Its been nearly a month since the Harry Potter movie came out, but only now do I feel comfortable giving it a proper review. I wanted to review it the day after it first premiered but I had alot of mixed feelings at the time mostly do to my affection for the books as well as my strong desire to like the film. So after talking to a bunch of people who also had mixed feelings about the movie, I decided to see it again with my sister who had already seen it twice. So to those who havent seen the movie yet, just to warn you that there are major spoilers ahead. And to make sure you know,I'll even bold it for you...MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

So heres my offical verdict on the Half Blood Prince...it was okay. Mostly alright but still okay.

First off, let me start by saying that I did really like the first half of the movie. Most of it was true to the book despite a few creative changes here and plus the new beginning. Seeing Harry hit on the waitress at the beginning seemed weird and out of chracter but it was genuinly amusing. Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes was outright awesome and even flashier then I pictured it. Quite possibly the most colorful part in the whole film (which is saying sumthing since everything was either a dingy grey or grundgy brown like a typical apocolapic video game). And they put Quidditch back in the film! Too bad there wasnt much of it, although the tryouts were pretty cool. The scenes with the pensieve were pretty well done too, although I wish they added in more memory scenes. Michael Gambon had grown on me by this point so I liked most of the scenes Dumbldore was in. The thing with Draco fixing the cabinet was cool at first but quickly became tiresome. While the book kept Dracos mission a mystery, the movie makes it blantently obvious and keeps shoving it in our faces. I dont know if they did that for the fans who never read the books or to make up for Tom Felton having barely any screen time in the last film, but i personally thought they couldve stopped after he transported the apple. Ive also grown even more fond of Luna in this movie, with all her wacky getups and dialog. The only thing that woulda made her role perfect is if she did announcements for the quidditch match like in the book.

The second half was a bit clustered and improvised but it still had its great moments from time to time. The part when Harry drinks the Felix Felscis and the scene at Hagrids hut were funny and surprisingly emotional. I also loved the scene when Harry and Dumbledore go to the cave and fight the inferi. That fire spell was epic! Which probably made up for the ending being a total let down. Of course you had Draco being coaxed by the death eaters into killing Dumbledore as well as Dumbledore being killed by Snape, but after that the movie just seems to give up. Theres no epic battle within Hogwarts between the death eaters, order members or students or even the battle at Hagrids hut. Instead the death eaters simply walk out of Hogwarts while Bella destroys the great hall and hagrids hut in the process. For sum reason, seeing Bella skip around as hexes everything just seemed a bit goofy to me. And when Harry follows and trys to fight Snape, Snape has no emotional reaction whatsoever, not even when Harry called him a coward. The part where they all stand around Dumbledores dead body and raise their wands to wipe away the dark mark was pretty emotional (even i myself cried) and the last good scene in the film. I think there was so much they couldve done with the tower scene at the end but all they talk about is how the lockets a fake, Rons fine with Harry dating Ginny and how Harrys not going back to school next year. It left alot to be desired.

For the new characters, I had mixed feelings.
I liked Horace Slughorn depite him looking nothing like his book counterpart but I thought he couldve been a bit more overbearing with collecting Harry.
Narcissa Malfoy left little to no impression on me since she barely speaks and wasnt as emotional as in the book about Malfoy being picked for his mission.
Lavender Brown was just one huge fucking fangirl through and throgh, but seeing as she had little personality in the books other then being Parvati's giggling gossip mate, I guess it sorta worked.
Fenrir Greyback I have to admit looked cool. Personally i would perfered his claws and teeth to be a little longer but thats just me. What dissappointed me though is that he never spoke. Not one word. Basically he was a shaven Sabertooth cept he never tried to claw anything and either blocked spells or telaported. Bit of a dissappointment character wise.
Cornmac McClaggan, whats there to say? He's an arrogant asshole just like in the book.
The young Tom Riddle I thought did his part very well. But maybe a little too well. He almost reminded me of Maculay Culkins character from The Good Son with him being so obviously evil thats its a wonder no one could tell what he really was in short of him growing horns. At least in the Chamber of Secrets, the Tom Riddle we see from the diary acts evil but with much more subtly thus fooling people and the audience into trusting him more.


For me, things then started going downhill for starting with the Burrow scene. First off, why the hell was it needed? The burrow doesnt get attacked until the 7th book during Bill and Fleurs wedding and actually shouldn't have been attacked considering it has magical defenses surrounding it. I mean, I know the director was trying to get the point across that not even a place like the burrow was safe anymore from dark forces, but that shouldnt have become an issue till the end of HBP and then in DH. And wtf is up with the death eaters? Theyve become such total pussys! They have no problem with destroying the bridge or attacking diagon alley but as soon as Harry takes out his wand and runs after them, they run off! Bellatrix doesn't attack once even though she had many opportunitys to and the rest of the death eaters merely grimance while they watch from the wheatfield. Srly, wtf?? Are you telling me a bunch of apparating dark wizards who've used the unforgivable curses many many time dont stand a chance against 2 underage wizards? Even with Lupin, Tonks and Arthur they still could've taken them. There was even a few moments for sneak attacks. But instead they just fly off, destroy the burrow and then dissapear. Weak man...totally weak.

And while Im thinking about, I have issue with how Lupin and Tonks are portayed in the film. First off, their relationship appears out of nowhere. I guess there was just no room for it amongst Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginnys relationship issues. I also love how their roles and screentime are almost completely cut out of the film. The full 10 minutes we see our two more favorite characters, Lupin is being a whiny emo and Tonks just sits there barely speaking. They didnt even fight. Riveting.

Now we come to one of the bigger problems with this film...teen drama. THERE WAS WAY TOO MUCH OF IT! I mean seriously, if I wanted to see 10 interlooping love triangles coupled with a bunch of incredibly awkward, oblivious or overly emotional whiny teenagers, Id go watch prime time on ABC Family or the WB. Now I know that teen love was one of the biggest and most anticipated parts of HBP, which was appriopriate considering how serious and dark Deathly Hallows becomes, but the drama became too much at times. I found myself crindging or rubbing my head in pain when I'd watch two characters who've known each other for years, suddenly start stuttering or saying weird things or looking at each other in a dreamy state. Alot of the chemisty between characters also seemed forced. There were times where the akwardness was so thick and uncomfortable, you could cut through it with a knife. The only chemistry that seemed natural surprisingly was between Ron and Lavender. But then again, how much skill does it take to act like a head-over-heels-in-love crazed fangirl?

And while we're on the subject, I was totally dissappointed by the kiss between Harry and Ginny. I expected it to either be intimate and sweet like the kiss between Harry and Cho or fierce and passionate like the kiss between Ron and Lavender. But it was neither. It was more of Ginny just being a cock tease. I had hoped they were saving the real kiss for when they won the Quidditch cup but it never happened. Im guessing theyr saving that for DH but one can only wish.

Now onto plot detail. I thought they couldve explained so much more about key points in the book and general series. They don't go into too much detail about the identity of the horcruxes or their location. You have that one hint about the horcrux in Harrys scar but thats about it. Nothing about the locket, cup or snake. They even missed an opportunity with the diadem in the room of requirement, like Harry or Ginny or even Draco picking it up at some point. They also didnt go into detail about Snape being the Half-Blood prince. All my friends who saw the movie but didnt read the book kept asking me why he was called the Half-Blood Prince. A simple 1 minute explanation by Hermione on the tower at the end would've sufficed but apparently that detail just wasn't important enough. To me thats almost as bad as when they didnt explain about the Maraders in Prisoners of Azkaban. I know its not a key plot point but for those who havent read the books, simple short explanations like that are needed.

The rest of my other complaints are mostly nitpicky at this point so Ill just wrap this up. Overall, I thought this movie was about average. I know it seemed like I hated it alot based on my complaints but then again, I am a hard cor Harry Potter fan and thus totally biased toward the books so of course Ill always find fault with something. It wasnt the best film in the series but it wasnt the worst film either. Some parts I liked, some I didnt and some were either unnessary, missing, or should've been elborated on. If your a hard cor fan like me your probably gonna be dissapointed alot but genuinly content. And if your manily a movie fan or a newbie, you might be pleasently surprised by some things and confused by others. All in all, I say give it a look if your curious.