Half Blood Prince is a step backwards. The acting from the three main stars continues to improve but it's the screenplay in this one that's the problem. There's little character development and even less in the way of action. Even the dramatic ending is devoid of any real emotional impact. This is a film that, like the novel, needed to exist on the strength of it's characters interactions and emotions. While the actors do their best, there's just too little in this script for them to work with. What we are left with is a film that feels like a book mark, simply holding us over for the final two installments. It's not a bad movie, but in the end you are left with the feeling that nothing much really happened.