Warner Brothers has squired along the "Harry Potter" films with mostly smart decisions, and the arrival of No. 6, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," does nothing to derail the series' momentum. David Yates, who ably directed 2007's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," returns for a second go-round; he’s currently also directing the two-film adaptation of the last of the books, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
The entire series has remained relatively faithful to the books: As with "The Lord of the Rings," the existence of a huge and devoted readership left little choice. As a result, No. 6 continues on the trajectory started in the previous two films: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is increasingly isolated, things get way darker and the real world effects of teenage hormones take up nearly as much of the 2 1/2-hour running time as the fight against Lord Voldemort.
Extensive plot synopsis seems downright redundant, so suffice it to say that Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) return to a Hogwarts fortified against the newly emboldened Death Eaters and that Harry is recruited by Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to ingratiate himself with Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), the new potions professor. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione have romantic woes.
Full Story: The welcome darkness of the new 'Harry Potter'