Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
78
(34 sources)
78
(34 sources)
-
100
Salon.com
The most beautiful magic in it is left unseen. And still, it emerges with absolute clarity. Read Full Review » -
100
San Francisco Chronicle
This film is the sharpest since "The Prisoner of Azkaban." It is the most emotionally satisfying, blending spot-on comedy and adenoidal sexual tension, with scenes of gutsy vulnerability. Read Full Review » -
91
Portland Oregonian
By an order of magnitude --- the strongest (or at least the most mature, subtle and emotional) entry in the series thus far. Read Full Review » -
91
Entertainment Weekly
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
Los Angeles Times
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 » -
90
Variety
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
New York Magazine
It was splendid! No, it's not a larky kid-pic. We're firmly in the realm of English horror. Read Full Review » -
90
Village Voice
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 » -
88
Rolling Stone
Getting lost in the hypnotic Half-Blood Prince is what gives the movie its haunting power. Read Full Review » -
88
USA Today
One of the series's best, with spectacular effects, nuanced performances and witty dialogue. Read Full Review » -
88
Baltimore Sun
It flows like fast-moving lava to a climax filled with pyrotechnics. And for once in a summer blockbuster, the fireworks are both emotional and physical. The movie leaves you sated, yet wanting more -- just what you want from a series with two entries left to go. Read Full Review » -
88
Chicago Tribune
The latest, meticulously atmospheric and wonderfully acted Potter adventure lands happily--broodingly, but happily---near the top of the series heap, just behind Alfonso Cuaron's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Read Full Review » -
83
Christian Science Monitor
There's something inherently funny about the romantic predicament of Harry and Ron and Hermione. As if it wasn't bad enough having to deal with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and all the rest, now they have to square off against... raging hormones. Read Full Review » -
80
The Hollywood Reporter
David Yates, in his go at the helm, throws the emphasis on the gathering storm clouds even as Harry and his fellow wizardry students make further discoveries involving the opposite sex. Read Full Review » -
80
New York Daily News
As for the ever-impressive supporting cast, neither a delightfully befuddled Jim Broadbent nor a wild-eyed Helena Bonham Carter can upstage Alan Rickman, who again proves invaluable as the slithery Prof. Snape. Read Full Review » -
80
Time
With Half-Blood Prince, again we have a stalwart, satisfying visualization of the Rowling cosmos. Read Full Review » -
75
ReelViews
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 » -
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The movie's climax takes Harry Potter into territory that is much more like epic horror than most of what the series has seen before. There is more obvious religious symbolism and apocalyptic violence as Harry emerges into his role as "the chosen one." Read Full Review » -
75
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75
TV Guide
The good news is that it comes closer than any of its predecessors, hitting the mark or coming close to it on almost all fronts. With "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" being split into two films, the final installment stands an excellent chance of getting it right. Read Full Review » -
75
New York Post
"HP6" is suspenseful and artfully realized. It's a definite improvement over J.K. Rowling's dimly written and exposition-clogged book. Read Full Review » -
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
This is the darkest, saddest, most sophisticated Harry Potter film yet. Read Full Review » -
75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Slower and talkier than the five Potters that came before - but not necessarily in a bad way - Half-Blood Prince is a bubbling cauldron of hormonal angst, rife with romance and heartbreak, jealousy and longing. Read Full Review » -
75
Miami Herald
Half-Blood Prince is the franchise's "Empire Strikes Back" -- the episode in which the pace slows down a bit, the characters deepen and mature, the good guys take a big hit, and all hell is gearing up to break loose. Read Full Review » -
75
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Director David Yates picks up where he left off with "Order of the Phoenix," assembling a nicely paced and artfully shot adventure. Read Full Review » -
75
Chicago Sun-Times
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 » -
70
Slate
Despite the preponderance of (PG-rated) snogging, there are pleasures to be found along this movie's meandering path. Read Full Review » -
70
Washington Post
The three leads, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione), give their most charming performances to date. Read Full Review » -
67
Austin Chronicle
It's always a pleasure to be in the company of Potter, and when looking back at the just-competent first outings - well, baby, you've come a long way - but still: Where's the magic, huh? Read Full Review » -
63
Boston Globe
Installment six of the Harry Potter' series, The Half-Blood Prince, merely gets us one movie closer to the finale, which, apparently is so big (and by big, I mean "$$$$'') that it's being split into two parts. Read Full Review » -
60
Empire
We're marking time before the final battle between Good and Evil, with the promised darkness sitting somewhat clumsily with teen romance and humour. Read Full Review » -
60
The New York Times
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 » -
60
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60
Wall Street Journal
For those who've lived with the series for more than a decade, this fateful pause may heighten the suspense. For a Muggle like me, the storm does gather slowly. Read Full Review »
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