Harry Potter releases tonight at midnight!
July 14th, 2009 | by Ridhima Suri |
Updated August 1, 2009 ***********
The IMAX 3D version of the movie is very good. While I wished for more 3D experience, watching the movie on a larger IMAX platform was truly a visual treat. Also going for the movie second time over made me appreciate the subtleties I missed the first time..:) All in all, the movie is very interesting and a repeat watch in a ‘real’ IMAX theatre! What is the next thing to look forward to : The Blue Ray set of all the Harry Potter DVDs slated to be released in October 2009.
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Much awaited movie of the year. Enjoy watching!
According to Mercury News, Fandango sold more than 2500 midnight shows in Bay Area and the tickets disappeared at 8 tickets per second.In AMC Mercado Harry Potter was being played in all 20 movie halls. So much for Potterdome!
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****This post contains spoilers****
My Review:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the most awaited movie of the year for us. For a person who is watching the movie without reading the book, it is definitely a treat. For those who read the book, the movie fell short of expectations as the movie missed many key points. All said and done, it is a monumental task to do justice to the book but the movie is a treat.
Everything about the movie is different–Ron, Harry, Ginny, Malfoy,and Hermoine are young adults and the movie shows many romantic moments. Other characters have definitely matured. Since we were in the front rows, we enjoyed the special effects and look forward to the IMAX version slated for release next week. There is more ‘blue and grey’ to the movie and it epitomizes the dark spirits that are gradually invading the world. The beginning was amazing and even the Muggle world witnessed the notoriety of the Wizard world. Hogwarts has matured, and sadly grim. Everyone looks like they are looking for answers. I like the relationship between Dumbledore and Harry Potter and was puzzled at the role of Professor Snape.
The movie is funny and scary in parts. However, the romantic relationships are a bit overdone and the director could have concentrated on the story line instead. The climax was very sad and surprising, and I was left looking for many answers that were not revealed. After my husband filled in the gaps, the movie made so much sense!
1. Dumbledore and Harry try to explore Voldemort’s past by looking at his memories. Very well done but it failed to convey properly a sense of dumbledore handing over the task of finishing voldermort to Harry. After all he was only 17, he needed to be told what next. The last twenty minutes are well done. In particular, there is a scene in which Harry and Dumbledore must travel on a protected vessel…very creepy, very emotional, very puzzling. It showed the real powers of Professor Dumbledore and left everyone in awe. However a few things that were not explained:
1. Why did Dumbledore take young Harry with him? It was a risky task and Harry is not a grown up wizard.
2. Who were the creatures under water?
3. What was the potion Dumbledore drank?
2. I enjoyed the good and bad streak in Draco Malfoy. He acted well and conveyed his mixed feelings to the audience. Even though it was not explained why he was chosen by Voldermort I was glad that he put down his wand when Dumbledore reasoned with him. Ending is surprising and very sad (I keep humming this). Quite shocking (for non book readers), really.
3. The movie’s name was ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’. However the significance of the movie title was really underplayed. Thanks to my husband I now understand the full concept! Yayyyy but surely Snape’s role was a bit understated and he should have got more screen time. His loyalties are questioned and he is the bad guy of the movie (although I feel he is the good guy till the end). I hate him for the ‘Avada Kedavra’ in the end, really, but I am hoping for a sound explanation of why he did it.
4. As for Harry’s role he is shown as a brave young lad trying to chase the death eaters, and Prof Snape in the end. He is also fearless in his journey with Dumbledore and trusts his instincts to sail through the perilous journey. He shows fresh emotions throughout the movie and the movie explains that even though he is the ‘chosen one’ he is yet to learn much more.His wizardry is limited as compared to the other very, very powerful wizards and witches. Well done. Well played.
In the end, nothing could impact Snape…no Sectum Sempura, no Stupify…nothing . At the same time, I was hoping that he would have come out in the open while Dumbledore was feebly standing in front of the bad guys. Why was he standing in the dark?
You must watch it
The overall aura of the movie was wonderful. The experience was wonderful and the loyalty to the Harry Potter fan club amazing. There were hundreds of fans standing in queues for hours, dressed as their favourite characters.The movie was playing in all the cinemas inside the theater and I felt I was walking inside a ‘modern Hogwarts’ setting heading towards a potions or dark arts class!Visually the movie was great and the special effects will never bore you whether you are watching the initial upheaval caused by the Death Eaters, or the scene in which Harry Potter runs after Snape or the one in which Dumbledore creates fire in Voldemort’s cave, or the one in which the cave Ginny-Harry run in the field. You will come back with lingering moments from the movie.
I am sure the 3D and IMax experience will be wonderful given the special effects and cinematography. And it is enjoyeable to see the progress of the story line and maturity of the characters. Ilook forward to the IMAX experience and the next two movies. It was an amazing feeling to be a part of the Harry Potter thunder! Good movie…must watch with an open mind and less criticism..:)
Tags: Harry Potter, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews
2 Responses to “Harry Potter releases tonight at midnight!”
By Digvijay Lamba on Jul 15, 2009 | Reply
2 things I didnt like are:
1. They completely skipped the battle at the end with no good reason. And what was the point of not have harry frozen under the invisibility cloak when dumbledore dies. That’s a much better explanation of what happens than the movies interpretation. And the sequence would have looked good on screen, and not taken any more time.
2. Completely missed the details of the horcruxes, how harry will find them, what they are etc.