Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince review

[alobear]

All the elements were there, and for the most part were very well done.  I found all the relationship stuff very funny, all the emotional stuff very emotional, and all the action stuff pretty exciting.  But, somehow, it didn't quite fit together into a cohesive whole.  Everything was touched on effectively, but nothing was given the time it deserved to properly resonate.  Don't get me wrong - it's a tough book to sell on screen, and overall I think it was adapted pretty well.  I just don't think it would be possible to convey the depth of the narrative even in two and a half hours.  Book Six took me a couple of readings to fully appreciate - it's not the easiest book to get along with - and I think it was always going to be a weak link in the film series, because it doesn't really have a firm hook of its own to latch onto.

Alan Rickman, as always, was worth the ticket price, and I think the main three youngsters continue to show their growing strength as actors, but it was a shame to see some of the other great characters so marginalised (Neville in particular), and the power of the ending seemed somehow diffused and a bit lacklustre.