5 Reasons Why The Half-Blood Prince is the Best Harry Potter Movie

Each Harry Potter film brings its own unique set of qualities that makes it stand out from the rest, thanks to new teams of creatives behind the production of each installment in the series. The Half-Blood Prince is no different; this film has a distinct mood and tone, and it isn't just because Harry and his friends are older.

In their sixth year at Hogwarts, the Golden Trio faces more danger than ever before - a lot of it a result of their adolescence. Harry's identity as the Chosen One brings danger to all three of them, as well as other students and staff members of Hogwarts. The audience finally learns more about Tom Riddle's origins and how he's managed to stay alive all these years. This knowledge leads Harry on a quest to find the seven Horcruxes, accompanied by Dumbledore in what is clearly a darker and more mature adventure than the previous film.

5. Professor Slughorn

Professor Slughorn is one of the first new characters introduced in the sixth film, and his debut scene is an entertaining one. Harry experiences Apparating for the first time, learns more about his mother, and pokes fun at Dumbledore's methods. Dumbledore, meanwhile, reveals a fun side of himself as he apparently enjoys seeing Harry confused and holding the upper hand over Slughorn.

Throughout the film, Slughorn offers many moments of comic relief but also serves as one of the key propellers of the plot. He holds some invaluable pieces of information and embarks on something of a hero's journey himself - at first, he rejects the call to adventure, then reluctantly accepts. At Hogwarts, he naturally takes Harry under his wing but when Harry gets too close to learning the truth, Slughorn's darker side is revealed. Slughorn eventually tells Harry the truth about his role in Voldemort's rise to power and the audience learns more about who he really is. The peaks and valleys of Slughorn's arc make him one of the most interesting characters in the series, and this movie gives him his chance to shine.

4. Light vs Dark

Draco becoming a Deatheater is a big part of this film. Harry suspects it early on, and while he isn't directly faced with Voldemort in this film, he faces darkness through Draco and Snape. The film opens with a Deatheater attack on the Muggles of London, which reminds viewers of the pressing danger on the entire world, not just at Hogwarts.

However, in contrast, the story is also pockmarked with light. Early in the film, the Golden Trio visits the twins' new store in Diagon Alley, which feels like entering a whole new world. Just outside, the Alley is in disarray, with stores closed down or ransacked, wanted posters on the walls, and Deatheaters lurking about. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave the store, they immediately go in pursuit of the Malfoys, witnessing Draco's introduction to the Vanishing Cabinet, the tool that brings Deatheaters to Hogwarts later in the film. Snape's presence looms throughout the whole film, even without the knowledge that he's the Half-Blood Prince.

Snape is trying to protect both Draco and Harry, all while trying to stay in Voldemort's good graces and helping Dumbledore. Harry never trusts him, and knowing that he's made the Unbreakable Vow to protect Malfoy, he assumes that he's helping the dark forces. When Harry assumes that Malfoy is behind the slew of dangerous 'gifts' intended for Dumbledore, Snape is the one to defend him. These life-threatening events are interspersed throughout the film in contrast with moments of levity - for instance, the Golden Trio's visit to The Three Broomsticks, or Ron suddenly becoming infatuated with Romilda Vane. In these moments, viewers get to see Harry and his friends being teenagers, laughing, enjoying themselves, only to be forced back into the real world by the terrors of Voldemort's dark army. More than ever, The Half-Blood Prince highlights the stark contrast between light and dark in Harry's world - as well as in Harry himself.

3. Harry Makes a Key Decision

When Dumbledore dies, Harry is left to finish this journey - for the first time - truly alone. He doesn't yet have all of the pieces, but trusting Dumbledore means that he now has the tools necessary to put him on the path towards conquering Voldemort.

Dumbledore's death is a major turning point in Harry's journey because, until this point, he's always had someone to protect and guide him. Though he hasn't always trusted Dumbledore or known much about him, their journey together in The Half-Blood Prince prompts Harry to finally let the wiser wizard take the reigns. However, once he dies, Harry realizes that Dumbledore left him with enough to continue the journey on his own. For the first time, he's the sole leader of his own endeavours, and he makes the choice to go it alone. Of course, Hermione and Ron don't let him embark on any quest unaccompanied, but even they will never hold the same sense of responsibility that was placed upon Harry's shoulders when he was a toddler.

2. Adolescence

In their sixth year at Hogwarts, Ron gets a girlfriend, leaving Hermione heartbroken and vindictive, while Harry pines over Ginny. The audience also sees the Golden Trio spend more time together as teenagers, rather than witches and wizards on a dangerous mission.

There's Quidditch, butterbeer, Liquid Luck, Christmas parties, fun academic rivalry, and a poignant but oddly comedic visit to Hagrid's. Amid all the darkness, The Half-Blood Prince plays host to some of the series' most fun moments. These scenes remind the viewers of what's at stake in this war of good versus evil, and what Harry and his friends are fighting to protect. Of course, they also serve as entertainment and keep viewers rooting for the characters.

1. Harry's Most Dangerous Quest Yet

This is the first time Harry actually knows how to take Voldemort down. Prior to learning about the Horcruxes, all he could do was delay or disarm the Dark Lord, but with Slughorn's memories of Tom Riddle, Harry is the closest he's ever been to actually putting an end to the dark wizard's reign.

While Harry has embarked on a big quest in every film so far, this is the most dangerous one yet - by far. Previously, he has been aided by his friends or by Hogwarts itself. This time, he and Dumbledore don't know exactly what awaits them, and the darkness is more palpable than ever before - more so than in the graveyard where Voldemort returns in The Goblet of Fire. Without the theatrics of the Triwizard Tournament or the archetypal bad guys watching over Harry, the journey to find Voldemort's Horcrux is his most isolating one yet. The stakes are raised even higher, which is quite an achievement for a sixth installment in a series.