Half Blood Prince is Harry Potter's balancing act. The bespectacled wizard battles his hormones on one hand while carrying the burden of being the chosen one on his back. In this installment the Death Eaters are causing havoc throughout the land. Meanwhile Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his buddies are going through such tasty morsels as spin the bottle etiquette while seeing their world unravel.Half Blood Prince is terrific eye candy with some great effects that pull you into the world of Hogwarts. The cast is the same as last time with the young stars we've seen grow up standing side by side with some of the greatest British actors alive, with the addition of Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn.
The problem with Half Blood Prince is its pacing. I've never read any of the books so I can't comment on what made the final script but the film feels a little crammed. Sitting through the film it just seemed to be filled with holes that could have been filled and plot points that seem rushed toward the the final resolution of the film. Perhaps this film is the reason they decided to split up the final film. That and double the money of course.
Overall the film delivers what it promises, but it just feels like it lacks something. It delivers as a Harry Potter film, but that's about it. Entertaining, yet it feels slightly thrown together when you review it in your head.
