Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince

Holland:
There is something comforting about a Harry Potter movie. It's a bit like when you meet up with an old friend that you haven't seen for ages, and within five minutes you're happily chatting away, having settled into the old routine like you'd just seen them yesterday. Going into the sixth film in the series, I had read very little about it and had managed to avoid all reviews, yet I was pretty sure that I knew what I was in for, and I got exactly that. Mostly, the reason I enjoyed this film is simply that these characters are fun to hang out with for two-and-a-half hours. And that's lucky, because they don't really do a lot in that time, except, well, hang out. The plot is pretty much this: Harry Potter and friends laugh, cry, whinge and snog their way through another year at Hogwarts, with occasional glimpses of Draco Malfoy up-to-no-good-as-usual and Harry helping Dumbledore save the world and getting chummy with yet-another-new-teacher-with-issues. A lot of the movie focuses on romantic misunderstandings (but we just know that they're going to get together in the end), and I don't think I've heard such blatant use of the word snog since Doctor Seuss' The Snogs that Snogged Snogsville. And the film-makers sneak in a couple of cool scary bits - a scene at the Weasly's house is particularly tense - that will frighten the bejesus out of any little kids watching. I can't wait until I have little kids of my own to torture with stuff like this.

The formerly child-now-adult actors still fit their characters perfectly, and as usual the real adults (a who's who of British acting royalty) are amazing, and obviously having a total blast. Alan Rickman is just brilliant as the squinting, scowling Professor of the Dark Arts, Severus Snape. I used to think that Daniel Radcliffe's standard Harry pose, whether angry, confused or nervous - bolt upright, with a blank expression and a slight tic (almost vibrating) - was caused by a lack of acting ability, but I've come to the conclusion that he's doing it on purpose because that's how Harry Potter is. It makes him much less annoying when one gives him the benefit of the doubt.

So in conclusion, a fun movie for the whole family; don't forget the little kids, and don't forget to change their sheets the next morning. I give it a "See it on the big screen and then buy the DVD when it's cheap".

Sadly, I also own the game-of-the-film, which loosely follows the plot of the movie without actually having any plot, and sees you running around Hogwarts having wand battles, broomstick races and making potions. I give it a "Pull a swifty and get it for free at JB by trading in a second hand game you just bought for $24, then give it to your wife, girlfriend or child, unless you are one of those three, in which case enjoy".

Hold your breath, because Woon will post his review shortly, if and when he actually sees the movie. And here it is...

Woon:
There are good months and then there are bad months when it comes to escaping the family for a few hours for personal social time. July is a bad month, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to put together the movie via wikipedia, forum posts, trailers, extended trailers and youTube. Okay, not really, but part of the last sentence was true, the internet is wondaarrful.

So to the review. I'd have to admit I am not a Harry Potter fan. Right from the beginning when they pushed a trolley through a pillar in the middle of a train station with "muggles" everywhere was pretty much when I gave up on all the hype. I tried to get into it, I really did but when all the films all look the same, i.e. dark cinematography, way to much CGI to be impressive and a mystery that only gets revealed in the final third of the film, it is much easier to read the corresponding wikipedia article.

This movie is actually quite hard to review if you think about it. All the main characters are the same and played by the same people. And given that it is the 6th in the series, the producers are unlikely to change the look, feel and the amount they stray from the book (I assume). The two highlights are therefore when Harry drinks the "luck" potion and when Ron accidentally sniffs the love letter. Apart from that it more of the same same. I give it a "Go see it if you are fan, and if you are not, wait for the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in 5 Seconds video on youTube"

For the record Holland, the word "snog" was only said 6 times. I'd reference the times, but I don't think I could sit through those two hours again, even with MasterChef running in the background.

Holland:
Six times is pretty blatant, considering that snog was said a grand total of zero times in the previous five films? I'm also pretty sure that Ron ate love potion infused chocolates and didn't just sniff a love letter (I guess that scene came up when Po was having trouble with her final dish on Masterchef). As for straying from the book, your wiki friend should have told you that the major battle from the end of the book has been omitted from the movie, so you assume wrong. And I don't know why familiarity with the characters and story, and the consistent tone of the series makes it hard to review. You either liked it or you didn't like it. If preconceptions make you more or less likely to enjoy it, so be it.

Woon:
*Retracted*