The sixth in the series of seven books (or indeed of eight films), the Half-Blood Prince had a shocking ending for some, and for others it was a moment in the film which people had been waiting to see since having read the book. The question remains though whether the changes they made to the story were good changes, or whether they have managed to ruin another story.
It was quite unusual, I normally see films I want to see on their opening night but for this film I didn't - not because I wasn't expecting much from this film but because I decided to avoid the crowds for a change. The showing I saw was an unusual one as well as it was for over 18's only which meant I was expecting there to be silence throughout most of the film. I was wrong though, and it was a good atmosphere where at numerous points in the film the cinema burst out laughing at points which were funny and were delivered with good comical effect.
Please note that what follows after this may contain some spoilers which you may not want to read if you've not read the book.
It's hard to remain objective and unbiased about the quality of a film and it's story when you've already read the book as you'll be watching it with certain expectations. I did go in to the film knowing that they'd made certain changes to the film, particularly to the ending with the feeble excuse that the removal of the big battle was so that the battle of Hogwarts in the final movie would have a much bigger impact. In truth though I think the ending is still effective in showing the tragedy of Dumbledore's death. After Snape uses Avada Kedavra on him you see his lifeless body falling from the tower and then you don;t get to see much of him again - you see a brief moment where he is sprawled out on the floor and then after that every shot of him is a close-up of the side of Dumbledore's face. Quite often during close-ups of death scenes you see feint signs of the actor breathing as shallow as possible, and in the case of Michael Gambon I must say he did a marvellous job of keeping still. From the time he took over the role as Albus Dumbledore until his death scene in this one he has done an excellent job in portraying the much loved character from the books who reluctantly has to put Harry in the line of fire as they move closer to their destiny.
I think the film in general tries to punctuate every dark scene with scenes of teenage affairs of the heart and light humour, probably to stop the film feeling too dark though arguably any book or movie where Dumbledore dies in it is bound to be dark anyway. In this film we see Harry starting to have feelings for Ginny and the audience learns that Ron and Hermione do love each other even though they won't say it though the main focus for Ron this time around is Lavender Brown (who actually seems quite scary) and his role in Quidditch as goalkeeper. There does seem to be an awful lot of teenage hormones flying around in this film, a lot more than is actually in the book (although there are some scenes cut from the book).
Alan Rickman's performance of Snape was once again unequalled in delivering a performance which was totally believable and memorable with the subtle hints that what he did he did so reluctantly at the behest of Dumbledore rather than acting under the orders of Lord Voldemort. I think Snape's best scene has to be the combination of him acting to the surprise of Harry and their subsequent confrontation as he leaves with the death eaters. This latter part of the film, starting with the scene with them going after the Horcrux is some powerful storytelling and shows what sort of person Harry Potter is. Before being allowed to accompany Dumbledore on this dangerous mission he has to promise to do whatever he is told no matter what. Even though it looks like the potion Dumbledore has to drink is killing him Harry continues to force it down Dumbledore because he was told to give his word, and again when the death eaters enter Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy he again ordered to hide. This obedience not only shows he's learnt to obey orders no matter how hard they are to obey, but that he's willing to do whatever it takes to defeat the dark lord.
One of the most annoying changes is when Bellatrix Lestrange and some death eaters draw Harry out from the protection of the Weasley home and into the fields where Bellatrix keeps singing "I killed Sirius Black" in an attempt to enrage Harry (which of course works as Harry Potter is very quick tempered). The problem with this scene is that I don't remember it from the book and that they burn the Burrow down - as tragic and as serious an impact it may have on the audience, it is a kind of fundamental to the final chapter in the Harry Potter story. I don't really see why they needed to add that scene, it didn't really add a great deal other than to show Ginny is willing to risk her life for Harry and to show that Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks are a couple.
Despite some dubious changes and in some places a slow pace, the film is still enjoyable for fans of the books as long as you don't mind it the parts where it strays. For regular cinema goers I would only recommend this film if you've seen the previous films as some of the information from these films is important in understanding the plot for this film. If you have seen the previous five films then there is a fair chance you will also enjoy number 6.
Now we're left to wait in eager anticipation of the final book, "The Deathly Hallows" in the form of two movies for 2010 and 2011 - an obvious attempt to make more money out of the Harry Potter cash cow.
