Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

(USA, 2009, 149 minutes)

Harry Potter's sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft starts under the dark clouds of the return of the fearful Lord Voldemort and his followers, and the headmaster decides to let Harry in on his foe's past deeds. Sixth in the film series based on the popular novels is the lesser in the series so far, a dazzlingly made but crashingly dull fantasy that doesn't care much about its characters and plot and will seem impenetrable to anyone who hasn't seen the previous five.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis. Directed by David Yates; produced by David Heyman, David Barron; screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; music by Nicholas Hooper; director of photography (Technicolor, Panavision), Bruno Delbonnel; production designer, Stuart Craig; costume designer, Jany Temime; film editor, Mark Day; visual effects supervisor, Tim Burke; special make-up and creatures designer, Nick Dudman.