It had its worldwide opening on July 15, with sales across the globe of P888 million on the opening night.

The first five films grossed P32 billion. HP-7a and HP-7b are now planned to open in late 2010 on November 19 and in 2011 on July 15. The final novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be split in two (it was a massive volume, 784 pages and over one kilo). It completes the cycle and finishes the story of Harry Potter's growth from just after his 11th birthday until a young adult, revealed as The Chosen One.

HP-6 opens with non-magical humans or "Muggles" observing formations in a threatening sky and then a descent on London, in three wisps of dense black smoke of Death Eaters, who wreck the Millennium Foot Bridge across the Thames and destroy a house on Diagon Alley.

An attractive waitress (Elarica Gallagher) makes a date to see a young man when she gets off duty at 11 pm, but higher duties call him away from her. A black robed Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) makes an "unbreakable vow" to protect Draco Malfoy (a white-haired Tom Felton), and if he fails, to perform the evil act that Draco was meant to do for Voldemort (usually played by Ralph Fiennes, but only really seen here in his earlier manifestations at 11 and 16 years old).

Ron Weasley's (Rupert Grint) parents have opened a shop, the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

From there, Ron with Harry Potter (the aging Daniel Radcliffe) and his admiring girl-friend, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) leave to spy on Draco and Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory) to learn what is happening at Borgun and Burkes, the lair of Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), a Death Eater and scary werewolf who closes the curtain on them. Also fallen on to the dark side is Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter).

Holidays over, the students take the train to Hogwarts. At the finally stop Draco overpowers Harry and breaks his nose. Harry, submerged under his own invisibility cloak, is rescued by Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) who can see him because she is wearing her spectrespecs.

Ron's younger sister Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) has grown up and fancies Harry, so look out for her! The stage is now set for the classic fairytale struggle between good and evil to be revealed in all the digital splendour that modern movies can muster. 

The head of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore (a fine old Michael Gambon) has recruited Harry to fight the Dark Lord, Voldemort. We learn that if you turn toward evil and want to split your soul to make Horcruxes, it is easily done, just kill someone for each one, as the act of murder divides the soul. Voldemort has split his soul seven times and hid the pieces - the task set for Harry is to find these Horcruxes and eliminate them. He is helped along the way by placing his hand on Professor Dumbledore's arm and they are transported to the next place of action. It was Voldemort who killed Harry's parents.

The best scenes in the flick are the Quidditch tournaments, first a practice and then a match, participants flying on broomsticks and with Ron as goalie. Also the scenes when Dumbledore assists Harry to look into the past revealed by his vials of special memories.

One of these has been distorted, so Harry is assigned to befriend Prof Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), the teacher of magic potions, and obtain the true memory. The scenes on recovered memories involving Tom Riddle are striking, (acted by Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Frank Dillane - two new and impressive English child actors), first when he is 11 years old and then at 16.

Dumbledore says of Prof Slughorn's memories, "Years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. He seemed a student like any other. His name was Tom Riddle. Today, the world knows him by another name: Voldemort".

HP-6 is at least half an hour too long, and could easily have been cut. The various scenes involving Draco Malfoy and the Vanishing Cabinet in the high attic of treasures at Hogwarts, add nothing to the cinematic version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - the white bird, dead bird, black bird all lie in limbo, as does the apple that is returned with a bite out of it (this is not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Does it matter that the vanishing cabinet allows the evil forces access to Hogwarts? They could have just flown or been transported there too.

Even the scenes with Harry's friend, Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), lack the vitality of the past movies. Professor Minerva McGonagall's (Maggie Smith) attempt to maintain order are even feebler than in the past.

HP-6 does prove again that you don't have to go to New Zealand to make such a movie. It has been filmed at various locations in Wiltshire, England, and at the Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland. Most of the Hogwarts views are from Scotland, including at Cape Wrath, Sutherland; Fort William, Glen Coe; and Loch Arkaig. Harry comments near the end on what a fine view it is from the top of Hogwarts castle. But for all that snow they had to go to Bjorli in Norway. Now there is a real winter, never seen in Botswana.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is two hours and 33 minutes long. It is rated 10 plus in spite of all the scary stuff. The director is David Yates. The script is by Steve Kloves. It is based on the book by J. K. Rowling. The cinematographer is Bruno Delbonnel.

The editor is Mark Day. The digital effects are by Stuart Craig. The music is by Nicholas Hooper.  

Email:sasa_majuma@yahoo.co.uk