Some movies are worth talking about...
Just saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and it's actually (I'm a little ashamed to admit, the first Harry Potter movie I've seen where I've read the book first).
Truth is, I was kind of old when the books first came out. And reading children's books really wasn't all that cool at the time. I tried to read the first book at one point but couldn't really get into it too much since I had so many other great books to read. But as time went on and I went to see the movies and I kept hearing about them I decided to read them. And I'm glad I did.
But I probably would have liked the movie better had I not read the books - because let's face it - it's just not as good as the book. I did really like the movie, but the book is better.
The two things that bothered me: they cut out a lot of the memories that Dumbledore and Harry sift through to learn about Tom Riddle, which were some of my favorite parts of the book. Those memories (that backstory) is what really allows us to see who Tom Riddle really is. Those scenes in the book give us how behind Lord Voldemort's history. That said, I understand why the director or script writer cut those scenes and they did have to cut something. But I also didn't like the way Tom Riddle was portrayed in the flashbacks. In the book, with the exception of the first time Dumbledore meets Tom in the orphanage, Tom Riddle was a charasmatic kid, a talented wizard, and a well-liked student - he wasn't creepy. In the movie - he comes across as creepy. To me, that distinction is important. If Tom was so creepy as a kid, all these intelligent wizards should have known or guessed how he'd turn out. They didn't because he fooled them. That's just not apparent in the memories.
For anyone who hasn't read the books - probably not many people reading a book blog, but just in case - beware. This isn't an action adventure with a feel good ending - it's dark. Darker than the previous movies - though they were headed in this direction. And the ending is reminscient of Empire Strikes Back - you know there's more coming and the good guys aren't winning right now. It's not exactly a kids' movie anymore.