​Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince contains a little bit of everything. It has romance, action, adventure, mystery, and thrills. It is also quite possibly the most emotional installment in the franchise. The darkness of evil begins to loom larger in this film, setting the stage for what is to be a very climatic end. It may be setting the stage for the next films, but it is a great movie in it's own right. A casual viewer would be lost with all the jargon that takes place, but if the viewer is familiar with the material, novels or films, then the film will flow naturally. It is easy to follow and the adventure is grand. The protagonists are faced with great danger and director David Yates creates an environment where we can feel little hope for the heroes. It is not all gloom and doom though, there is humor and love sprinkled into the mix. As the main trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron have matured, so have their narratives of romance. The hopeless romantics in this movie create some funny and light-hearted moments that assist in alleviating the dread of the overall narrative. The acting on display is great as well. We as the audience can be completely emotionally invested because the acting sells us the story. CGI effects are a commonality among Harry Potter films and they do not cease to dazzle here. One thing this film suffers with is when the plot slows, it really slows. There are moments of drag where nothing critical seems to be happening. To younger and semi-interested viewers, this can be disengaging. However, this film is a great installment into the franchise. Overall, I give this film an 8/10.