Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I will just keep this short but concise...

I did not like it.. pretty much it won the spot of my least favorite Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban rose to second place in "least favorite" category).

Why?

Waiting for it for two years, you'd think that Warner made movie really special since it is the second to the last book in the series and in this series Dumbledore will die so I was thinking of a really grand movie. Yet when I watched it, it just looked like lines and special effects to me. The essence of the book was not captured by the movie.

I have read all Harry Potter books more than five times (each) and so I believe I can pick up what elements this movie were missing. And as I see it, it lost all key elements.

First, having read the book several times I do not reckon that the Burrow was ever destroyed. The fighting scene with Bellatrix in the Burrow was not called for and only caused confusion.

Second, Harry being told by Dumbledore about what are the possible Horcruxes were not included the movie. The question "How will Harry now what these Horcruxes are in the seventh movie?" comes to my mind. What are they going to do about it? Will they make Harry turn into Sherlock Holmes who can solve every problem with that small amount of clues they gave in the movie?

Third, Scrimgeour was not even introduced in the movie. Though this really isn't a major issue since his character isn't really major or central to the story.

Fourth, Albus Dumbledore being the greatest and kindest headmaster of all didn't seem so great in the movie. There was no tribute or grand funeral as it was in the book and it was a major disappointment that they didn't include that in the film.Watching the whole movie and seeing how it failed to capture the book is a real let down and felt like a toothache. I heard that the last book will be divided into two movies and I do hope that they (Warner) will do better if not the best for the last book in the series.