Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Harry Potter saga continues with the sixth film adaptation in the seven book series. This time Harry is a little older and a little more mature, but he is still battling both inner demons, and he who mustn't be named.

This film slows down the pace of the series and although the visual effects are brilliant, it leaves much to be desired in terms of action. There are so many characters and the back story is so convoluted and detailed that it seems that much of the film is spent reintroducing us to characters from the previous films almost as if it is obligatory that they pop their heads in and say hi.

Maybe I am all Harry-Pottered out, but each time it seems that he is on the road to self-discovery or mastering the art of wizardry, some new potion, spell, enemy or sub-plot arises and takes the whole story down a new path. Maybe I am not the intended audience, and despite enjoying the fantasy world (and appreciating the artistic imagination) that Rowling has created, I have had enough.

At an already epic 2 hours and 33 minutes, the film actually seems much longer. This may be due to the constant and frankly, distracting teenage hormone dealings. Granted, growing up is a part of life, but the romance, albeit innocent just seems out of place (although if I wrote 7 books I'm sure I would need some filler too). Over the course of the film, there are a mere handful of significant events and action scenes. This is more than a little disappointing from the perspective of an audience member who has seen the dark progression of the films from young, innocent little Harry to a man who is the "chosen one" fighting for all of good.

The usual cast members return, some of the kids becoming almost unrecognizable from just a few years ago. The fear of them growing up too fast to film all of the books should be put to rest - the progression and maturation is evident from film to film, so it does seem natural if not a little accelerated. The one new addition to the Hogwarts faculty is the ever talented Jim Broadbent as a retired teacher brought back into the fray to help explain some of the preposterous mysteries.

It is hard to be too negative about Harry Potter, because what I like about the films is the same thing that drives me crazy; the fantasy world where there are no rules and anything is possible. There are continually new developments that one-up the already mind-boggling battlefield between good and evil. These are creative, but leave major plot holes and raise unanswerable questions by the viewer. Much like a film based on time travel, magic and wizardry has the boundaries projected onto the screen by the mind of the writer of the story. This doesn't always jive with logic.

Besides too many prolonged concerned gazes by Potter and his cohorts, Alan Rickman shines as professor Snape. His refined British accent and seriously sinister tone of voice create one of the more memorable characters from the franchise. His delivery of lines are always spot on in any situation or genre, he is truly a classically trained actor who is a chameleon on the screen - On a side note, to see his comedic chops on display, see Galaxy Quest - one of the best sci-fi comedies in recent memory.

Director David Yates again takes the helm after directing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was the most recent installment, and he will finish up the franchise with the 2 part Deathly Hallows finale. The direction is fine, but the effects overshadow any flaws. It is hard to delineate between the 4 incredibly different director's styles, but they all follow a certain theme which adds to the continuity.

All in all, it was mildly entertaining, but was more of a set up for the grand finale. I could have done without all of the puberty relationship garbage - it got old very quickly, but I didn't read the books, so maybe I am expecting what is not there. I do expect the two final movies to be much more action packed. 6/10.