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Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

*****

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon.

Director: David Yates

Rated: PG

Showing: Speciality Cinema, daily at 2:30pm, 6:15pm, 9:30pm; Saturday/ Sunday 2:30pm, 6:15pm, 9:15pm, 12:30am.

Runtime: 153minutes

Adventure/fantasy

Review: The boy wizard returns for his latest magical adventure - the darkest and most ominous movie yet.

Harry is entering his sixth year at Hogwarts but his school is no longer the safe, happy haven it once was.

Danger is at the door in the form of evil Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, who are unleashing devastating destruction in the wizard and muggle worlds.

To prepare to face his nemesis, Harry begins private lessons with Professor Dumbledore.

By exploring the dark secrets of Voldemort's past - with help from new Potions teacher Horace Slughorn - they hope to exploit a weakness and defeat him.

Harry is also obsessed with keeping an eye on Draco Malfoy, who he fears is doing Voldemort's bidding as he suspiciously sneaks around the school.

On top of this, he has schoolwork - but this is aided by the discovery of an old Potions book crammed with useful tips which is the property of the mysterious "half-blood prince".

Finally, our hero has to tackle his growing affection for best mate Ron's sister Ginny and negotiating a war between Ron and Hermione, who refuses to admit she is jealous of Ron's obnoxious new girlfriend Lavender.

From the stunning opening sequence of Death Eaters storming through London on a destructive rampage - including wiping out the Millennium Bridge - Half-Blood Prince has you on the edge of your seat.

The attention to detail, visual effects - real and CGI - and cinematography are spectacular, while the young cast's acting has improved considerably.

The movie spans a range of genres, combining magical fantasy with rom-com, detective thriller, horror and teen rites-of-passage.

There are healthy doses of humour but Half-Blood Prince is a dark, disturbing tale and many scenes are not for small children.

The evil, scarred Fenrir Greyback, played by cage fighter Dave Legeno, is a terrifying werewolf, while the movie's action-packed ending is devastating.

On this knock-out form, it's easy to see why the Potter movies are the most successful film franchise ever.

Is there anyone who hasn't fallen under the boy wizard's spell yet?

Watch if you liked: The first five Potter movies.[[In-content Ad]]

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