from the stomach of a goat, but I've never been able to figure out if its an actual stone that a goat has swallowed, or something like a gallstone or kidney stone that forms as the result of some sort of condition. If that's the case, I could see it being extremely rare, and therefore expensive.

I'm really sad now. No new Harry product until Nov 2010. What will we do to fill the gap?

Alice in Wonderland?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMkNrX60mA

#99 You know I'm always up for Johnny!

I strongly agree with everyone about those particularly good acting scenes when Ron was under the love potion, Harry on the felix potion, and Hermione broken-hearted over Ron by the stairs. I think this is Felton's best acting in the films yet - this one really gave him a chance to do quite a bit more in the film with all that time involved in it.

#95 LG:
I was disappointed about their not being apparation tests.

#99-100:
Wasn't this mentioned during our meet? ;) Johnny's excellent.

Aren't they lucky (or the casting directors brilliant) that all the kids they cast 10 years ago are doing such a wonderful job as the roles become deeper and more nuanced? What if they couldn't act?

Elch. Thank goodness it's not the case. I agree with what LadyN said earlier about Watson, not 'over-acting' on this one. She had a great improvement. Gambon was another who seemed better to me in this film - what a great job. I think there were comments about Wright. I know she didn't portray Ginny as she is in the book, but I don't have any complaints.

She wasn't given a chance, Wright wasn't, The scenes with her were all rushed, altho I did like that she was the first to realise Harry was at the burrow and got to hug him first

I liked it but I think I like the fifth movie more. Mostly it comes down to the last 15-20 minutes, which I though were great in OotP and disappointing in HBP.

Someone mentioned earlier how the vanishing cabinet and getting Death Eaters into Hogwarts was pointless since there was no resistance, and I agree. There was a lot of time spent building up the vanishing cabinet but it was anticlamactic.

I would definitely have liked to see more of Voldemort's past but what I missed the most was "You're with me," "I'm with you." I held onto my hope up until Harry and DD left for the cave. Then I realized we just weren't going to get the lines.

Based on what we've been given in this movie, I'm a little nervous about what's coming in the next one. But perhaps catching everyone up to details thus far omitted will take up time that was spent camping in book 7.

RE: Bezoars. Like LG said, just a couple scenes before they show Slughorn talking about them when Harry walks in to the room. Yes, Snape does mention them in the SS/PS movie. In the HBP book, when Harry hands Slughorn the bezoar, after laughing Slughorn says, "Yes, a bezoar certainly would work on all these poisons, however, as they are very rare it's a good idea to be able to mix antidotes as well." (emphasis added)

Now the movie...I didn't hate it as much as I hated OotP.

People have already mentioned all the reasons I disliked it, so I won't go into a long rant about it. It's great that some of you are able to separate the books from the movies, but for me, each time I see a major plot point left out, I get more and more worried about the next one.

K: I hadn't thought of it before, but you're probably right about Lupin/Tonks' wedding taking the place of Bill and Fleur.

That's it for me. Might write a blog entry tomorrow that will be more in depth.

Lol......I'm surprosed that you won't go into a rant about it, I've been ranting for days to anyone who would listen and will continue to do so until...........well, I guess if the last two redeem it. I somehow doubt they will though, given they are being directed by the same person.

PoA remains my favourite film, despite being my least favourite book. It was just so beautiful and stunningly pure.

I'm probably repeating stuff that other people have said, but here's a few things that I liked and didn't like:

Bonnie Wright seemed to be having trouble in some of the scenes. I'm thinking maybe it's because she was given almost no lines in OotP, and she hasn't had a chance to actually get used to the character and the character's relationship with Harry.

I really wish they had given done more explaining. People who don't know the plot are going to be so lost! All I can hope for is that they will fix some of the plot holes in the next movie.

The burning of the Burrow. WHAT WAS THAT? If it were an average house, I could believe it, but don't you think that wizard homes would be made to be fireproof? And I would think that Molly would be the most likely witch to make her house fireproof, since she has Fred and George for sons! The burning did not make sense to me. I don't see why they should put a scene that has no business being there, and then leave out the climactic fight!

I really did not like the scene where Ginny hides the book. I was so looking forward to seeing Harry hide it and using the diadem.

I love the girl who plays Luna! She is exactly like I pictured Luna, and she acts just like her too! I loved the scene where Harry is taking her to the Christmas party.

The Felix scenes and the love potion scenes were great!

The scene in the cave was pretty good, although, again, I wished there was more explanation, and that you could have heard what Dumbledore was saying, since it was important. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the hand came out! The suspense and the music were perfect there. You knew it was coming, but it surprised you anyway.

I cannot believe they left out "Don't call me coward!" I cannot believe it.

All in all, I did think it was a very funny movie, maybe the funniest they've done so far. I just hope they'll be able to pull together the plot in the end.

I absolutely love the movie - I think it's the best so far, despite agreeing with most people on it's problems.

I think the idea of the Burrow attack was a good idea to show the danger the book describes in the outer world - unfortunately, in the movie it doesn't seem to flow well and looks like it's been added in for cheap action.

The shoelace moment has to go! I think it's the one part of the film that annoyed me the most.
The acting is great all around. I used to be a Gambon hater, but I don't think Richard Harris could have done better as Dumbledore in HBP. Tom Felton really impressed me too and Alan Rickman is as wondeful as always.

I understand the cutting of the battle at the end and didn't miss it. The filmakers said they didn't want the huge battle in DH to be repetitive. The flight of the prince certainly could have been longer, but I think it makes sense that Snape doesn't scream "Don't call me coward!" Rickman's Snape has always been very controlled.

The dark moments are very well done. I went into the movie thinking it would be a kind of rom-com, but the shots of Draco testing the vanishing cabinet throughout the story give the film an ominous fell. I love the end at the cave. The "I am with you" lines from Dumbledore were repeated to be in the test-screening, but I guess they cut them since they didn't sound right. (A test-screen viewer thought they were delivered too strongly by Gambon, but I'm not sure why they didn't have him deliver them again.)

This is definitely the funniest film - I wouldn't cut any of the romance (except the shoelace scene). Rupert's hilarious as is Dan under the influence of Felix. Jessie Cave and Freddie Stroma are superb.

On a side note, Bill Weasley has been cast fro DH. Heyman has said that Bill and Fleur's wedding will be in the film (Part I, I assume). He also said it's understood Bill has been attacked by Greyback. Since they did film DUmbledore's funeral, it might be in DH - I would like to see it.

I think there were too few reactions in general. Like when Snape didn't reply with "Don't call me coward," he really had barely reaction at all. That seemed to be common throughout. A character would say something and there would be silence and blank stares. I'm trying to think of more examples and I can't right now.

#109

I agree that the testing of the vanishing cabinet was extremely well done, really added the full darkness to it. Its that kind of simplicity that was done so well throughout PoA.

Re vanishing cabinets. Why in the world would you need such a thing if everyone can apparate? Or use flue powder, or a portkey. I always thought this book was the clunkiest in terms of plot.

#108 -- Good point, about the Burrow and fire protection spells. I assumed that the attackers were using Fiendfyre, though, which would probably burn through even magical protections. I still hated the whole thing.

#110 -- I agree, there were scenes where the characters didn't seem to react at all. And Snape wouldn't have to "scream" the line "Don't call me a coward" . . . a low tone of barely controlled fury would have done just as well.

#112 -- The vanishing cabinet is such a staple in Muggle magic shows that I never questioned it before. Maybe it was originally meant as a way to transport objects, rather than people, between two places?

I thought the idea was the vanishing cabinet could transport people into Hogwart's which normally can't be done.

#114 Right, but my point is why does the Wizarding world in general need one, except as perhaps a novelty of muggledom. It seems like a very clumsy plot device to me.

#112

I think the point is that not all people can/choose to apparate. If we were going to use that as a 'clunky' thing, then we should also suggest floo powder, portkeys and brooms as pointless requirements that are just there for plot.

From my understanding of the books, you need to be holding a wand in order to apparate, which you don't to use a portkey etc, or a vanishing cabinet. Or you might have children who cannot do it.....the list appears to be endless.

#110: I agree whole-heartedly and it is why you will never hear me say this was a good movie, even ignoring the books. Awkward silences can be awesome, (The Office!) but these were terrible!

Yeah, Draco couldn't the death eaters in any other way. I think the vanishing cabinet was also how he smuggled some dark items into Hogwarts.

The shoelace scene was so painful, it was funny. "Oh, Harry, your shoelace is untied, let me tie it for you since you've forgotten how." ;)

109- Oh, so they did film the funeral? I'm glad they aren't leaving Bill out completely.

113 re 108- I guess Fiendfyre would be a good explanation for it. I'd forgotten about Fiendfyre.

I think there are many uses for vanishing cabinets, but I agree hiding people in them seems to be one of the least convincing explanations. I always figured they were useful as storage devices that could hold a lot of stuff in a small space, kind of like Hermione's Bag of Holding in DH. I wish my office file cabinet was a vanishing cabinet -- I'm running out of room for my files!

I didn't like the shoelace thing either. It seemed too weirdly submissive for Ginny's character. (Or anyone's. If someone who had a crush on me wanted to tie my shoelace, I think I'd find it rather creepy.)

RE the shoelace scene: Harry wouldn't have very well needed his shoes tied if he would be off to bed soon.

The baked snack scene was the better of the two. Nevermind his cause of an interruption, I thought it funny how it was like something special until Ron sat down with a huge plate of them.

#119 Tignercrane:
I'd likewise find it quite creepy. Oddly, I don't think Harry found it so, but we know how much he likes Ginny. ;)

Yeah, I mean, if the movie left out Mr. Weasley saying the vanishing cabinets were for getting away from Death Eaters, you can think of other uses, but they made a point of spelling that out. It's not in the book and it really makes no sense.

How did the other cabinet get in the ROR to begin with? It's kind of huge. Was Voldy supposed to have done it? I can't remember if they tell us.

I should just stop overthinking it. There are plot holes, I should just accept it.

#117 Bib, kik! Yes, the awkward silences work well in The Office!

The shoelace bit was strange but the pie scene was good. K, I agree that Ron's entrance with bunches of the things made it much more funny.

There really was some good humor in this one.

I didn't like the cave all that much mostly because it wasn't half as big as I thought it should be and I didn't like the crystal-looking rocks. But Dumbledore's fire was incredible.

The crystal rocks did keep reminding me of Superman's Fortress of Solitude. :)

#121: The book implies that the Vanishing Cabinet was moved there after the twins trapped Montague in it in OotP, however since the movies don't seem to care a fig for the books, who knows why it's in there for the film.

#123: You are not the only one I've heard make that comparison.

I told Mandy one of the things I've found most distracting the last couple films was the set decoration. They seem to have moved from the ancient stone and wood to modern stuff. For instance, the look of the Ministry felt all wrong to me, as did the orphanage and the crystals topped it off for me. A couple of people I saw it with mentioned how reminiscent of LOTR much of that scene was, from Gandalf - woops, I mean Dumbledore - trying to figure out how to get in to Gollum - sorry, Harry - climbing back up onto the Crystal Island.

#123 kik! I hadn't thought of that, but you're right!

#124 RE 121 -- And before you ask, I've always figured that the vanishing cabinet was at Hogwarts in the first place so that students could study it. Transportation magic always has some sort of disadvantage to it, yet there are fewer disadvantages with a vanishing cabinet than with other forms of magical transportation. I think that it later ended up in the ROR because it was broken beyond the point of repair and when Montague got trapped inside it had to be taken away so that students wouldn't do the same thing again.

I've always felt that the cave scene was reminiscent of the cave scene from The Hobbit, though. Ever since I read the scene in the book, that's just been a similar look all around. I think my problem with the cave is that it was all crystalized. I would like to turn that into a coherent thought, but I can't. Maybe in the future, though.

#121 -- The vanishing cabinet at Hogwarts was first mentioned in CoS. When Harry was in Filch's office for tracking in mud or some such offense, Nearly Headless Nick "suggested" that Peeves knock it over, and the resulting noise got Filch out of the office. Then Harry saw Filch's Qwikspell letter, and Filch was embarrassed enough to let Harry off without punishment. I love the way Rowling weaves things like that in to the story. Of course, as Bib notes, none of that is in the movies.

As for why the cabinet was there in the first place, Espy's answer sounds as good as any to me.

#124 -- I remarked to Espy during the film that the orphanage must have been built by the same person who did the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry -- same weird black tiles!

Bib, I had forgotten that the astronomy tower was all metal railings and such. What happened to stone parapets? I hadn't thought about the decor changes but they are definitely different.

Espy, I like your explanation for the Vanishing Cabinet's presence.

Foggi, I love that the cabinet was mentioned in book 2! Part of Rowling's genius and one of the things that make the books so special.

#127 foggi:
I noticed that the orphanage and Ministry of Magic seemed to share the black tiles, too - I didn't like that.

Thanks you guys for explaining the cabinets. I do feel better now. The movie explanation was mucho stupido, tho.

When the show Merlin premiered they showed the orphanage scene during one of the commercials, which was when I first noticed the tile/brick thing and started to get annoyed with the art direction. (I'd mostly ignored it in OotP to that point because there were so many other things to hate!) Seeing the movie did not help my annoyance. And while on the subject of "modernizing" everything, have we talked about the Pensieve yet?!

#131 -- What WAS that thing?!?! A flying saucer? That was a minor dislike, for me, so I didn't mention it in my big list, but something as carefully described as the Pensieve should look like the book says it looks. Making it metal when it's described several times as being made of stone . . . it's as irritating as if they had given Ron brown hair instead of ginger.

Especially since the Pensieve appeared in GoF and looked, not exactly like I pictured, but it was at least stone!

#133 -- Good point! I had forgotten that it was in GoF . . . I've managed to block most of that movie from my memory. ;-)

Now you see, I liked the orphange. The bricks and tiles were very reminiscent of old asylums, and I felt it highlighted the uncomfortable feelings surrounding the boy Tom Riddle.

The trivia section for the movie on IMDB says the tiles used for the orphanage were Victorian.

#136 - I had a feeling they might have been. Thanks for that. :-)

hmmm I don't notice stuff like that! tiles. pies, shoelaces

The Pensieve was horrible. The GoF one was much closer, though still not perfect. The metal disc pretending to be a Pensieve was definitely bad.

Do the directors and producers think the fans don't notice stuff like that? Aren't there fact checkers?

I didn't notice it!

You know, I understand the purist argument up to a point, but a movie is a visual medium. It's just gonna be different than what is described in the books, and sometimes that makes it better. For instance, doesn't it make way more sense to use the technology of CGI to actually take down the Millenium bridge, rather than have an overlong expository scene like the muggle prime minister? The former is appropriate to a movie, the latter is necessary in a book when you want to remind people what's going on.

I liked the new pensieve - it was kinda cool and very magical looking. There's no reason why the filmmaker can't put in something cool just because JKR didn't think of it first, imho.

Jo seems to agree, because she's there all the time and apparently doesn't kick up much of a fuss unless they try to delete something important to the overall plot (Kreacher, for instance).

The only thing that bothers me is when they leave out (or mangle) what seem to me key lines of dialogue or whole scenes. But I just don't understand why everything has to look exactly how Jo described it. We will always have the books, let's let the filmmakers adapt and interpret them and use their own imaginations.

No one bitches anymore that Harry's eyes aren't green.

/soapbox.

It really bugged me that Harry's eyes weren't green! ;)

I kind of thought the floating pensieve might have been made because it would be easier for someone to stick their face in it. They don't have to bend over as far as they would if it was on a table.

#142: I think I take bigger issue with the CHANGE between GoF and HBP, it's called continuity and it's important. And yes, I prefer the stone one, and if they'd started with the floating one, I wouldn't have been happy, but at least it would have been continually wrong and not rightish in one spot and completely wrong in another. I mean, DD didn't have enough to do the last couple years so he decided to redesign his invention?

#143: In GoF they had it on a tall pedestal, instead of on a table. Looked a bit like a large baptismal font. Bending was minimal.

And for the record, I had no problem with the absence of the "other minister" and liked the bridge thing (even though it was the wrong bridge) ;)

Well in PoA they changed the grounds and Hagrid's hut completely, but personally I think it was way better.

In a castle that has moving staircases, how important is physical continuity? Should a filmmaker be bound by Chris Columbus' decisions 10 years ago when the technology was way, way inferior?

In the case of the grounds, I don't think it's as important, non-readers will still know it's Hogwarts. Will non-readers realize that the thing Harry kept sticking his face in this time was the same object from GoF? I don't know, but I don't think it's right to change the design of an object like that for that basic reason. I also don't think the design of the Pensieve has anything to do with technology. Of course technology should continue to evolve. If Quidditch still looked the same I'd be very upset.

We're never going to agree on this, we both know that we view the movies differently and always have. We had the same issue in the group reread, it's the beauty of art that everyone sees it differently. Shall we agree to disagree on this point and drop it?

Oh, totally, bib. I respect your opinion and I have no trouble dropping the subject if you want to. I think it's an interesting discussion, tho.

All points of view are equally valid.

Off topic a little, but the local discount movie theater here is showing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with open captioning. I looked that up, and apparently it's subtitles. The difference from closed captioning is that that one you have to turn on. This movie will have the captioning on during the entire movie. So for the deaf, it's a way to see the movie on the big screen. We might even go and see it again. It's only $1.

#147: I too found it interesting, but
a: Trying to format my thoughts at work is trying to say the least and
b: I don't want to usurp the thread!

#148: Sounds like a good deal. That's a wonderful program being offered!

$149 Understood. I wonder if we should start another thread: Book vs. Movie: Where You Draw the Line, to find out what bugs people, or what they like, when the movie people change things.

Then again, people tend to get emotionally involved in this subject, and this is a friendly site. I would hate to bring out any hurt feelings.

HARRY'S EYES AREN'T GREEN?????????????

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haha ha ha!!!! Oh, MrA.... :D

Don't even get me started again on how no one in the trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife has appropriate hair and eye color. And from the little glimpses I've seen, some of the settings are way off, too. When the author makes such a big deal out of those details, how hard is it to follow them?!

It's one thing to change details about HP, in which many of the settings and props are imaginary and could be visualized in a number of different ways, but quite another to change them for a movie set in Chicago, for crying out loud.

Heh. I still complain about Harry's eye color. ;-)

#150 -- I think you should start the thread . . . after all, we had lots of debates about one thing or another back around the time DH came out, and we all survived (I think). There's definitely room for discussion and different points of view, as all of the different sides are respectful of the others. I think we do a pretty good job of that around here.

We all love each other enough to argue in good fun, I think.

I've stopped complaining about Harry's blue eyes, but it does still bother me too. As well as Hermione's pink dress in GoF.

NO WE DON'T!!!! *Grrr, Stomp, Grumble* NO ONE IS RIGHT EXCEPT ME!!! *slams door*

LOL!

156 yeah I hated that dress!
ETA Come back Lady N! We have cookies.......

Ooh! Cookies!!

For some reason i remember reading that they went in and digitally altered Harry's eye color in the first movie for every scene where you could see his eyes so they would be green. Maybe I'm just mis-remembering things. I know that he couldn't wear contacts because he had some sort of reaction to them.

Sooooo......I finally watched it this afternoon.

My major comments off the top of my head:
1. Dan/Harry had too much make-up on.
2. The last 30 minutes was too rushed and choppy.

Now to go back and read the rest of the thread.

Other notes while reading the thread:

#12 and all: Yes, Lavender was played perfectly. Very humorous.

#13: I missed the lessons as well. Were they not in the last movie?
Also, I was also disappointed of the ending. It was a flop.

#14: Also loved the cave scene. Almost like I imagined it. I jumped too, even though I knew it was coming.

#15-20: Oh Polly. You make me laugh. Off your list I found myself asking
Where were Bill and Fleur? What happened to the battle? Where’s the funeral!?
Also hated the add-ins of the scenes you mentioned in #18.

#26: Loved Ron’s quidditch scenes!

#27: I really didn’t like the change of Snape shushing Harry. It gives hope to the viewer that wasn’t there in the book.

#28: I completely agree about Harry not being petrified. In my head I was saying “wrong, wrong, wrong”.

#35: SNAPE! We sure didn’t see enough of him and he is the HBP!

#39 and others: I agree. We didn’t see enough of Tom’s background. That will be important for the next 2 movies.

#54: I thought it was missing a lot of music. Silent scenes are affective, only if there aren’t a lot of them.

#63 K: *nods in agreement*

#95: Missed those too!

#131-134: Could it be the new version? Kind of like a laptop instead of a desktop? I kept thinking “Why don’t they put it on their lap and get comfy?”

Overall I liked the movie, except for the last 30-45 minutes.

#135 LadyN:
I'd had no idea. That makes it kind of cool. :)

#145 LG:
I liked Hagrid's hut a lot better in PoA versus earlier films, too.

I got to re-watch HBP this afternoon! I'm really curious what my sister who doesn't read the books thought of it but won't know for a few days.

Had anyone noticed the number on Harry's quidditch robes is 7? It made me laugh.

Another thought is that Harry didn't seem to come out as bad in the movie versus the book when fighting with Malfoy. The scene from the book isn't fresh in my head but it seemed they fought more during the scene in the movie. It made it more like two kids who fought but also needed defense of some sort. It that sense, Harry just seemed to chose a bad spell. I noticed they didn't let us see who was holding the bathroom door open as Harry ran out and wonder who it was.

Another thing I thought of today was if people who were seeing the movie after having never read the books understood the ending scene by Hagrid's. It would almost look like Harry had accidentally fired a spell at Hagrid's hut versus Bella having caused it to catch fire. I can't wait to ask my sister what she thinks about this scene in particular.

Draco looked rather remorseful looking back at the Great Hall after his aunt Bella had damaged it. I'm not sure what I expected him to feel at a time like that. I wonder if I thought the remorse would have been more focused on Dumbledore's death, something that could have been there, but not something as noticed as the Great Hall scene later.

#164: I disagree about the bathroom scene, I think Harry comes off a bit better in the book. Having read it within the last week, I can tell you that they each fire off a couple spells at each other all of which miss and then Draco's about to crucio Harry when Harry shouts Sectumsempra. There was no attempt at an unforgivable curse from Malfoy in the movie. Of course, Harry doesn't know what the spell does in either case, just that it's "for enemies", so whether he should have used it at all is up for debate, I just think it was more understandable in the book.

The worse thing is Harry doesn't even get detention for it!

#166 -- True! Movie Snape is such an old softie! ;-) No doubt he was thinking, "Ah, boys will be boys! What's a few stab wounds between friends?"

Perhaps he was thinking that since it was his, Snape's, spell that some blowback would come onto him for this one? Who knows...it doesn't make sense to me that he wouldn't see red when Harry stole his spell just like his father before him.

prehaps since he knew what was coming he figured that harry would soon be very sorry

and yes as far as harry just standing and letting DD be killed is not like harry at all, he would've done something

In general, foggi, I agree, movie-Snape is far less vindictive than book-Snape. Maybe it's just cause it's Rickman and we're all in love with him.

I dunno . . . I fell in love with nasty, vindictive book-Snape long before my (admittedly related) crush on Rickman commenced.

so foggi, you like bad boys,do you? ;)

Sirius is the bad boy! Snape is a Nerdfighter! We have established this!

#165 bib:
Eek. I'm rereading it but am not that far into the book. Thanks! I need to reread more often.

Foggi has always had a thing for bad boys ;)

I about had a fit when they burned the burrow. I smacked the person next to me in the arm in fact. *He didn't appreciate it at all*

I loved Weasley Wizard Weezes

Ron was fabulous as always

Loved watching boys act stupid, it was refreshing.

Absolutely adored Harry on Felix. Couldn't stop laughing

That was the main thing about the movie, i never expected to laugh so much. It was such a laughing movie, until the end and then it was a crying movie *Which i did a little bit but you didn't hear that from me*

I surprised myself by NOT crying on this one. I usually do tear up, and certainly I bawled when I read the book. The movie just didn't quite have the same impact for me.

GPWTS!

. . . you're right, of course. ;-)

Good to see you again.

Hi g!

#177: Agreed, I didn't cry at Sirius either, so far the only death in the movies that's gotten to me is Cedric, and I cry at anything. (waits for her family to back her up on that)

176- Seconded on everything you said. Good to see you!

I agree 177 I even brought kleenex because reading the book I cried but I think I was so dumbstruck that Harry wasn't froze that it just didn't have the impact I was expecting it to have.
#176 Yes Weasley joke shop was perfect!

I went to an 8:00 showing mid-week where there didn't appear to be anybody under 20 and the average age was probably 45. There were tearful *sniffs* coming from all directions at the end.

G!!!!!!!!

Great to see you!! xx

So I went to see HBP again last night and I have a funny story. At the very beginning when the flashbulbs are going off in Harry's face, the lady behind me asks her husband, "is this after the kid got killed in the maze?" and he said no and explained where they are in the story. She says, "I don't think I saw that movie. Well, this will be interesting." The kicker was at the very end when DD dies, she totally lost it! Scrambling for kleenex in her purse. I dont know how a person could remain ignorant of the climax of HBP, but she had managed it. It was nice to know that the moment still has the power to shock and upset people.

I like the scene where Harry is on Felix Felicis more every time.

Espy and I were discussing the scene on the train the other night, where Harry sneaks in to the car where the Slytherins are to spy on Draco. Did anyone else think it was strange that the Slytherins had a whole big car, instead of compartments? Espy said that he thought the weirdest thing was that the seating where the Slytherins were didn't look very comfortable.

Yeah, I thought it was weird. It was almost as if the Slytherins had appropriated the dining car for themselves...

That was my interpretation, that they Slytherins had taken over the dining car.

I was just thinking that it is an old train and not all the cars and compartments would be the same. The open compartment worked better for the Peruvian dust I guess, but that just opens the can of worms about the battle at the end where the dust was really used.

it also may have just been a camera thing, i wasn't really focusing on that exactly. i find sometimes in those movies it's easier to just kind of enjoy.

Always nice to be noticed ;-)

thats true g, sometimes just let imagination go and don't worry about it

184 -Littlegeek, That's a funny story! I saw it again yesterday (for the 3rd time) and there were actually a few sniffles in the theater too!

185- Foggi- I thought it was wierd also, but I assumed that the train cars were adapted to each houses preferences, but I think the idea of them taking over the dining car sounds more like the slytherins.

What struck me as odd was that Ron, Hermione, and Harry saw Draco examining the vanishing cabinet in Borgin and Bourkes in the beginning, but Harry didn't manage to put two and two together in the Room of Requirement when he and Ginny were hiding the book. Mr. Weasley had even mentioned to Harry that he suspected that Malfoy was interested in the cabinet. Do you think he was just still in too much shock over the Sempra Sectum spell? Or maybe too in awe of Ginny? I thought he was supposed to be exhibiting more of his "troubleshooting" for lask of a better word, capabilities.

This is a bit interesting: http://www.moviemistakes.com/film7523

Wow, many of those are really observant comments! I did notice some of what was mentioned there, but not to that extent. I wonder if some of the people who posted had production training and knew what to look for?!