Harry Plod-Der

Perhaps the weakest in adaptation, but strongest in literature, The Half-Blood Prince is a sort of a keyhole between its predecessor and the final two movies (The Deathly Hallows).

What's it about: Perhaps the weakest in adaptation, but strongest in literature, The Half-Blood Prince is a sort of a keyhole between its predecessor and the final two movies (The Deathly Hallows).

More of a love story than a dark adventure, the film marks the end of one of the strongest characters Dumbledore and the beginning of a quest to trace the origins of Voldemort and his accomplices.

What's hot: Not wasting too much time in creating the atmosphere, the film opens with a bang with the Muggle world under attack from the dark forces.
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The Great Let Down: The film lacks charm and is the weakest adaptation of the Harry Potter series.

The scenes of mayhem and destruction are superb. SFX and visual treats come galore, especially in the scene where Dumbledore takes Harry into the heart of darkness.
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The scene of his demise is also handled with the maturity and depth it requires.

Radcliffe realising he's entered his puberty, substitutes the puppy-eyed look with a more boyish charm. Yates lights up the frames stunningly.

Not to miss the Hogwarts Express chugging its way to the school, absolutely breathtaking. Jim Broadbent plays a superbu00a0 Slughorn, the potions master.

What's not: When Dumbledore tells Harry how he's grown up before him and is no more the kid in the cupboard, we realise the scriptwriters must have had a field day filling up the plot with such cheesy lines.

The romantic scenes between Harry-Ginny and Hermione-Ron seem like they've been lifted from a Hannah Montana or a Beverly Hills 90210 episode.

Even though they raise the chuckles they stray the focus away from that actual material.

Instead of splitting the last book into two, it would have served better to have Half-Blood Prince clubbed with the next as a prologue.

The second halfu00a0 drags towards an abrupt end that had many baffled in the audience.

The lack of real action between Harry and Voldemort will disappoint many who haven't read the book.

What to do: A visual treat that has colour and fireworks, but lacks the depth and charm of its predecessors, the Half-Blood Prince is the weakest adaptation of the series.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Director: David Yates
Rating: ''