Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince succeeds in being a much more immersive film than normal, and comes close to capturing on film some of the texture and richness of Rowling's books.

This is storytelling at its most spellbinding – streets ahead of the rival summer blockbusters.

Longer than the last, the sixth episode of the adventures of the increasingly burdened magic warrior of Privet Drive is a more human affair than its predecessors.

The latest instalment is more of the same tried and tested formula to be sure, but it’s a formula that produces pure gold as far as the fans are concerned.

Director David Yates has boldly made his movie more funny than JK Rowling's book and made a few changes, too. Welcome after the messiness of Order Of The Phoenix.

By far one of the best of the series, and absolutely the funniest and most human.

While individual sequences are undoubtedly the most exciting of this summer’s blockbuster season, Prince never quite connects the dots into a ripping ride, playing out instead in a series of gentle interludes.

Why David Yates decided to move the series so far away from its fantasy adventure heartland is puzzling.

It's hard not to feel like this is little more than an interim piece in the overall story, presumably leading to something much bigger next time around.

I have to say, this was the most satisfying book-to-film transfer of them all. It never felt rushed. They took time to tell the story. The effects were wonderful, but not overdone. With a few exceptions, they included the major plot points from the book.