Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is possibly one of the only, if not the only, movie in the series that stays true to the novel on which it is based. I say this not from reading it, which I have not, but from the reaction of a friend who has read it a number of times. From a film stand-point, it may be the best so far. Though I still have a soft spot for the first one, John William's magical score and all, this one comes pretty damn close. David Yates shows his true directing talent here which was suspiciously absent from the previous film, Order of the Phoenix. First example in the flashback scenes (of which there are a number of), or whatever the true term of it is, the style of the cinematography almost completely shifts to a darker, more frightful style. The art direction, as with all of the films, continues to mesmerize the audience. The script is witty and I admit I had more than a couple of laughs. I personally felt that the film relied too much on the relationships of the three main characters and less on the main focus of the movie, but thats just me. The acting overall was superb. Nothing really different than the last films. I saw this film with an audience of maybe 1000 at the premiere in New York City, and I can confidently say that not one of those viewers went away with a frown. This is a fantastic magical ride of a movie that I highly recommend.
