Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[shaunhood]

Saw it last weekend and to be honest, it was very disappointing. A friend of mine said it should have been named Horny Potter and the Half Dead flick or Harry Potter and the Raging Hormones. Personally, I hope they were reserving the best stuff for the next film or films, so I heard. Your opinion?

[twc5964]

I enjoyed it a lot,however,I agree with the horny part...got old after 5 seconds.Still,a good movie imo.

[vinyldavid]

Originally Posted by twc5964

I enjoyed it a lot,however,I agree with the horny part...got old after 5 seconds.Still,a good movie imo.

+1!!!

They just hit you over the head with it...in the book it is WAY more subtle...

[fotno]

Originally Posted by vinyldavid

+1!!!

They just hit you over the head with it...in the book it is WAY more subtle...

Pretty much every aspect of the books is more subtle, and more carefully and gradually told as well. I Just saw HBP last week and I enjoyed it, although it was quite a bit different than the previous films. I think it was a judgment call on the part of the Producers/Director/Screenwriter to try to get as much as possible done, before Deadly Hallows.

Knowing where the Ron/Hermione & Harry/Ginny storylines are headed, I imagine they were trying to get a little of the romantic back-story told so that when the finale' is reached, people who haven't read the books won't be caught flat-footed. If they tried to deal with the romances solely within the Deadly Hallows films alone, I think it would be so cluttered that even the two films planned wouldn't have enough time to do it all.

The films are kind of a "Reader's Digest" version of the books anyway, with a tremendous amount removed and altered.

[vinyldavid]

Fotno, I have quite a few friends that have only seen the movies, not wanting to read the books, and I think that they are missing out completely....also, at the end of the second movie (before even the fifth book came out) I predicted Harry/Ginny...which surprised me greatly when I found out I was right.

[fotno]

As much as I enjoy the films (as is most often the case) there's no comparison between the books and the movies. I'm in my 40's and I love these books, so I can only imagine what it would have been like to grow up with them as so many young people have. The closest analogy I can think of in my own life, would be Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which were my favorite books in my teens.

Edit: I called Harry/Ginny too... I was quite proud of myself. Once you know for sure, if you go back through the books you can see it from the very beginning. In Sorceror's Stone at Platform 9-3/4, Ginny chases after the departing Hogwarts Express once Harry and the Weasley boys have boarded. The hints keep getting dropped almost continually thereafter.

[Wolverine]

Never read the books so I am blissfully ignorant of what has been changed or altered.
My kids however have inhaled everybook since they came out and this is the first one where they really criticized the movie for what it left out and what it emphasized. Based on what they said it seems the Director made some odd choices. I agree with the comments that the movie seemed to be centering around hormones rather than moving the whole Voldemort/Harry conflict along.

[2DualsNotEnough]

Personally,I liked all the romantic stuff in this one.I think it makes a nice break from the constant doom and gloom,which I like,too.One of my favorite parts in any of the movies was in #4,I think,when you have all these kids who bravely face demons and death,absolutely terrified by the prospect of a school dance.
These books and movies were supposed to be relatable for kids,so as they got older,it would make sense to mirror what their readers would be going through at the same age.
Prisoner Of Azkaban is still my favorite just as pure cinema.
Jimmy

[Andyman]

I haven't seen it yet, but my very astute 17 year old loved it and said it was the best of the bunch. She's inhaled all the books and also feels that the movies pale in comparison, but she liked this one alot.

[soundmotor]

I saw it last night and really enjoyed it.

The "raging hormones" were so minimal I am not sure what all the fuss was about?

[Mystic]

I've not read any of the books but I have been dragged by my S.O. to all of the films up to 1/2 Blood, which we're seeing later today. Sadly and tellingly, I am unable, after viewing X number of the films in this series, to recall a character named Ginny. Anyway, here's to the hormonal rage onslaught.

[fotno]

Ginny Weasley, youngest of all the Weasley kids, and the first girl born to their family in several generations. One year back of Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts - Started in 1992 instead of 1991.

Edit: Added link and extra comments.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Ginevra_Weasley

To be fair, she has a far greater presence in the books than the films. It's only in the last two films that she really stands out as she should, especially seeing as how she is a major character and influences much of the story.

[Mystic]

Originally Posted by fotno

Ginny Weasley, youngest of all the Weasley kids, and the first girl born to their family in several generations. One year back of Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts - Started in 1992 instead of 1991.

Yes, now I do remember the little sister of the "poor" magic family.

Originally Posted by fotno

To be fair, she has a far greater presence in the books than the films.

Good call: As I have not read the any of books, it follows that the Ginny character would not have for me a level of salience equal to many of the other characters.

[slow_jazz]

I thought it was decent but they left way too much out of the book.

Goblet of Fire is still my favorite....

[steerpike2]

I have all of them on cassette, read by Stephen Fry. To me that is by far the best way to ingest them; nothing beats having a story read to you! Especially by someone with such a talent for language.