Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

My co-worker just told me he hated the movie. Said it was awful. I asked if he'd read the books and he said yes. He was upset that, "there wasn't resolution to the movie and it's such an obvious set-up for the next movie" and then something about "hating it when the good guy dies". I found out he hasn't read book 7.

I sometimes wonder how opinions would differ by not reading the books. I have another friend who has not read any of the books but still loves the movies. We're trying to convince her to read the books because we all think they are much better.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I sometimes wonder how opinions would differ by not reading the books. I have another friend who has not read any of the books but still loves the movies. We're trying to convince her to read the books because we all think they are much better.

First, it's rare when the book is not better than the movie.

Second, absolutely having read the books will influence your opinions of the movie. While I try to let the movies stand on their own merit, I still find myself thinking back to the novels and thinking that adding a certain passage or piece of sub-chapter could enhance the movie greatly. It's tough for most people to separate the two.

 

[The Darkness]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I thought this movie was hilarious (for an HP movie). I laughed a lot. Won-won!

But, yeah, leaving out the fight scene at the end is a significant cut. Just letting the Death Eaters leave the ground with no struggle seems odd.

My friends and I were commenting after the movie about how none of us remember there being any kind of confrontation at the Burrow in the book. I understand having to cut things to make a 2.5 hour movie, but adding things? I didn't see that scene as doing much for the plot and wonder why it was added.

I was so freaking furious they left out the fight at the end of the book. I sat in that theater for two and a half hours, shaking my head at some of the decision and some of that stuff that was left out, but I was so looking forward to the fight at the end of the movie, and then it came and everybody just calmly walked out the front door, I was also kind of mad that they left out Dumbledore's funeral at the end.

So I've come to a conclusion, I either need to stop reading or stop watching movies based on books that I have read, because I just keep being disappointed by this stupid series of movies.

Edit: As long as I'm venting other things that made me mad, they just totally gave away what Malfoy was working on from the beginning of the movie, so i'm guessing nobody involved with this movie ever heard about suspense.

And on top of all that, absolutely no scenes in Defense against the Dark Arts with Snape, or an explanation of how Katie Bell received the package with the necklace, it's the small things that was left out that really made me mad.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I haven't seen the HBP yet, but...

Is it just me or have the movies sucked hard core since Columbus left? I know the books have gotten bigger, so more info needs to be crammed in each time, but it's beginning to turn into a big "teen love" flick. Yes, some of that was involved in the book, but it definitely wasn't in as large of part as some of the movies have suggested. I came for battles of insane proportion, not a "Twilight" lookalike.

Oh, and what happened to robes??? I was still under the impression in the books that they were still wearing robes 24/7 in school, not Hollister/A.E. designer shirts and pants.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I haven't seen the HBP yet, but...

Is it just me or have the movies sucked hard core since Columbus left? I know the books have gotten bigger, so more info needs to be crammed in each time, but it's beginning to turn into a big "teen love" flick. Yes, some of that was involved in the book, but it definitely wasn't in as large of part as some of the movies have suggested. I came for battles of insane proportion, not a "Twilight" lookalike.

Oh, and what happened to robes??? I was still under the impression in the books that they were still wearing robes 24/7 in school, not Hollister/A.E. designer shirts and pants.

HBP did at least have some robe wearing.

 

[Cat lover]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

The only thing good about the Burrow scene was it was our only chance to see Lupin and Tonks who was absent on the train.(I like Luna but she would never have found Harry)

IMO even at 2 1/2 hours the movie didnt feel to long. Maybe its the LOTR fan in me that likes long movies instead of cuts.

 

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Oh, and what happened to robes??? I was still under the impression in the books that they were still wearing robes 24/7 in school, not Hollister/A.E. designer shirts and pants.

I made that comment to some friends when we were watching 3 and 4 I think. I understand Harry and Hermoine having what I would call normal clothes....after all, they grew up in the muggle world. But why would someone like Malfoy be wearing such clothing? Especially since in the book they make a big deal of how difficult some wizards find it to put together what we "muggles" would consider a normal outfit.

It just seems like lazy costume design to me.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

It just seems like lazy costume design to me.

Either that or product placement.

Warner Bros. seems to look at these films and see only profit margins (see also: cutting of scenes- especially Quidditch- that are too effects heavy). I'm actually shocked not to have seen a Pepsi can by now.

Speaking of product placement: how hilariously bad would these movies be if Michael Bay directed them?

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Speaking of product placement: how hilariously bad would these movies be if Michael Bay directed them?

Unwatchable they'd be.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I sometimes wonder how opinions would differ by not reading the books. I have another friend who has not read any of the books but still loves the movies. We're trying to convince her to read the books because we all think they are much better.

I don't know about better.

They're different. It's a different medium.

I've been reading behind watching the movies and I've never regretted doing so. I can think of at least one movie that might have been wrecked if I'd read the book first (Azkaban... I strongly disagree with a couple of adaptation decisions in that one), and judging by discussion about HBP it might fall into that bin as well.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Edit: As long as I'm venting other things that made me mad, they just totally gave away what Malfoy was working on from the beginning of the movie, so i'm guessing nobody involved with this movie ever heard about suspense.

No, they didn't totally give it away, neither what the vanishing cabinet was (it took until well into the movie that they said what it did), nor what Draco's ultimate mission was (though you might well have inferred it from the poisoned mead).

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Oh, and what happened to robes??? I was still under the impression in the books that they were still wearing robes 24/7 in school, not Hollister/A.E. designer shirts and pants.

It was either 3 or 4, I think, where they cut back on the use of the robes significantly.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

I can think of at least one movie that might have been wrecked if I'd read the book first (Azkaban... I strongly disagree with a couple of adaptation decisions in that one)

Anything in particular, or was it just some of the exposition that didn't make it in that bugged you so much?

It was either 3 or 4, I think, where they cut back on the use of the robes significantly.

3. I have no problem with using "Muggle" clothes, such as during non-school hours, but it was odd to see it used to the wild extent that they did during the last three movies (haven't seen HBP yet).

 

[The Paragon of Virtue]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Warner Bros. seems to look at these films and see only profit margins

What else are they going to be looking at?

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

What else are they going to be looking at?

A movie?

I'll just say that there's a difference between pinching pennies on an indie film so it'll make profit and pinching pennies on a big budget series.

Each of the first five films cost between $100 and $150 million to make, but each has also made over five times that amount (the lowest grossing one of the first five was PoA at $795 million- per wikipedia). So, when WB says "avoid Quidditch" or "trim this down" or "eliminate these costly scenes", its not like they're doing it to keep the film profitable- because its already a cash cow. And often times, these decisions end up making very little sense from a narrative standpoint. They're milking the cash cow at the expense of the films themselves.

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense from a $$$ standpoint, but its really freakin' annoying. Hearing reports of WB keeping costs down or making huge narrative changes on the Harry Potter movies for money reasons is almost like listening to really rich people whine about their taxes.

Now, the argument that will derail this a bit is the fact that- again, per wikipedia- HBP cost $250 million instead of $150 million, so they are throwing more money around this time, so when they say they cut the funeral for cost reasons, you can kind of buy it. The movie will still make 4x its budget, though.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

A movie?

I'll just say that there's a difference between pinching pennies on an indie film so it'll make profit and pinching pennies on a big budget series.

Each of the first five films cost between $100 and $150 million to make, but each has also made over five times that amount (the lowest grossing one of the first five was PoA at $795 million- per wikipedia). So, when WB says "avoid Quidditch" or "trim this down" or "eliminate these costly scenes", its not like they're doing it to keep the film profitable- because its already a cash cow. And often times, these decisions end up making very little sense from a narrative standpoint. They're milking the cash cow at the expense of the films themselves.

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense from a $$$ standpoint, but its really freakin' annoying. Hearing reports of WB keeping costs down or making huge narrative changes on the Harry Potter movies for money reasons is almost like listening to really rich people whine about their taxes.

Now, the argument that will derail this a bit is the fact that- again, per wikipedia- HBP cost $250 million instead of $150 million, so they are throwing more money around this time, so when they say they cut the funeral for cost reasons, you can kind of buy it. The movie will still make 4x its budget, though.

Does that include PPV sales, DVDs, licensing the movie on HBO/ABC/ABC Family? WB makes a pretty penny on those as well.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

A movie?

I'll just say that there's a difference between pinching pennies on an indie film so it'll make profit and pinching pennies on a big budget series.

The accounting books for WB to not begin and end with this single franchise. They have other films that lose money, and some that get started and scrapped; they have people employed that never put a single foot on a movie set. Warner Bros has reason to keep costs reined in on every movie they can.

That said, it does draw my ire that they killed the big battle at the end of the movie and most likely done out of the desire to save costs. That could have been a fantastic spectacle exceeding the battle that ended movie #5.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Couldn't find one of these anywhere.

Curious what others thought of the movie.

My daughter (17) liked it. My wife (39) was so bored she fell asleep. My mother in law (54) thought it was awful. Three data points make a trend.

I've thought the movies have been okay and far superior to the books.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

Anything in particular, or was it just some of the exposition that didn't make it in that bugged you so much?

Cuaron should have fleshed out the Quidditch match enough for it to make more sense what actually happened. As it is, the scene is completely muddled in the movie, and as I recall it's a bit of a turning point for Harry because a) it becomes clear that the Dementors are after him and b) he needs to know how to defend against them.

Also, a couple of minutes of exposition in the house towards the end would have improved things tremendously.

All told, it would have extended the move maybe five minutes.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie (spoiler alert)

So, when WB says "avoid Quidditch" or "trim this down" or "eliminate these costly scenes", its not like they're doing it to keep the film profitable- because its already a cash cow. And often times, these decisions end up making very little sense from a narrative standpoint.

Ew. Whatever happened to setting a budget and letting the producer and director worry about how to meet it?