Why did I think HP didn't open until Friday? I was just looking at the show times, and it opens Wednesday--yay! (And, d'uh! on my part.) I've got to buy my ticket for Wed. night after work.

HP:HBP is easily the biggest departure so far from the source material, and this is a VERY GOOD THING. The ridonkulously pointless A-plot is given almost no time at all in favor of some really juicy arcy character stuff. Which was a huge relief to me because it could have gone the other way and been Weird Book 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The weakest point, as usual, is in the acting of the main three - they were all cast perfectly as children, but none of them have grown into really good actors. Radcliffe acts mostly with his jaw, Watson entirely with her eyebrows, and Grint is pleasantly goofy but can't offer anything in the way of substance. They're all good enough because they've lived with these characters for so long that we're used to it, but it's a shame they're not better. (I feel the same way about JKR's writing - she's a great children's author, but once the books migrate into YA territory she's out of her comfort zone.)

The teen romance angle is handled well for the most part except for one very weird scene between Harry and Ginny. They were going for a sweet domestic moment and wound up...weird.

I wish more time had been given to Draco, because his storyline in this one is IMO the most interesting, and it's very well done. OTOH, the movie is already nearly 3 hours long.

Still don't like HBC's Bellatrix. She needs to be more Nazi, less Wicked Witch. (There's certainly a place for pure mad evil in this universe, but HBC plays Bella as so completely round the bend that I have trouble believing this character could dress herself in the morning, let alone lead an army of Death Eaters.)

I have trouble believing this character could dress herself in the morning, let alone lead an army of Death Eaters.)

Have you see HBC IRL lately. I think she's living Wicked Witch.

I am so psyched (but knowing it won't live up to my own hype). There's a theatre nearish my work that has a showing at 4:30, which is when I get off work. I'm wondering if I could duck out early...

I'm going tonight. I have compartmentalized the movies and the books. Being such a book-to-movie purist, I had to make myself be ok with book canon and movie canon. The upside is that there are several canons to follow when writing fic!

David Tennant has signed on to play a St Trinian baddie. I hope we get to see it. He's opposite Firth and Rupert Everett (in drag, if memory serves).

Oh my! That sounds like a blast.

oops. Wrong thread. Moving to Boxed Set.

HBP is 98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Top Critics has it at 100%!

I've not liked any of the HP movies (love the books, though) but I seem to get sucked in every time. I'm trying to resist this time around. And my main issue is that the kids are terrible actors as Jessica mentioned (they seem like lovely kids IRL, though). I don't really understand why in the case of Radcliffe as he was great and hysterically funny in the Extras ep he was in. "May I please have my prophylactic, Dame Diana?"

I thought that Radcliffe has actually improved over the past three films. At least, now, he can express some big emotions (grief over Sirius's death), something he couldn't do in Prisoner of Azkaban. Also, some of the reviews I've read for HBP have said that he's pretty funny in the lucky potion scene.