FILM REVIEW: HARRY POTTER 6

Harry may be back but the magic is not!

If you go to see this film DON'T read the book. Hyped up as the best film from the series so far, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince may look visually great but fails to spark much interest over the entire 2 1/2 hours!

Having read all the books my expectation of the films has always been high. The first five films were adequately adapted for the films with very little detail missing. This is not the case in this latest release. The film seems to potter (bad expression) along with a comfortable place, a little Quidditch here, a love story (or three) there and by the time you've caught up with Harry and the Hogwarts crew, 2 hours has gone by without much excitement. It is nice after the long wait to see the familiar faces and their new challenges but too much emphasis has been placed on setting the film up and the end is almost forgettable (and regrettable).

The director of the final two films has reassured fans that the elements of final chapters of the sixth book have been cut from the sixth film to be presented in flashbacks in the film two films of the seventh book. The problem with this is the the juice of the sixth book is lost in the film and only touched on. This is possibly the most disappointing note about this film, it is a weak end to a weak film.

The casting was great, still not a fan of Daniel Radcliffe but there's no way of getting around that! Emma Watson's performance was her best so far and Rupert Grint pulled out another lightly humorous performance. The real star of the movie though has to go to Tom Felton who's portrayal of Draco Malfoy was stole the show from Harry.

The film is not terrible, far from it. It just doesn't meet the standard of the previous film. Sure the film will be a box office success but how many people will look back and think it was a standout film. Only time will tell.

Score: 8/10