Spoilery chatter on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[mariness]

So I finally managed to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday, in IMAX/IMAX 3D. First a digression about the 3D: I'm not sure that putting just the first 25 minutes of the film in 3D was a great idea, and not just because the little red X's telling everyone to take off the glasses 25 minutes in were distracting, or because I have problems seeing 3D (although in this case, although I still can't see things coming out at people, I could at least see the rich depth used in the 3D effects, which did help to draw the audience in). It mostly just felt like a waste of effort.

Anyway. Afterwards, I headed back to check a few things from the book – and was shocked to realize just how much had been changed: so much of the final confrontation and the parts played by others besides Harry and Dumbledore in defending Hogwarts; the introduction of Rufus Scrimgeour; the tangled love story of Lupin and Tonks (although I liked the decision to show them as a committed couple in the film); the bits with Bill Weasley and Fleur; the Ron and Lavender breakup (although I liked keeping in Ron's mostly unconscious calling for Hermione); the changes in the Harry/Ginny relationship; the way Hermione and Harry, in the film, actually talk about their respective relationships; the removal of much of Tom Riddle/Voldemort's history and the identification of the Horcruxes; deleting most of the story about Harry's Potions book and even the Half-Blood Prince; adding the burning of the Barrow; omitting Dumbledore's little chat with the Dursleys, and more. Lots more. I've lost track. Faithful to the book this film is absolutely not.

And yet, I think it's one of the best of the Harry Potter films, up to or nearly up to Prisoner of Azkaban. The teenage relationships are well done and engrossing – I particularly liked Ginny and Harry's scenes, and the small bit where Hermione and Harry talk to each other, and Hermione cries on Harry's shoulder. And I loved the (not in the book) scene in the infirmary, under the troubled and baffled gaze of Slughorn, the benevolent gaze of Dumbledore, and the "god rescue us all from teenagers/I hate students, I seriously hate students," gaze of Snape (Alan Rickman's facial expressions make this entire scene). Despite occasional plot digressions, the film felt more emotionally focused than other outings. And unlike the last two Harry Potter outings, I did not find myself needing to explain inexplicable elements to M, who had not read the book.

Which suggests, yet again, that fidelity to the book is often not the best way to go with film adaptations; something of the book will always be lost in adaptation, and if you don't have something to add in its place, the movie can have an empty, unfinished feel. Not the case here, despite the myriad of plot changes.

Acting as always was outstanding, with Alan Rickman and Tom Fenton (Draco Malfoy) as particular standouts. More Alan Rickman in the next movie. Please. You can change the plot as much as you want to. I'll be totally ok with that. I promise.