This installment of the series felt very similar to the fourth part, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"; plot was sacrificed on the altar of light entertainment.
The problem with all book adaptations is that unless the book is very short, there will be many elements missing from the film, and that's perfectly understandable. A screenwriter and director's job is to be able to overcome this issue by keeping a balance between plot, characterization and anything else that defines the book in question.
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" fails to meet this goal, which is a shame seeing as this book is far less complex than its counterparts. The story is straightforward, with very few important subplots, so I would have imagined that translating it into a film would have been easy. What's even more baffling is that although in previous films any chance for some action was milked to the last drop, in this film a very important fight scene is missing entirely, only to be replaced by another, which doesn't even appear in the books. Very odd and unnecessary change.
THE BAD: Only two memories of Voldemort's past were shown, which begs the question as to how Harry will have any knowledge of what to go after in the next film. Steve Cloves (the screenwriter) is back, so fans of canon Ron can kiss the lovely "Order of the Phoenix" characterization goodbye; Ron is once again in comic relief mode. Even the titular storyline, that of the Half Blood Prince, is so underplayed that when we do find out the identity of the mysterious person in the film's climax, it doesn't leave much of an impression.
THE GOOD: Excluding all the above (which is no easy feat seeing as they're pretty important), the film is very enjoyable. I loved Slughorn's depiction and nearly every scene involving him was executed very well (the Felix Felices scene in particular was a delight). The romantic scenes were, at times, highly entertaining, but overly abundant. The scene where Harry and Dumbledore discuss Horcruxes includes a very nice touch which is both a wink to the previous movie and foreshadowing for what's coming next; you'll know what I mean when you see it.
In conclusion, the film had some good moments, but it ultimately fails to deliver the important aspects of the book. It's very hard to satisfy fans, but I'd like to think I'm not asking for too much when I say: Less fanservice, more plot, please.
The problem with all book adaptations is that unless the book is very short, there will be many elements missing from the film, and that's perfectly understandable. A screenwriter and director's job is to be able to overcome this issue by keeping a balance between plot, characterization and anything else that defines the book in question.
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" fails to meet this goal, which is a shame seeing as this book is far less complex than its counterparts. The story is straightforward, with very few important subplots, so I would have imagined that translating it into a film would have been easy. What's even more baffling is that although in previous films any chance for some action was milked to the last drop, in this film a very important fight scene is missing entirely, only to be replaced by another, which doesn't even appear in the books. Very odd and unnecessary change.
THE BAD: Only two memories of Voldemort's past were shown, which begs the question as to how Harry will have any knowledge of what to go after in the next film. Steve Cloves (the screenwriter) is back, so fans of canon Ron can kiss the lovely "Order of the Phoenix" characterization goodbye; Ron is once again in comic relief mode. Even the titular storyline, that of the Half Blood Prince, is so underplayed that when we do find out the identity of the mysterious person in the film's climax, it doesn't leave much of an impression.
THE GOOD: Excluding all the above (which is no easy feat seeing as they're pretty important), the film is very enjoyable. I loved Slughorn's depiction and nearly every scene involving him was executed very well (the Felix Felices scene in particular was a delight). The romantic scenes were, at times, highly entertaining, but overly abundant. The scene where Harry and Dumbledore discuss Horcruxes includes a very nice touch which is both a wink to the previous movie and foreshadowing for what's coming next; you'll know what I mean when you see it.
In conclusion, the film had some good moments, but it ultimately fails to deliver the important aspects of the book. It's very hard to satisfy fans, but I'd like to think I'm not asking for too much when I say: Less fanservice, more plot, please.