Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is possibly the greatest movie in the entire Harry Potter film series. Though this isn't saying much considering that the rest of them were mediocre at best. Perhaps I should put it this way. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is, while it won't be winning any Oscars, an all-around entertaining movie experience. It won't amaze most movie-goer's by any means but neither will it disappoint, and this goes for fans of the books as well.

Having read, and enjoyed, the Harry Potter series myself, I often find that the movie adaptions (as with most movie to book translations) are lacking. They either leave out important events, change them beyond recognition or add completely new events that detract from the plot. This takes place to a much lesser degree with the Half-Blood Prince. The pressing occurrences of the book are maintained for the most part in the film. While I felt that the pacing suffered somewhat in an attempt to advance the plot, it was a much more stalwart effort than in the previous films.

There was also the humor factor in this installment that separated it from the rest. The dialogue was not just humorous but witty. At first glance, one would think that the darker scenery and overall story would clash with the humor of the film, which is neither dark nor cynical, but the two aspects of the movie blend excellently. The comedy is smooth and the punchlines are delivered with subtlety.

This was no doubt helped by the fact that the actors, after five films, have much more experience. Their delivery seemed more natural this time around, which is a crucial factor in the movie's comedic appeal. Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson (Harry, Ron and Hermione respectively) seem better acclimated to their roles, as does the rest of the cast. And the only major addition to the cast, Jim Broadbent, plays the character Horace Slughorn quite well. Now this is not to say that the acting was outstanding (Radcliffe does seem a bit stiff), but it conveys the message adequately and keeps the audience entertained.

Out of ten, I would have given this film a solid 8, if not for one crucial portion of the film that is severely lacking. The Half-Blood Prince starts out well, does a good job through the bulk of the film, but really drops the ball (or quaffle, for you quidditch aficionados) with the ending. I wanted to refrain from spoilers with this review, so suffice to say that the climax of the film was frankly quite anti-climactic. Not to mention the fact that shortly after the climax there is a rather large cliff from which the audience is left hanging. While this should come as little surprise, seeing as how this is the second to last film before the films(there will be two) of the final book, the ending is still a disappointment when taking this movie as a whole.

Still, since I enjoyed a good majority of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it deserves at least a 7 out of 10. Anyone even mildly interested in Harry Potter should make an effort to see this film, you won't be disappointed.