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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
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Metascore®78 out of 100 | Generally favorable reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    But the story is, still and all, only a pause, deferring an intensely anticipated conclusion. And it's in that exquisite place of action and waiting that this elegantly balanced production emerges as a model adaptation. Read full review

  • 90
    Village Voice | Scott Foundas

    Generally grim, occasionally startling, and altogether enthralling sixth chapter in a movie franchise that keeps managing to surprise just when one would expect it to be puttering along on auto-broomstick. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Dazzlingly well made and perhaps deliberately less fanciful than the previous entries, this one is played in a mode closer to palpable life-or-death drama than any of the others and is quite effective as such. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    This one-of-a-kind film cycle has become as comfortable and reliable as an old shoe, providing a degree of dependability that's becoming increasingly rare. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    One of the series's best, with spectacular effects, nuanced performances and witty dialogue. Read full review

  • 80
    Time | Richard Corliss

    With Half-Blood Prince, again we have a stalwart, satisfying visualization of the Rowling cosmos. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    I admired this Harry Potter. It opens and closes well, and has wondrous art design and cinematography as always, only more so. Read full review

  • 75
    The Onion (A.V. Club) | Tasha Robinson

    This is the darkest, saddest, most sophisticated Harry Potter film yet. Read full review

  • 75
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    The critical question for the movies' producers is whether Harry will be as popular now that his legions of stalwarts know how it all ends. The smart money would be on answering that question with a resounding "yes!" Read full review

  • 60
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Much like its young hero, played by Daniel Radcliffe, the film has begun to show signs of stress around the edges, a bit of fatigue, or maybe that’s just my gnawing impatience. Read full review

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