Hooray for Harry Potter!

I liked “Half-Blood Prince” movie a lot. After the trainwreck “Order of the Phoenix” HBP was a welcome comeback. Yes, it was definitely stripped down…but it really does have to be…but it did bring back some what I think JK Rowling does so well—the normalcy of teenage life. Admist love potions, hexes, and jinxes, she captures the humor and angst of first loves and the ins and outs of friendships so well. I find myself relating to and remembering similar incidents from my own high school days.

That being said…it is the penultimate movie. Things are moving toward the close and there’s always something, isn’t there?

First of all, Dumbledore. I take this seriously—apparently I haven’t forgiven Richard Harris for dying. I definitely haven’t forgiven the “new” Dumbledore for grabbing and shaking Harry Potter in “Goblet of Fire.” Good grief—Dumbledore never lost his temper, a fact that Michael Gambon might know if he bothered to read the books (which he famously refuses to do). Just look at them…

One looks kindly and grandfatherly, yet you could sense the power behind those twinkling eyes. The other one…looks like he needs a shower. One of the scenes that I thought fell short was Dumbledore’s drinking the potion to retrieve the locket. Knowing what he was reliving, I was expecting to finally see this Dumbledore show some range of emotion. I know Gambon is supposed to be a major theatrical force, but I’ve been so underwhelmed and irritated by him that I was looking forward to seeing him. Alas.

And while we're at it, the Inferi. Corpses raised from the dead to do the Dark Lord's bidding should, I think, look a little less like Gollum and maybe a little more like, oh, I don't know...the undead, perhaps? Just my opinion.

Then there's Snape. Snape is my favorite character, both in the book and on the big screen—he’s so complex and is the mysterious link to so much of the past and the present. A critical scene is when Snape finally takes off the gloves and confesses he’s the Half Blood Prince. His reaction to Harry calling him coward becomes clear eventually, but it is an important piece of understanding his character. To have him quietly mutter a few lines and then walk away was a big disappointment.

In fact, the final battle being eliminated was a bummer. My friend, who hasn’t read any of the books, thought the ending was a letdown, so I’m sure fans did, too. I suppose they are saving up for the big final showdown in the final film. Still, I would have sacrificed the Weasley’s house burning in order to see the final battle. And the Weasley’s—why torch the house? Where are they supposed to live when Harry goes there for his final summer? How are they supposed to have Bill and Fleur’s wedding now? The fan in me is a bit worried about the upcoming films.

Still, it’s been a great ride so far. Cameron was 6 when we first saw “Sorceror’s Stone.” We have been to midnight showings and book sellings. We have debated the merits of the characters and the plots (Dumbledore vs. Gandalf, or Voldemore vs. Magneto in a cage match). We've gone from this:

to this:

The doors that Rowling opened with her stories have been a part of our lives for so long now. We’ve loved every minute!