This is the first time that Im very excited to review a movie! Hehe.
Warning: If you have not watch it and you are planning to, then I suggest you don't read this coz it's gonna spoil the surprise. Hehe.
First of all, the movie was great but compared to the book, it's incomplete. Of course they had to cut some parts, well alot of parts actually, if not the movie would have lasted for five hours I think. (And I don't mind watching Harry Potter for five hours...) =p It was full of romance, now that they are all grown ups, and comedy too. And of course some sad parts.
In the book, the story started out with the Prime Minister of the muggle community receiving bad news from the Ministry of Magic. News that Lord Voldemort has returned and now he and his Deatheaters are not just killing wizards and witches but the muggles too. In the movie, they cut off this part totally, maybe it's not really necessary. But when I read the book, I kinda had a picture in my mind of how the scene would look like. Hehe. Sometimes, reading the book shows a clearer picture. And you enjoy it more. =)
So this movie started out with Harry and Dumbledore making their way to Slughorn's house. The purpose of their visit was for Dumbledore to persuade him to come back to Hogwarts and teach Potions. And by bringing Harry along, it made it harder for Slughorn to decline. So after not much persuasion, Slughorn agreed to come back to Hogwarts if he was given a pay raise.
Harry and Dumbledore then used side apparation back to The Burrows where the Weasleys and Hermione were surprised and delighted to see Harry. Harry couldn't be much more happier and especially when he saw Ginny grown up to be a beautiful young lady. Harry was clearly having a big crush on Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, well, their story was a little complicated but they too had feelings for each other. And I like it. Hehe. =)
Far from them, Professor Snape, appearing to have rejoined the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort, is visited by Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. A terrified Narcissa tells Snape that her son Draco has received orders from Lord Voldemort, and asks Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow with her to protect her son and do the job for him, should Draco fail. Snape agrees, and the vow is sealed.
At Hogwarts, Snape is unexpectedly announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, with Slughorn becoming the Potions teacher. Harry and Ron’s O.W.L.s are good enough to enrol in Slughorn’s class, which has lower its standards, but neither had purchased a textbook, so Slughorn lends them old Potions textbooks. Harry found a book that has notes and corrections scribbled all over the pages. Harry discovers that these corrections yield better results than the textbook's instructions, and that the book is inscribed as having previously belonged to the "Half-Blood Prince".
As the year continues, Ron dates Lavender Brown but eventually realises his feelings for Hermione and breaks up with Lavender. Harry realises that he has feelings (that are conflicting with his friendship with Ron) for Ginny, who has stopped pursuing him and is dating Dean Thomas. At this point of time, like Dear said, the story was concentrating too much on the love scenes. Ron and Lavender,and Hermione getting all jealous. And Ginny and Dean, and Harry getting all jealous. But anyways, it was still sweet and cute the way they felt jealous about one another.
During the school year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore privately tutors Harry, using his Pensieve to show Harry collected memories about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore asks Harry to retrieve a key memory from Slughorn that Slughorn has resisted providing, regarding Slughorn's conversation with a sixth-year Tom Riddle. After disappointing Dumbledore once by not getting the memory from Slughorn, Harry uses Felix Felicis potion (which bestows luck on its drinker) that he had been rewarded with for his newfound "skill" (derived almost entirely from written hints from the Half-Blood Prince) in potion making to gain the memory. In the book, it had showed more scenes where Dumbledore showed Harry memories from Riddle's past but however, in the movie, they only showed two specific memories. Well, I felt that they could have added more on this part rather than the love parts. Like I say, the book tells a clearer picture. So that made it a little disappointing.
They soon found out that in the memory, Tom Riddle was questioning Slughorn about Horcruxes and how exactly does it work. That was when Tom figured out that to attain immortality, he has to split his soul (through committing murders) into six fragments attached to objects, called Horcruxes. As long as any of the Horcruxes exist, Voldemort cannot be killed. Two Horcruxes have been destroyed: Tom Riddle's Diary by Harry in the Chamber of Secrets and Marvolo Gaunt's ring by Dumbledore (the ring Harry noticed on his hand earlier).
Dumbledore locates another Horcrux and asks Harry to accompany him to destroy it. They travel to a secret cave to retrieve Slytherin's locket. Harry and Dumbledore find the entrance, present a blood offering to a secret door, and row in a small boat across an Inferi-infested lake. To acquire the locket, Dumbledore must drink a mysterious potion. After drinking the potion, Dumbledore faints, and while attempting to minister to him, Harry provokes the Inferi which attack him and Dumbledore. Harry retrieves the Horcrux and guides Dumbledore to safety back in Hogwarts, but as they arrive they see the Dark Mark hovering over the school.
That was when Dumbledore told Harry to find Snape and when he did, Draco turned up, his wand pointed towards Dumbledore. He was sent by Lord Voldemort to kill
Dumbledore, but he couldn't do it and at last, Snape was the one who used the Avada Kedavra cursed on Dumbledore, killing the greatest wizard of all. I cried at this part, not surprisingly. Although I knew it was going to happen, I still couldn't control myself. Hehe. If you had read the book, you will know that killing Dumbledore was a plan between Snape and Dumbledore himself.
Harry, enraged by Dumbledore's death, pursues Snape, who reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince and duels Harry until he gets outside Hogwarts grounds and disapparates. If only Harry knew. Snape is not the bad guy.
Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover it is a fake left by someone with the initials R. A. B. who had apparently stolen the real Horcrux and left a note about his opposition to Voldemort.
The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral. The fate of the school is uncertain, but Harry vows not to return to school and to hunt for the remaining Horcruxes and Ron and Hermione pledge to accompany him.
I definitely can't wait for the next movie to come out. I can't wait to see Voldemort destroyed. But of course, more deaths are seen. I hope they don't cut off too much.
Deathly Hallows! I'll be waiting... =)
I shall rate this movie 4.5 out of 5 coz they cut too much.
~huda~
