Fans at the midnight premiere. Sam Russell as Ron, Laura Brillman as Voldemort, and Joe McMahon as Dumbledore

The main plot of the movie is revealed when Severus Snape takes an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother, agreeing to protect her son, and most importantly to complete the task the Dark Lord has asked of him if he is unable to perform.

When Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts for their sixth year, Dumbledore tasks Harry with retrieving an important memory from returning professor, Horace Slughorn, which will provide invaluable information in destroying Voldemort.

Meanwhile, this installment has a lot of teenage angst as Lavender Brown enters the picture and has her heart set on Ron.  There is also Quidditch this time around and we get to see both Ron and his sister Ginny play.

Although much of the movie is more lighthearted then the last, it still has very somber moments as well.

Most of the movie follows fairly closely to the book, with the exception of a few additions, and obviously much of the book’s content had to be cut down to fit into the 153 minutes of the film.

Where some scenes were cut, such as the battle at Hogwarts and Dumbledore’s funeral, most of the important scenes were still there.  There were some great additions as well, such as the bridge scene and the Death Eater attack on the Burrow.

There are some new characters this time around, as well as returning favorites.  Probably the biggest additions are with the characters of Professor Horace Slughorn, played by Jim Broadbent, and Lavender Brown, played by Jessie Cave.  There was also the addition of Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), and we also get to see Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory) for the first time, if briefly.  There were; however, also characters that were left out, such as Rufus Scrimgeour, Bill, Fleur, and the Dursleys.

Fans at the midnight premiere.  Elise Charters as Luna, Chelsea Waldo as Bellatrix, Aprille Stanis as a Slytherin student, and James Reinhardt as Mad Eye Moody

  This installment of Harry Potter was directed by David Yates, who also directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  As expected, he did a superb job this time around.

As always the actors were on their mark, all of them contributing to keeping J.K. Rowling’s magical world believable.  The golden trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, were of course phenomenal, and had great comedic timing as well, especially Grint who was hilarious under the effects of the love potion.  We also got to see a different side to Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton, who did a fantastic job at showing a more vulnerable side.  Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon as Professor Snape and Albus Dumbledore were also magnificent as their roles were very pivotal in this film.  Helena Bonham Carter reprised her role of Bellatrix LeStrange, and, as in the last film, played the crazy Death Eater perfectly and kept us entertained.  Jim Broadbent was also a great addition to the cast and played Professor Slughorn to a “T.”

The movie ended with a cliffhanger that will keep everyone waiting for the next installment.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince proved for many to be the best Harry Potter movie yet, leaving fans to wonder what the cast and crew will do to top it with part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, due in theaters in 2010.

Fans gathered around the world to see the movie, which made an estimated $79.5 million at the weekend box office, and had a five day opening of $159.7 million domestically and $394 million worldwide, making it the best-ever opening for not only the franchise, but the highest-grossing international opening of any film ever!  It was also the widest global release of any Harry Potter movie, with 54 international markets opening simultaneously with those in North America.  The movie also remains in first place at the box office.

Fans at the midnight premiere.  Alexis Lakenmovic as Luna, Alyssa Widen as Cho Chang, and Samantha Bergman as Bellatrix

Many fans attended midnight openings on July 15^th at many different locations to be the first to see the film, including Loews Waterfront in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where multiple screens were sold out.  Many in attendance wore costumes of the characters, and it wasn’t just the kids – adults had fun with it as well.

Everyone had their own moment from the book that they were waiting to see.  Many were excited to see the action scenes.  Sam Russell, 15, was most excited to see the battle at the Astronomy Tower.  Joe McMahon, 14, was most looking forward to the cave scene, whereas Sean Barrett, 21, was ready for the Snape and Harry battle.  Both Aprille Stanis, 23, and Elise Charters, 18, wanted to see how closely the film followed the book.  There were others, such as Alexis Lakemovic who was excited to see the romance and comedy that would be in the sixth installment.

After seeing the film, most proclaimed it to be the best Harry Potter film yet, but some fans were disappointed in the scenes from the book that didn’t appear in the film.  “I was slightly let down with the ending – no battle and no talk of marriages,” said Laura Brillman, 14.  There were also some changes that some fans disagreed with in the script adaptation and the directing, such as in the book Harry cannot save Dumbledore because he has been petrified.  In the movie Harry chooses to allow Snape to help and doesn’t think things through, simply because Dumbledore told him to stay back.  Regardless, most were still happy with the movie.  “I enjoyed it – the performances were excellent and it ended with a good cliffhanger to the final movie[s],” said James Reinhardt, 22.

Of course it’s not over.  Many fans will be returning to see the movie multiple times, especially with the movie opening in IMAX 3D on July 29^th.  The Harry Potter franchise is now said to be the biggest movie franchise in history, surpassing even Star Wars, so don’t expect the hype to die down any time soon!