Will Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince be good enough??

Anyone following the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince news for the past year knows that things have been rocky. Die-hard fans winced as reviews flooded in after the preliminary screenings (particularly one in Chicago), preaching mostly disappointment and negativity. Following the screenings, the November 21, 2008 release date was pushed back to July 17, 2009 and then eventually changed to July 15. With all the speculation and the date changes, fans around the globe have been, understandably, apprehensive.

Make no mistake: hard-core fans are still buying the first tickets, still prickling with anticipation and excitement because at the end of the day, let's face it, hard-core fans would stop at nothing to see this movie. And hopefully they won't be disappointed: initial reviews to date have been overall very positive. Consensus seems to be that David Yates, director Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has created an exciting and well crafted film. Most of the critics are raving about Bruno Delbonnel’s amazing cinematography, Nicholas Hooper's brilliantly crafted score, Stuart Craig’s imaginative designs, and the performances of Hollywood greats Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter ,Alan Rickman ,and somewhat surprisingly, youngster Daniel Radcliffe. Apparently DRad has taken what could have been a frivolous family movie and made it into a respectable cinematic experience.

So why are fans – myself included – still nervous? As with all of the previous books, every detail can make or break the movie for an individual who's entered Harry's world as completely as most of us have. And despite this, any good filmmaker knows that every single detail simply cannot be included in a movie adaption of a book. Key plot points have been dropped every movie and there is always a contingent of fans who are appalled. This year will be no different. Horcruxes, Slughorn, romances, potions, Quidditch, and so much more must be included and clearly conveyed within the 153 minutes. How do you build all that up without letting fans down?