Consider this my review for HBP

[trinityvixen]

I can't really say that this wouldn't be a great idea. Obviously, we'd need a break of about a decade or two, and I don't think this could be reliably done with live action unless a lot of things about doing television change any time soon. But an animated series would be good, and it would do better than the films have done.

As for Half-Blood Prince, what can I say? I did not like the book. I think the movie missed a lot of points of emotional resonance--it felt rather like it was hitting marks, but not making me care that it did. I had a sorta similar reaction to this as I did to the Wolverine movie; I knew what was coming, and I couldn't get that excited about it. At least they managed to make the romance subplots somewhat bearable. I also credit Tom Felton with making me care, at all, about poor widdle Draco Malfoy. I don't think JK Rowling did half so well by him in the book, but she was hindered by not being able to show things he was doing from his own point of view. The movie, wisely, showed just how scary it was for him to be doing evil work. I did kind of pity him. Effective distraction, but still a distraction.

Comments

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

I was very bothered about how Voldemort's and Snape's mothers were cut out of the movie. The disturbing tale of Merope Gaunt is very interesting in itself, and has connections to the Horcruxes and Deathly Hollows. IIRC, it is in her story that the name "Peverell" first comes up. The HBP movie made the Horcruxes seem even more random that they were already, and I suppose the last movie will do the same with DHs.

And how could not a few lines be spared for the Half-Blood Prince? Hermione could easily have mentioned while walking to Hogsmeade that all she could find was a woman surnamed Prince who married a Muggle.

I had hoped Sectumsempra would be much bloodier. While Moaning Myrtle is goofy, it would have been nice to see her interact with Draco and NOT be disturbed by Harry. It would make Draco more sympathetic - he is stressed, scared, and she is all he has to talk to. I also wished that scenes of Draco using the trio's strategies against them were included.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I missed a lot of the Gaunt story line, too. And I'm with you: WTF is a Half-Blood Prince if you don't go into what that actually means? Are we getting to that next time or what?

The sectum sepra was actually really horrifying to me because of the blood. We've seen Harry bloodied, but never really bleed much. And when people die in this universe it's snap-of-the-fingers quick. To see Draco laid out, bleeding uncontrollably was really shocking.