Almost every movie adaptation of best selling books has fallen short of the glory expected of them, why should the Harry Potter series be any different? The adaptation of Harry Potter Book 6, the Half-Blood Prince, as were the rest of the preceding movies in the series, didn’t deliver as much as the book did. Harry Potter Book 6 is somewhat a big deal in itself, being the sixth of seven chapters of the whole storyline. The Half-Blood Prince contains very important revelations and plot twists that transitioned the storyline form book 5 to book 7 and the epic finale of the series. Unfortunately, the movie was no such thing. True, the movie would have done fine on its own. Anyone who didn’t read the book series and just focused on the movies would have been satisfied with the movie adaptation (probably, at least). Unfortunately most moviegoers have also read the books, and the Half-Blood Prince’s adaptation, many would agree, fell far from fans’ expectations. Why was this so? It’s a well known fact that movies don’t entirely go the books’ way when it comes to storyline and characters. This is established and restively accepted. Regardless of the clamor of the multitudes of bookworms and enthusiasts out there, perhaps that is the best way. But why was the book 6 adaptation so lacking? The causes of this lie in two crucial points: the book was a crucible turning point of the story in that it bridged the books 5 and the last chapter, 7, and J.K. Rowling’s series inspires creativity and imagination in the first place—no amount of Hollywood funding nor special effects can outdo an individual’s mind.
The hype created by the sequence of movies (though most fans agree were equally lacking when compared to their books) and the expectation set by what was supposedly the movie that sets the stage for the big climax combined and roused the zeal of moviegoers and fans a notch or two up the usual. It’s no surprise that though they knew there was a big chance the movie would not live up to the book, they were still disappointed several degrees graver. The Harry Potter book 6 adaptation didn’t live up to the hype. That was all.