Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Either JK Rowling is not consulted or she is losing interest in the Harry Potter movies. I was pretty much shocked after seeing the movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The movie focuses more on special effects - the destruction of the millennium bridge, Harry and Dumbledore on the cliff surrounded by roaring ocean, the burrow bursting into flames (not in the book, mind you), the ring of fire shooting out from Dumbledore's wand - but that's just about it.

Missing in action is the palpable fear that Voldemort and Death Eaters unleash;
the growth pangs of Harry, Ron and Hermione, as they discover adolescence; the frustration and fear that Draco Malfoy experiences as he struggles to carry out Voldemort's orders; the passionate kiss that Harry and Ginny share when their team wins the Quidditch championship (instead there is a tepid kiss in the Room Of Requirements).

I think the director has no idea what a Harry Potter fan looks for in a movie. We do not want to see a different story. All we want to see is how well has the mental picture that we draw as we read the book been captured in the movie. Harry Potter is not just about special effects, is it?

The movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, is a shame.

The only silver lining ... it made me read the book again; just to flush out the effect of the movie from my system.

Of Books And Movies

"The book is better than the movie."
How many times have you heard this from bibliophiles?
I have heard this from so many people that I am not sure if it is a genuine statement or just a pseudo-intellectual posturing.

I generally stick to non-fiction. So I do not get much chance to show off the book-is-better-than-the-movie. Besides I do not get to see that many movies ...

I am massive fan of the Harry Potter series. When reading non-fiction gets a bit boring, what do I turn to? Right! Harry Potter. I must have read all the seven books at least 3-4 times, if not more. I think J K Rowling is a genius and richly deserves all the accolades and rewards.

I started reading Harry Potter after the Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, the 3rd in the series, after Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. Or was it after the 2nd in the series? Never mind. I was introduced to it kind of late. Very late.

At first I was a little skeptic of the marketing hoo-haa that surrounded the series. Then my son dragged me to the movie Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (for some reason the name is slightly changed, must be a Hollywood thing). I was simply blown away by the magic.

The very next day, I purchased all the three (two?) books that were available.

Today, I have all the books of the Harry Potter series (pre-ordered, mind you) and DVD's of all the movies released till date. And I am eagerly waiting for the movie version of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I read somewhere that there will be two movies based on the final book, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. So the magic continues for some more time.

So what do I think of the Harry Potter movies now that I have read the books?

I think both are great. The books are fantastic. The movie are great too. It is like having two stories with the same name.

Any one - and I know there are millions - who has read Harry Potter as thoroughly as I have, will acknowledge that the beauty of the book is in the tiny details that Rowling has so skilfully woven in the story. It is almost like serendipity. You read a bit in, say, the 4th book and you suddenly remember that the thread actually starts in the first one. Or, you start re-reading the first book and you realize that something that you did not pay much attention to in your first reading starts making sense now, as the thread continues in the 5th book. There are several such.

The movie obviously cannot reproduce the nuances in the book, but they are mind blowing nonetheless. It is fun to see your imagination come alive on the screen.


I love them both ... the books and the movies. Both are magic. And this is applies to all well made movies and well written books.

And I hope Rowling returns soon with something else. I really miss Harry Potter.

I read long ago that she was working on some crime novel. With her intelligence and knack of springing surprises, I cannot wait for that to be published.

Picture courtesy: Herman Brinkman

Animation Movie As Management Tool

This happened some years ago ... when I was Project Manager. This was one of the two out of the box events that I organized for peers.

I had recently (then) watched the delightful animation movie Mulan with my kids. Mulan is a girl. In order to save her old father from joining the Chinese Imperial Army dresses up as a male (female were treated as second class citizens then!) to fight the invading Huns. The movie is brilliant in its conception and execution. I also thought the movie showed how leadership qualities can emerge from ranks. Mulan displays exceptional presence of mind. Mulan goes on to save China from the Huns and bring honour to her family.

I wanted to share Mulan with the other Project Managers, Technical Leaders and other Group Heads.

The first hurdle was of course top management who wanted to know what is the advantage of showing a movie to the middle management. Something like what would be the ROI. ROI?? Anyways. That took a little convincing, but got there in the end.

I set up a meeting for "Discussions on Leadership" and when everyone came in, I first surprised them by handing all of them a packet of potato chips and juice (in tetrapack). I then stated with the usual presentation slide. And then the second slide was the movie.

I could see the senior members of the middle management squirming with unease initially but by the end of the movie they were all spellbound. There was even a recommendation that all members of the company be shown Mulan.

Now I don't believe that the lessons that I absorbed from Mulan was absorbed by all. Or even if anyone retained any. (I am not sure I retain any message.) But it was fun when I did it so many years ago.

Now, what did I achieve?
I was pretty much convinced that I could conceive and execute an idea, however outlandish. That was the first of many other such ideas that followed later.

And for some reason the image of some members squirming in discomfort still remains vivid in my mind. I still an aversion to people who take being grown up very seriously.

It all came back as I saw another China centric animation movie Kung Fu Panda today.

Note: The picture used belongs to Cinzia Nicolini. To see more such photographs visit the gallery.