Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

"Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No. "

Daniel Radcliffe really is short. His character, Harry Potter, is about the same height, if not shorter, than most of his female companions and lets not take into consideration the guys such as Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). Really, how many heroes in summer blockbusters are that short? Batman, Superman, Rambo, Aragorn, James Bond, Anakin Skywalker and countless others are tall, well-built men. Heck, even geeky protagonists Peter Parker and Sam Witwicky were taller than their girlfriends. (I need to re-watch Transformers to confirm Sam, though)

Much like its main character, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince doesn't follow after conventional summer blockbuster stereotypes. In fact, it takes the conventional formula and spits it in the face. Instead of a mind-numbing action scene after the other (I'm looking at you, Revenge of the Fallen!) Prince takes it very subtly. Scenes progress after the other in pure dramatic fashion, but never fully blown, explosive or in-your-face. Characters interact believably and convincingly in brilliant British-style dialogue that is full of clever jokes and puns. Best of all, the director carries us through an amazing narrative using very effective camerawork.

Quidditch is thankfully back in full-force

Now, with all this praise, who exactly really stands out? One that comes to mind is Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. No longer a free-reigning bully, Felton portrays a troubled and frustrated Malfoy whose brooding behavior is a magnificent contrast to his former boastful self. Newcomer Jim Broadbent did a great job as bumbling Professor Slughorn. Helena Bonham Carter remains delightfully evil as Bellatrix Lestrange, squeezing hate out from you at every scene. All of the series regulars such as Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) remain top-notch. Also, Michael Gambon, thankfully, finally gets it right as Albus Dumbledore.

Rough weather, eh?

Perhaps all this talk of subtlety is just bias conceived from watching the testosterone-filled Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen twice in a row. It just struck me as I was sitting there in the cinema hall how different this movie was from all the recent blockbusters I have watched. Even my personal favorite, Star Trek, was not above biffs and bangs. Make no mistake, Prince does have many cool tricks and effects, but it is all executed in an inconspicuous yet satisfactory way. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince was a delightful watch and will continue to make you think after you've stepped out of the hall. Just don't go in expecting a special-effects bonanza.

For you, Sheldon

All images are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Pictures. Some images taken from IGN.com. Go visit them to ease my guilt.