Posted July 17, 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince First of all, let me just express my sincere satisfaction with the fact that the "Spider-Man" crowd is hating this. Secondly, let's get the score out of the way. It's a very pertinent 7/10 (I marvel at ReZ's definition of what a 7 is, bravo for yet again letting us know just how virtually impossible it is for you to have a trustworthy opinion). Third. The actual "review". Well, I must say, I certainly wasn't expecting to ever be satisfied when watching a Potter movie, but consider me impressed. Bravo, monsieur Yates, you have most certainly done it... Moving on: It's not the same as the book, and actually strays very far from it, but this is perhaps one of the best deicisons made because this is an adaption, it's supposed to work as a movie and as far as that's concerned, this most certainly succeeds! Top notch entertainment! It took some balls, but Yates made everything darker, grittier, and so much more enthralling! I knew everything that was going to happen, but was filled with anticipation all the way through to the end. Fantastic pacing, emotionally enthraling, the visual artistry is beyond reprehension, the action is rightly suppressed as it has no place in this introspective feast. Very well directed, some scenes are just too good to be in this type of film. The frustration of a practically hopeless quest comes across very well. Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent and Helena Bonham Carter all deserve a special mention for their marvelous acting, yet again. Particularly the ending which so many of you are bashing... is a moment of triumph. There is one notable absence which I felt the funeral , but apart from that, everything was handled as simply as possible, and the hollowness of it all made it a very emotionally impactfull moment. It does exactly the opposite of what watchmen did... which is just great. It has a slightly arthouse feel, and it feels gooooooooooooood. Completely flawed, unresolved and absurdly worthy of the name filler, but by far the most satisfying Potter movie yet. This, ladies and gentlemans, is how you do a blockbuster right! It's fantastic how you could sum up the whole movie in two sentences, and yet it manages to keep one completely immersed in this world for 2 hours and a half! A worthy superfluous emotional rollercoaster if there ever was one, the most fulfilled potter movie yet. It's still doesn't rise above just "good", though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince First of all, let me just express my sincere satisfaction with the fact that the "Spider-Man" crowd is hating this. Wait....I'm probably the Spider-Man crowd....what should I be hating? Secondly, let's get the score out of the way. It's a very pertinent 7/10 (I marvel at ReZ's definition of what a 7 is, bravo for yet again letting us know just how virtually impossible it is for you to have a trustworthy opinion). But we had the same score. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Secondly, let's get the score out of the way. It's a very pertinent 7/10 (I marvel at ReZ's definition of what a 7 is, bravo for yet again letting us know just how virtually impossible it is for you to have a trustworthy opinion). It's a score describing opinion, therefore the scale is also a matter of opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Yes but this is Oxigen Waste and apparently his opinion is actually fact Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Mars Attacks! i love tim burton and all.. but this film just felt kinda pointless. 3/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Yes but this is Oxigen Waste and apparently his opinion is actually fact Ah, someone who knows the way life is. Na, it ain't like that, but I'm certainly much more impartial than most of you. Also, ReZ, I'm just abusing you, worry not. Same score, but for you a 7 is a bad thing, which is what I don't get, you crazy fool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 What the--- 7 isn't bad. I was disappointed, and the bad points were the stuff I listed, but I still enjoyed it. Fo real. I know you're just ball stroking my brain anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 17, 2009 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince I remembered nothing about the book since I read it. Forgot Slughorn existed, forgot where thingamie dies in the book, so was surprised when he didn't when I thought he would. I remembered bits like the horcruxes, but that was because of an inside joke. ANYWAY It was fine. Good. Pros (extreme since it was overall good anyway); -Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman et al. Flawless, flawless, absolutely flawless. -Hermione/Ron in general -The Burrow scene, since as people say, it's not in the book (I don't think), but was a really good addition. More Bellatrix/Fenrir the better I say. - Malfoy was pretty good! After a few films of doing nothing. Allthough he looks EXACTLY like Patrick Wolf. But in a cinema in Orkney, think only I would have that bugging me. -Some good funy bits. -THAT jump scene. People screamed in the cinema, I nearly had a heart attack. I loved it. MOAR in the next films! Cons- Ginny Weasley/Her actress is possibly the most boring person ever commited to screen with the intention of seeming interesting/attaractive. She has no personality. That was silly. She may have none in the booik, but bits of the films were original, why not her character? Awful. And I hate ginger straight hair on girls. Curly hair ftw. Overall a massive phail. - I find Danile Radcliffe/Harry arse-clenchingly awkward to watch, for whatever reason. He just annoys me immensely. He's better than Ginny at least. - Just too rushed in term of of storytelling I think. But then a lot had to be crammed in, whilst still keeping the action balanced with the introspective scenes. - The sound was horribly mixed here. Lots of characters shorter, more colloquial lines got lost in the mudge (new word) of noise. Especially when Harry used Sectum Sempra. I didn't understand why there was blood everywhere because I thought he'd just used ExpelliAHmus or something. But yeah. I liked it overall. Alternately itchingly annoying and great. Bits reminded me of the last year at school. (...) 6/10 (10/10???? Seriously?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 (edited) The Incredible Hulk I gather a lot of people didn't like 'Hulk' but I enjoyed it, so naturally I expected to enjoy this one too, but it was just so dull, felt pointless and none of the characters grabbed you so that you'd care for them. The only bits I liked were when Hulk put out a fire by slamming his hands together and the Avengers tease. 2/10 monsieur Yates, you have most certainly done it... Before Potter, Yates directed a TV series here in the UK - State of Play - which comes highly recommended, unless you've seen it allready. -THAT jump scene. People screamed in the cinema, I nearly had a heart attack. I loved it. MOAR in the next films! Why does everyone mention this as good or as a shocker? It was obviously coming from miles away. THAT jump scene in the The Dark Knight - now there's one worth mentioning! Edited July 18, 2009 by welsh_gamer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 Why does everyone mention this as good or as a shocker? It was obviously coming from miles away. THAT jump scene in the The Dark Knight - now there's one worth mentioning! Can someone put in spoilers what the "jump scene" is in Potter? Theres a jump scene in The Dark Knight, I don't remember that, what and where was it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 Yes Man - surprisingly good, not just another "Liar Liar" as I was expecting, a nice feelgood movie with great support acting. Plus, Zod was in it. Four Stars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 (edited) Can someone put in spoilers what the "jump scene" is in Potter? Theres a jump scene in The Dark Knight, I don't remember that, what and where was it? When some dude casually walks up to a window and the fake Batman suddenly hits it! ...it's when Harry finds out what's beneath the waters in the cave. Edited July 18, 2009 by welsh_gamer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 (10/10???? Seriously?) Yes, seriously! lol. It was just an awesome movie for me. I thought it was better than Transformers 2 and I thought, as a Harry Potter fan, it followed the books well and even when they went in their own direction, it still worked. Blood: The Last Vampire Was good for the first 10-15 minutes but then it just dragged. The special effects were unrealistic for me (especially the blood splattering) and the ending was just meh for me. Apparently the series is brilliant so I'll look out for that. 4/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 I thought it was better than Transformers 2 That's like describing something as "better than getting raped"... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 That's like describing something as "better than getting raped"... Eating apples is better than geting raped. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 Just seen Half-Blood Prince, it was good I enjoyed it and didn't feel the 2 hours pass.... BUT in comparision to previous films I found it lacking. Actually thinking back over it I found myself trying to remember what actually happened? Felt very much "filler" like. I hadn't read the books so maybe it was like this in the books too but I had expected it to involve a bit more about the mystery of who "The Half-Blood Prince" was... the reveal of it was a bit "oh yeah fine" ... although maybe already knowing (i know I hadn't read the book but I knew already ) dampened it a bit teh surprise a bit. But I was expecting some sort of reasoning/history and behind the title. And the end the death scene was a bit meh too... didn't have as much tension or suspense as I expected/hoped for. Afterall..."no man should have to out live his imaginary wizard" So far this and Chamber of Secrets are my least favourite of the films which Philosephers Stone and Goblet of Fire my favs. Still looking forward to Deathly Hallows... though still not liking the idea of 2 parts... well like the idea of there being more, don't like the idea of having to wait extra longer for the end Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 A) Re Jump scene...totally. People (well one girl) screamed the fucking cinema down when I saw it. Everyone pissed themselves (which I of course found irritating, with my low tolerance for public displays of emotion) C) Paj, I agree about Malfoy. He was FUCKING bad ass in this. Great actor. And he was very funny on 8 out of 10 cats the other day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 That's like describing something as "better than getting raped"... Indeed. Transformers 2 is not a benchmark in cinema. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 18, 2009 I thought Half Blood Prince is the best since the first two. 3, 4, and 5 just didn't feel right, I thought 6 finally did the book it was based on justice. They didn't change as much either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 Green Lantern: First Flight Pretty good animated DC movie. Maybe felt like it dragged a bit in the middle though. Also: I didnt think they showed him getting used to his powers well enough, I dont know if he was originally written as being able to use them so easily but it felt way too fast. He should have at least had some trouble. 7.5/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 OMG.....if that is out soon....I fucking need Blu Ray. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince It reflected the tone of the book perfectly; a dark sense of apprehension, the calm before the almighty storm. I really enjoyed it, over two hours flew by for me. Jim Broadbent and Tom Felton were stand out performances and rightly so, the sixth book is their show in a big way. Daniel Radcliffe will always annoy me as an actor; I don't feel I ever get lost in his performance, I always know that it's someone pretending to be Harry Potter (if that makes sense!). Whereas Rickman is Snape, through and through. I thought it was all visually stunning, I love the transition of Hogwarts from a safe haven in the earlier films to just feeling downright bleak in this, just perfect. Quidditch was amazingly fast as well! The humour was well placed and broke up the foreboding feeling the story gives you. As others have said, the additions of the cornfield attack and Harry actually falling into the lake were great little suspense building action nuggets! His death was handled well; when they rose their wands I had tears streaming down my face, it just brought back all the emotion of reading it for the first time. I'm still sad now that he died, but I know he had to. ReZ, I can see why you didn't like it and how it wouldn't be fulflling if you hadn't read all the books. It is, after all, preparation for the last book. Still, I really enjoyed it! 7.5/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 I thought Half Blood Prince is the best since the first two. 3, 4, and 5 just didn't feel right, I thought 6 finally did the book it was based on justice. They didn't change as much either. Fact, the first 2 are definitely the worst 2. So that's not really a healthy complement you've got there. Also, in no other book till now have they changed so much. It's the most divergent of the films yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 Fact, the first 2 are definitely the worst 2. So that's not really a healthy complement you've got there. Also, in no other book till now have they changed so much. It's the most divergent of the films yet. Please tell me you listen to Mark Kermode. If yes, then mucho respect points. If not, then might I say that you admirably seem to mirror his opinions quite consistently, so mucho respect points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 19, 2009 Watched Commando last night been a while since I last watched it. Still a great film 9/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
