"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"
by: Paolo Sardinas

Now by the word "rising" there are three different things I mean by it. These three meaning are:

STORY: Remember nine or ten years ago when the first HP movie came out, Sorcerer's Stone? Cute little kids, with a more kid friendly and more fantastical story. Good intentions, but frankly it didn't turn out so well. The year after they release Chamber of Secrets. A much more darker and interesting addition to the series.

Then we got Prisoner of Azakaban and Goblet of Fire which, are in my opinion, the two best in the series. The movies begin to get more elaborate and well darker. Beginning with the third one. Then we receive Order of the Phoenix, which in my opinion wasn't anything grand but it did show how dark they could get in the series at that point.

Then lastly we have Half Blood Prince. One of the better additions to not only the series, but also to the summer in general. The story was brilliant and even thought it didn't include that many action scenes and eye candy, like the previous installments, it still manages to be one of the most entertaining yet.

Acting: The second use of rising is that these young stars are "rising" to become very good actors. When they first started out, I'm afraid, they weren't very good. But over the years they have really shown how much they have matured.

The key to the acting in the Potter films is the supporting group. Which in my opinion always steals the spotlight. You have great actors like Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, and the newest addition, Jim Broadbent. Which my opinion steals the whole movie.

HORMONES: My third and final use is hormones. Yes I know. But frankly this a big and important part of the Potter franchise. Their "growth" affects in every possible way. It not only affects their looks, but the way they perceive things and the decisions they make. And yes it of course affects their love life, but I'm not really going to get into that.

Finally, all three of these meanings can be used to describe not only the Half Blood Prince but also the series. It's adapting and changing, and really growing more and more complex as our child stars become not so childish. So basically if the movies to follow are as dark, complex, and entertaining as this one, well then keep em' coming guys. Keep em' coming. A-