The story of Harry Potter may have ended two years ago with the publication of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, but if the latest box office grosses for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” are any indication, the boy wizard’s adventures will continue to enthrall and fascinate people all over the world.

In this sixth installment in the film series (Gross: $394 million in five days), Harry finds himself facing the threat of the returned Voldemort, the Dark Lord. With the blessings of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Harry embarks on a mission to peek into Voldemort’s past and to find the secret to defeat him. It is a mission that involves getting into the good graces of Professor Horace Slughorn, a former Hogwarts professor who holds in his memories the crucial truth about Voldemort.

But it is not just Harry who is laden with a task. His rival Draco Malfoy, now a Death eater, is also tasked with a mission that is equally vital and crucial. It is something that does not go unnoticed by Harry, who makes it his mission to find out what Draco is up to.

Complicating things even further is the brewing romantic relationships between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, as well as between Harry and Ron’s sister, Ginny. Throw in a Potions book formerly owned by the mysterious Half-Blood Prince and you have more adventures than you can wave a broomstick at.

WHAT YOU DIDN’T SEE ON SCREEN

As with past Potter films, this adaptation does not make it to the big screen without significant changes being made. The whole history of Voldemort’s family is discarded entirely, referenced only by the ring worn by Voldemort in one of only two flashback scenes that make it into the movie.

Dumbledore’s funeral is also discarded, with director David Yates opting instead for a more subdued scene in the Hogwarts courtyard. An entirely new fight scene set in the Burrow has been added, while the climactic battle at Hogwarts has been left out. The discussion on Horcruxes does not extend beyond explaining what they are, and Snape reveals himself to be the Half-Blood Prince without really explaining what exactly that means.

Fleur and Bill’s upcoming marriage is not even mentioned, as well as the amorous troubles between Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin. And the meeting between Voldemort and Dumbledore
in Hogwarts, where Voldemort asks for a teaching post, is also gone.

The discarded scenes definitely make it harder for non-readers to follow the flow of the movie, and will certainly discourage any purists in the theater from appreciating this adaptation fully.

For the most part, the decisions made by director Yates seem logical: setting a battle in Hogwarts during this sixth movie would make the one set to happen in the seventh movie seem repetitive, and Harry using the Peruvian Darkness Powder in the Hogwarts Express makes sneaking into the Slytherin carriage on the Hogwarts Express easier to film.

However, some of those decisions don’t work out for the best either, the most glaring of which is the missing battle at Hogwarts. Without this battle, the presence of the Death Eaters that Malfoy has so painstakingly sneaked into the school seems superfluous. Other than to provide moral support for Malfoy -- and some casual destruction on the part of Bellatrix Lestrange -- the Death Eaters do little else.

The added fight scene at the Burrow also adds nothing to the film, other than to provide more flirting between Harry and Ginny and more screen time for Bellatrix. The said chase scene is however beautifully shot.

BEAUTIFUL EXECUTION

However, the parts that do make it into the movie are put to good use. The relationship troubles between the teenage characters are handled with great humor, while the books darker threads translate extremely well on screen.

In fact, the movie is to be praised for how well it has streamlined and made sleek the many layers of Rowling’s sixth novel. Every scene is handled with a subtlety that is not often present in the book. The meeting between ReviewSeverus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Narcissa Malfoy in Spinner’s End is effective in its silence. While that chapter in the book was replete with hysterics from Narcissa, the movie makes do with tear-rimmed eyes from Helen McCrory, who plays Narcissa Malfoy, and meaningful silences from Alan Rickman, who plays Snape.

The flashback scenes are also extremely well-done. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane, who play Voldemort at different ages, succeed in conveying menace with just small smiles and meaningful stares. Fiennes-Tiffin shines in particular, especially in the scene where Dumbledore makes his cupboard in the orphanage burst into flames. Rather than end up screaming like the young Tom Riddle does in the book, there is only a hint of a smile on Fiennes-Tiffin’s face, as if he enjoys seeing
such destruction.

The scene where the whole of Hogwarts raises their wands in tribute of their fallen headmaster is also spectacular in its simplicity. It may not have had the pomp of the funeral described in the book’s final chapters, but does effectively convey the message that good does not surrender even in the face of defeat.

Does the movie still work even with almost half of the events in the book missing?

The answer seems to be yes, if the critics are to be believed. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has so far been a critical success, with reviewers commending the casts’ acting as well as the film’s beautiful cinematography.

Potter fans seem to agree as well, if the box office returns are any indication.

With the last installment “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” being split up into two films, this will hopefully allow for a more faithful adaptation. And with Yates still in charge of directing duties
for the last two, Potter fans can at least be assured that the scenes that do make it to the screen will be executed beautifully.