Today's guest blogger is 18-year-old Kelly O'Brien from Jacksonville, FL (that's right, where Bella's mom from Twilight lives). Below, she recalls the excitement of attending a midnight viewing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on opening night, and shares her thoughts on this latest movie in the series. Beware, spoilers ahead!Last week, I was lucky enough to go see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at midnight. Like millions of people across the country, I was extremely excited. I'm a *big* fan of Harry Potter. I've read all the books and remember even the most minute details. So there I was sitting in the middle row of a packed theater waiting for the film to start, feeling both excited and a little apprehensive because, as many of you who have read the books and seen the movies know, important subplots and details from the story are often left out or altered.
While waiting for the movie to start, it was fun watching the rest of the people piling in. (Luckily, my mom and I were smart enough to get there two hours early.) Some were dressed in Hogwarts gear and Harry Potter glasses, and there were even a few in Dumbledore beards (one was made of cotton balls). My favorite was a lady who was dressed up like Professor McGonagall --- complete with the "McGonagall Stare." She stood in front of her seat with her arms folded, watching the crowd as they scattered to find seats as if she were waiting to teach us all how to transfigure into a rat. It was very cool. Two guys even started dueling in the aisles. The battle ended when one of the boys went flying over the railing after being defeated in battle. Fortunately, Madame Pomfrey did not need to be called; no one was hurt.
As the lights dimmed I found myself getting excited, and when the Harry Potter logo appeared on the screen, people started screaming (while others started "shhhhing"). The movie starts out in the muggle world as the Death Eaters attack a bridge in London. Those scenes may cause some to get dizzy (like my mom), while making others (like myself) feel like you are being taken on a roller coaster ride (I loved it!). The film does stick closely to the book with a few scenes added and removed. The movie shows a lot of the romance between Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Ron/Lavender, and Ginny/Dean. And who can forget Cormick's relationship with Hermione...much to Hermione's displeasure, which wasn't as pronounced in the book as it is in the movie.
There are many things I loved about the movie. Some of my favorite parts included Harry and the Felix Felicis potion, the range of emotions Draco goes through as he tries to follow through with Voldemort's wishes, and the little moments between Harry and Ginny. The cast seemed to really step it up for this one. The effects in the cave were spectacular and terrifying at the same time, and Greyback was really scary. Of course, there were also things that I missed, such as the older Weasley brothers Bill and Charlie, who were not included in the movie. The Dumbledore death scene was different than the one in the book, but the emotion was still there, and I loved the scene when the school finds Dumbledore lying on the ground (heartbreaking!). At the end, you weren't left feeling a sense of dread or happiness, but rather a sense of curiosity; you're left wondering how the next film will play out.
In the end, this movie turned out to be my favorite out of the franchise. Though there were parts left out, I believe they got the heart of the book right: the fact that Harry has lost the one person who was like a father to him and now must face he-who-shall-not-be-named without a guiding force, how he has had to grow up so fast and deal with being "The Chosen One" and saving the world. And I was definitely glad to have gone at midnight; it's fun to see all the fans. That's the brilliance of the series.
-- Kelly O'Brien
