starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
In a nutshell: On first impression, the second best entry in one of the most well-cared-for series of all time 
Quick synopsis: Harry begins to work closely with Dumbledore to devise a plan of action for defeating Voldemort once and for all.
Content: I was worried about the remaining Potter movies after seeing Order of the Phoenix (OotP) two summers ago. OotP seemed rushed and I thought poor choices were made regarding what to leave in and what could be removed to keep the film around 2 hours. Although it looked great, the pacing sucked and it felt like the books had reached a size that the filmmakers could no longer handle. But since then I learned that a different screen writer was used for OotP than the one used for each of the first four films (Steve Kloves). So, I was hoping that by bringing back Kloves for Hlf-Blood Prince, all would be set right in the world of Harry Potter. Safely back in the hands of someone who knows the characters inside and out, HP6 gets everything right that OotP did not.
Some critics have grumbled that there is a lack of action in Half-Blood Prince, but if there was, I didn't really notice it. The big cave sequence at the end certainly seemed to pack enough action for my tastes. Some sequences are appropriately glazed over (the Quiddich stuff) and others are handled with great detail. Readers of the books know the sixth installment as the one that veers dangerously close to Dawson's Creek territory when it comes to romance. But director Yates doesn't make it sappy at all and keeps the mood very light with a surprising amount of sharp humor.
The new professor du jour is year six is Horace Slughorn, played by veteran Brit Jim Broadbent, whom I liked very much in Gangs of New York and Hot Fuzz. He didn't look anything like the professor that I had pictured, who was described as walrus-like, but I guess Wilford Brimley was unavailable (and not British). I liked Broadbent, though. And other than his appearance, I thought he fit the role quite well.
As everyone has come to expect, the visuals in the film are spectacular. And I noticed a level of detail absent since Alfonso Cuaron's series highpoint, Prisoner of Azkaban. The scene in the cave needed to blow people away and it did in a way that the climactic scene in the previous film did not. And the only problem I had with the film at all was what happens when Harry returns to the castle at the very end. Maybe I am confusing it with a scene from the final book, but I remember there being complete chaos going on around the castle as the final confrontation unfolds. But instead, everyone just seems to be watching the two old friends stare each other down. The scene works well enough, it's just not how pictured it, but you can't win 'em all.
The acting of the three kids has improved by leaps and bounds since the early films, and what a relief that is. It's much easier to forgive poor-ish acting by 10 year-olds than by 20 year-olds. Hermione still can't cry, but otherwise she is fine. The "kids" are surrounded by such an amazing supporting cast that it almost doesn't matter. It seems like every British actor worth knowing has taken a turn in the film. And it's almost criminal that people like Alan Rickman (Snape), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), David Thewlis (Lupin) and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) are given only a few minutes each, but it was necessary in order to squeeze them all in, and make sure that they remain in the series so that they do not come out of nowhere when they play significant roles in the finale.
I gotta mention the improvement in Helena Bonham Carter's character since the last film. You all know her from nearly every Tim Burton movie (I think they are married or something) and Fight Club. She was the perfect choice to play Bellatrix Lestrange, a shrieking, psychotic evil witch of the worst type. But in the last movie (her first appearance) it was barely even a character she was playing. All she did was cackle and look as crazy as possible. But her character is much better this time around. She still acts plenty crazy, but there is actually a person (albeit a crazy one) behind the sneering. She brings a menace to the screen that would make Gary Oldman (whose character happens to have been killed by Bellatrix in the previous movie) proud.
David Yates learned from his mistakes in HP5 and, while I had previously been hoping and praying that they would bring back Cuaron, or even bring in a Guillermo del Toro-level director to finish off the series, I now feel that Yates will do just fine. In the grand scheme of things, I rate Half-Blood Prince as the second best of the series thus far, behind Prisoner of Azkaban. For what it's worth, I would place Goblet of Fire third, Order of the Phoenix fourth, Chamber of Secrets fifth, Sorceror's Stone sixth. Now let's just hope the series manages to get even better for its final act which is supposed to be broken up into two films, so as not to leave anything out. Two more is fine by me.
Rolling rankings:
1. Punch-Drunk Love (#147)
2. In Bruges(#153)
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#155)
4. Star Trek (#146)
5. Up (#149)
6. I.O.U.S.A. (#150)
7. Burn After Reading (#152)
8. The Da Vinci Code (#151) 
9. 21 (#154)
10. Star Trek: Generations (#148)
key:
masterpiece excellent good mixed bag more bad than good garbage
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