Episode 102: Half Blood Prince Review
Hey Everyone! Welcome to another edition of HPProgs.
In this week’s episode we reviewed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince….sure took long enough for this movie to come out! We were joined by our friend and special guest Greg in Toronto who had some great insights into the movie. We talked about our overall impressions, the acting, the theme of the movie, the rating and many other very interesting subjects!
We also gushed about Azkatraz 2009, the Harry Potter conference we attended last week in San Francisco, CA. If you like what you heard and are interested in Infinitus 2010, check out the Infinitus website and get on their mailing list ASAP!
We also briefly discussed the move of the Harry Potter Exhibition to Boston, come October 25, 2009. The exhibition will be held at the Museum of Science in Boston.
Listen to Greg’s guest spot on the live Hogs Head PubCast from Azkatraz. They talked about Harry Potter as Legitimate Lit.
Also, check out the newest article about our Hitler Video that Greg was quoted in.
Make sure to let us know what you thought of the Half Blood Prince!
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.
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Tags: Azkatraz 2009, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie Review, Harry Potter Exhibition, HBP movie, Infinitus 2010
July 26th, 2009 at 12:32 am
[...] HP Progs Episode 102: Half-Blood Prince Review [...]
July 26th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
About time! Can’t wait to listen.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:01 am
I am actually very suprised by your review. I thought this movie was terrible in terms of it actually being a harry potter movie. Before i start i will just like to say that the ending of the move was a joke im actually going to pretend they did not do what they did to it…….. it made me very sad
…….. Let me say first tho that i was happy with Dracos character and the emotion he potrayed in the scenes he was in. Now i know that they could not translate all of the HBP into the movie but i seriously felt like what were they thinking, this movie was really supposed to be about harry learning about voldemort but i felt like that was missing a little bit. I really did feel like they turned this move into a sappy teenage romance movie i mean seriously there was ZERO subtlety. This movie was suppose to be a very action packed movie but i found it to be dull in the parts of the movie that it mattered most ah THE ENDING….i would love to continue on but i have fallen asleep twice writing this lol you guys are the best i hope you keep the podcast coming… i would just like to end on this thought I truly feel like they did something wrong when insted of harry being under a full body bind curse he just stood there and did nothing. I know it may not seem like a big deal but that seriously is totally opposite of harrys personality and shows him in a very odd light… Night guys
July 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
ZackC wrote:
“I really did feel like they turned this move into a sappy teenage romance movie i mean seriously there was ZERO subtlety”.
Ditto’s from me too on that point ZackC!
What did WB do with all that extra delay time on the release of HBP?
Did they try to turn HBP into a “shadow” of Twilight!!!!????
Riddikulus!~!
July 27th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I agree with your review of the movie. The first time I saw HBP I was very critical, but the second time I really enjoyed it. I’m glad you pointed out Tom Felton’s acting. I thought his portrayal of Draco was awesome–especially the bathroom scene. The one thing about the movie that really irked me was the Horcruxes. I know it would have made for a longer, more boring movie, but how is the trio supposed to know what to search for? Harry already is supposed to have the mantra “the locket, the cup, the snake, something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw’s” in his head by Deathly Hallows. How are they going to set that up in the next movie? Otherwise, though, I think it’s one of the better HP films. I was wondering if you could tell us more about Infinitus 2010 on the podcast. I’ve never gone to a Harry Potter conference before, and would like to somehow convince my parents to take me (alas, I’m only fourteen…) Thanks!!!
July 27th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Great episode, Greg & Penny. It was great to meet both of you at Azkatraz, too!
On the movie review, I guess I like Bonnie Wright’s portrayal of Ginny. I don’t think she can help it that the character has been very underused, although they tried to bulk her up in OOTP. I liked the kiss between her & Harry in the film. Nice, romantic, & not overdone like the Cho kiss in OOTP.
Regarding the Burrow scene, it worked for me until they burned down the Burrow & had absolutely no impact on the characters. Plus, they sacrificed action in the middle of the film for action at the end. I felt no action at the end nor any emotional impact. As we’ve been calling it over at The Hogshead, the leisurely stroll of the Prince…
July 28th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Absolutely agree with ZackC. And the ending—–OMG, it was awful! What was Harry doing? Just standing under the floor? Where was the fight with the Death Eaters? The movie felt overlong and boring in parts. As for Dumbledore—-he looked and acted more like Gandalf when fighting the inferi. I hated how the inferi looked like Golem. They were nothing like described in the book.
I’ll buy the movie when it comes out on DVD, but only because I already have the rest and want a complete set…
July 29th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Here’s a related news tip:
Article in the NY Times yesterday about the presence of alcohol in the Half-Blood Prince movie. It was short, and frankly not very interesting, but it led me to think about drinking in Harry Potter in general. Something to discuss?
July 29th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Hello!
Excellent review! I agree with just about everything you brought up, and your comments about the parallels between Draco & Harry kind of blew my mind. I, too, never considered that aspect when I read the book and it really did play out much better in the movie. I really enjoyed the way Draco was written in this book and thought Tom Felton did a really great job with it in the movie.
I’m with Penny on Michael Gambon. He’s not the Dumbledore I pictured when reading the books, and I, too, am a huge fan of Jim Dale’s interpretation. I was really afraid Gambon would ruin this movie for me, so I was entirely thrilled that he didn’t screw it up! He probably wouldn’t bother me at all if it weren’t for those 2 scenes from GoF and OotP where he randomly screams, but those brief clips just really ruin his whole performance in those 2 movies for me. Still, I guess I can’t really put all of the blame on his shoulders. Clearly he’s being handed lines & stage directions by people who HAVE actually read the books, so they’ve got some ‘splainin to do as well.
I was also pleasantly surprised by Jim Broadbent’s portrayal of Slughorn. Like Greg, he was not at all what I pictured when reading. I never disliked the character in the books, but I love the way Broadbent played up the sympathetic aspects of his personality. I really, really loved that story they added about the flower petal. That was the first of several tear-jerker moments for me!
Again, I agree with your assessment of the ending, but I also have some additional nits to pick. While I never really wanted to see the entire “Horcruxes” chapter verbatim in the movie, I feel like they skipped some of the most key revelations. I may have missed it, but I didn’t ever hear Dumbledore give Harry the clue about looking for “Founder’s Objects.” Was it there? If not, Harry’s heading into the last movie with no clue what he’s looking for, let alone where to look for them. This combined with the fact that Harry never put the tiara on the statue when he hides his book in the Room of Requirement means that they’re going to have to do some fancy footwork to explain all of that in the last movies. (My personal fear would be that they change the objects or eliminate some of them somehow.) I was also really hoping to see the scene when it all clicks for Harry realizes that he’s not being forced into this “Chosen One” role. I actually think Gambon could have really kicked some tail with that material!
Phew – that was wordy! Thanks for giving me an outlet
July 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Lara and Amy: good points. They were missing the Founder’s Objects setup. I wonder if there were some non-verbal visual clues that might have replaced the explicit statements Harry got in the book. One of the things I liked about the third movie was that even though the film never spelled out who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were, there were several visual clues and cues that communicated it rather effectively. Looks like I’ll have to go see the movie again!
RevGeorge: nice meeting you as well! Agreed about The Burrow, and “leisurely stroll of The Prince” == LOL.
ZakC: I agree about the full body-bind curse, it should have been in there. I wonder what goes through the screenwriters heads when they leave this kind of stuff out.
And Lara (again): we’ll be talking a lot about Infinitus…if you’ve never been to a Harry Potter conference before, it’s the one to go to!
July 29th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I’m gonna agree with Penny about the whole Michael Gambon playing Dumbledore. I definitely have mixed feelings. I’ll agree with Greg from Toronto that he grew into the role. But there’s something missing in terms of Michael Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore. Dumbledore as a character just jumps off the page. He is always wise, always has a humorous air about him, and is ALWAYS patient. With Michael Gambon it’s a hit or miss Dumbledore moment. But I will agree that he has gotten better. And yes, that GoF moment where Gambon (not gonna say Dumbledore, because that wasn’t Dumbledore) yells at Harry kind of did ruin it for me.
I do think that Richard Harris played the part well, but as with Gambon he was not completely Dumbledore as well. I know this sounds nerdy but I do think Ian McClellan would do a good job with Dumbledore. And yes, it is partly because of Gandalf. He shows his ability for physical action in his movies, and he played Gandalf very well. He turned mad only when extremely necessary, and his wisdom and humorous moments were not far and few between.
I guess for me, it would be very difficult to fill the part of Dumbledore, because his character in the novels was just brilliant. By the way, I’ve never heard Jim Dale’s Dumbledore voice, and I am curious to hear how he sounds! You guys say he does a great job, so that is very interesting for me.
Ok, moving on. As a side note, I wish they would have brought out Moaning Murtle when Harry pulled out that sectumsempra spell on Draco. That would have been kind of funny, and just awesome in general.
I don’t know if you guys noticed or not, but was the Weasley twins’ place called Weasley’s Wizard Weazes, or something else? I wasn’t sure but I though it said something else when they did a closeup on the shop.
Ok the ending was just madness for me. How could they leave out the fighting between the Hogwartians and the Death Eaters? Greg is so right. They just glossed over the last twenty minutes. And while I think the effects for making the Death Mark going away with the wands thing looked cool, it was sooooo corny! Also, I wish Snape would have gotten WAY more angry when Harry called him a coward. It’s a part of his true nature that comes out. Obviously he is devastated that he had to do what he did to Dumbledore, and Harry calling him a coward just made him blow his lid. You see that anger and pain in his voice in the novel. You also see his contempt toward Harry as he tells him he’s the Half-Blood Prince. There’s so much to Snape’s character that is revealed and mind blowing in the book, and in the movie he kind of seems the same. I don’t know how it is for you guys, but it is at that moment when Snape becomes a truly engaging and though provoking character, and arguably the most intriguing of the whole HP series. It wasn’t just the 7th book, because I feel J.K. sets that up at the end of the 6th.
What do you guys think?
Awesome podcast this week guys! Keep it up!!
July 30th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I’d be really curious to hear your thoughts on the visual cues if you find any, Greg. I remember you talking about that in PoA and ever since I’ve meant to rewatch that movie to specifically look for them. I believe you said you heard someone give a talk on it at one of the conventions and I’d love to be able to find more details on that. I must not be much of a “visual cue” person because I’ve never really noticed any on my own. Could be because I just know the books so well that when I see the movies I keep waiting for blatant explanations of things I feel are important to the story. Most times I understand the things they cut from the movies, but unfortunately that means a lot of my favorite details are not on the screen.
Even with the visual cues, people who haven’t read the books don’t usually pick up on what they’re supposed to mean. I have a couple of friends who just watch the movies and, while I have issues with this and keep trying to persuade them to read the books, I’m still glad they’re around so I can get a perspective on what it’s like to not know the whole story before seeing the movie. I know they did not understand half of the meaning in PoA and ended up being rather confused by it all. They didn’t get the significance of Harry’s patronus at all and they were completely confused when GoF came out and they only referred to Pettigrew as Wormtail. To be clear, I don’t really think the movies should be set up so that those who haven’t read the books will understand everything (if they really wanted to they would have read the books, so no pity from me), but if their intent has been to try and make the movies accessible to readers & non-readers alike it doesn’t seem to be working smoothly.
August 1st, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I haven’t listened to this episode yet, but we saw the movie the first week it came out. Understandably, they couldn’t include everything that was in the book, but I feel that, in general, they kept what was needed to move the plot along.
I wished there had been more back story from the pensieve memories. I loved Draco in this film, but I’d often thought of sectum sempra being much more violent and bloody.
A bit of plot continuity: Dumbledore holds the diary from book 2, but wasn’t that given back to Lucius and then Dobby? How did Dumbledore get it back?
The entire attack on Hogwarts at the end would have been nice to see.
In general, like Goblet of Fire, this movie seemed rushed to me compared to the book. It tells the main points of the plot, though, and, given the time allotted, is okay.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I must admit I haven’t heard your podcast review yet (just downloaded it this morning!), but I had to put my two cents in here.
I LIKED the movie! I have long since given up on the movie telling the book’s story, but have decided to look at at as an artist would paint a painting. You want to be able to “see” what they saw, but more importantly to “feel” what they felt. I “Felt” the story well. And visually ? Well, I think the cinematographer should win an Oscar- it was BEAUTIFUL!! Sometimes I felt like I could almost see the brushstrokes.
It had none of the “race to the finish ” feeling of OoP, and that was a huge improvement. It didn’t quite have the “style” of PoA (my favorite!), but it is a comfortable second. They finally gave Rupert Grint a bit more to do (a funny guy!), and Tom Felton was really good, as well.
I have yet to see a well-loved book made into a really good movie. Even when I’ve seen the movie first and loved it, the book is ALWAYS better!
I’m looking forward to Deathly Hallows, but I know that nothing will EVER do justice to that beautiful story. My imagination is just too good!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve commented here, but I’ve pretty much listened to the podcast from the beginning.
This was another great episode and discussion of the film.
Overall, I really liked it, and it’s one of my favorite.
Also not a total fan of Michael Gambon portraying Dumbledore, however, I did like him in Prisoner of Azkaban and Half Blood Prince, but I’m not a fan of his performances in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. And yes, it has to do with yelling at Harry about putting his name in the goblet, and then also the scene in Order of the Phoenix when he yells at all the students to “Get back to work!” or class or whatever … that to me was so not Dumbledore.
And I’m going to have to disagree on Bonnie Wright’s portrayal of Ginny. I absolutely love her … looks and all. The problem is, and I think that Greg in Toronto touched on this but not to the depth that I would take it, that it’s more about the writing and what they have Ginny do/not do than it is Bonnie. She can only work with the material she’s given. And some of Ginny’s more fiery/ I am my own woman /person moments in the books are not in the movies. They don’t show her doing hexes on the train which gets the attention of Slughorn, they don’t have her yelling at Ron that she’ll kiss whoever she likes and getting on him for not having kissed anyone, etc. Those are 2 examples I can think of right off the top of my head. Again, she can only work with what she’s been given, and those fiery moments from the books just aren’t there in the script.
The closest thing that comes to it I can think of is her running after Harry without thought in the attack at the Burrow scene. But that whole scene was kind of weird to me for reasons I can’t quite explain. It was okay.
I caught the whole Harry/Draco mirroring each other the second time I saw the movie. I caught on to it the first time, but it all came together for me the second time. It was brilliantly done, and that was a serendipitous surprise that you definitely really don’t get in the books, even though it’s there. Tom Felton was absolutely brilliant.
And I hate their whole explanation of not having any type of battle scene at the end because of it being in Deathly Hallows. And that’s crap. It’s not even a full out Hogwarts battle. It’s only members of the Order fighting Death Eaters; not the whole school, so they definitely could have done something on the smaller scale, because it actually is a fight on a smaller scale in the book. That was a total wasted opportunity.
I was also really mad that they couldn’t have Snape yell out the great, “Don’t call me a coward” line. It’s completely inexplicable why they left that most important line out. But we’re also talking about pretty much the same people leaving out the most important part of Snape’s Worst Memory from Order of the Phoenix, so …
August 4th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I haven’t read over all the comments but am glad to see that others weren’t so blind to the fact that this movie was definitely made for a generation of Twilight fans. This movie is far from one of my favorites. It had little story and though it “sets up” the next movie that is absolutely no excuse for this mockery of a film.
Next regarding the podcast itself I find myself SEVRELY disappointed with you both. The fact that Greg felt the need to point out the race of the waitress in conjunction to the train scene saddens me greatly. I don’t feel the casting sheet read “black girl for harry potter to hit on” rather “hot chick waitress type” because at the end of the day regardless of her race, she was unbelievably hot. The fact that Greg wants to see this as some kind of point to show Harry’s tolerance pretty much shows Greg’s own prejudice and it saddens me to think some kid will hear this podcast and put two and two together.
“Should a Harry Potter type have to think about my race and not just who I am?”
Secondly Penny to almost say that Bonnie Wright is ugly once again worries me that someone of insecurities will hear that and can’t help but become even more insecure. Your podcast is listened to by many kids (regardless of it being somewhat marketed for Adults) and to almost say that Bonnie Wright isn’t pretty enough for Harry Potter is to give credence to the shallowness of a teenage boy.
It wasn’t just Ginny’s beauty that turned Harry’s head rather her entire self.
Very disappointed but really liked your guest Greg. Would be interested in his possible upcoming podcast. He was spot on for the most part.
Also quite agree with you both about the ending being almost jokingly bad and other insights on Draco/Harry’s similarities.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Hi Penny and Greg, its been a long time since I commented here but I have still been listening. I enjoyed your review, I am yet to see the movie (i know,slack, but with two kids and lack of a babysitter it has been a bit hard).
I liked your comments but I missed your review of my beloved Snape, *insert sad face here* I really wanted to hear your opinion of Alan Rickman considering Snape does get more air time in this film. I have heard several comments that were not favourable and since I think he is pivotal to the whole story I will be upset if they have not set his character up correctly.
Anyway I will comment more once I have actually seen the film, still love listening to you guys and love listening to you on Smart mouths.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I enjoyed your review of HBP. I’m a 54 year old woman with a manic obsession of Harry Potter. My home office contains a very extensive collection of HP memorabilia. It is hard to find people to talk to as there are few in my world who care very much. I’m trying to raise my grandkids to have an appreciation of this good literature.
Many of the podcasts are just silly, but your podcast and Travis Prinzi’s are very intelligent and I enjoy them immensely.
Penny, you couldn’t put your finger on what it is about Michael Gambon’s portrayal that isn’t quite right. In my opinion, he may be a fine actor but he just isn’t Dumbledore. Dumbledore is circumspect, polite, wise, and unflappable. Gambon just does not portray those characteristics. I came to my own conclusion that Jim Dale would be the best Dumbledore so when you said it I cheered. He does it perfectly.
Keep up the good work.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I enjoyed your review of the movie. I have only seen it once so far, but I have to say I really didn’t enjoy it. I left the movie thinking they could have done so much better. The one thing I was really looking forward to was Dumbledore’s funeral. I was so disappointed that there was no funeral. I’m interested to see what I think after I see it again. Although, like MidlifeMidwife, I will also buy it even though I was disappointed, just so I have the whole set.
My boyfriend is not a fan of the series, but he listens when I talk about it (as long as I listen about cars and video games. lol). I was complaining about the movie to him and how I was severely disappointed with the exclusion of the funeral, and he suggested that maybe they would include it in the first Deathly Hallows movie. I so hope he is right! The funeral showed how important Dumbledore was to everyone, with all of the characters we have met before and new introductions to ones we would come to know better in Deathly Hallows coming to Hogwarts to pay their respects. Hopefully they will be able to pay tribute to Dumbledore in the next installment. This wait had better be worth it!
August 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Ok I finally saw the movie over the weekend and have a few comments to make.
I loved Snape as I knew I would but I am getting a little concerned how much older Alan Rickman is looking, remembering Snape is only meant to be 39ish.
I hated the way they portrayed Harry and Ginny, it was implied from the start so the getting together and the kiss were a bit of a non event. I loved how it was in the book where you never knew that Ginny felt the way Harry was feeling and when she ran into the room and kissed him in front of everyone was sorely missed.
I found myself having to explain to my husband who has never read the books that things had been changed,it was like I was apologising for something.
I felt Dumbledore’s death was kind of swept aside, it happened and then …. I would’ve much rather they had the battle at the end than most of the Ron and Lavender stuff, there was too much, it got boring by the end.
I loved Slughorn, I actually liked Hermione in this one, and I still can’t understand why they burnt down the burrow, just wasn’t needed IMO.
August 20th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
do you think harry potter would be an awesome anime and do you think if some one got the ok from J.K. do you think there would be some one who would make a harry potter the next generation of Hogwarts?
August 24th, 2009 at 8:02 am
hey there,
just a quick comment to let you know how much i like the podcast. i’m a long time pottercast / mugglecast listner but only just discovered you and i’m so mad i didn’t know about hp progs before!! keep up the good work guys
xxx