io9 has a review which sums up a lot of my feelings for HP6 quite well. It seemed more of a “Here’s what happened while you were waiting for the seventh (and eighth) movies” feel about it. Things seemed rushed.
I didn’t really feel the need for the Dumbledore funeral, as the ending dragged a bit on its own. I suppose it could have been done in place of the glowing wands or something. But one commenter (gasp! a commenter!) raised a good point that had been nagging me: Draco got the Death Eaters into Hogwarts so Bellatrix could break some windows? Lame. I suppose the director wants to hold out on battles until movie eight? Cheated.
Snape’s struggle was far too underscored, and that was my main problem. “I am the Half-Blood Prince,” he says at the end of the movie. Who? Who’s that? Oh, the guy with the potion book, right.
I’m not the greatest fan of including every speck of prose from a book, but I felt this one chopped out weird bits and left out other bits. Three hour movies are not my thing, really, but the snogging focus was a little heavy considering the weight of the other things happening in the wizard world. It felt a bit like that in the book as well – which I suppose captures the age of the characters well. At that age, it is the end of the world if a loved one doesn’t love you back. But, still, there’s good action to be seen. And the snogging doesn’t come off as romantic or sweet – it comes off as kids playing around. I know they aren’t the youngest of folks, really, but still.
Ah well. It was alright. Sam and I disagree on the movies anyway, but I think she felt this one lackluster as well. Her favorites are the first two and mine is number 3 – her least favorite. Change is hard