Starting strongly with the fantastic Star Trek, most of 2009’s blockbusters (Transformers, Wolverine, Terminator: Salvation) can be filed in the ‘good-but-not-great’ section. There is one mega-franchise left, however - the boy wizard himself, Harry Potter. Six films and over $4.5billion later, the series is almost a cinematic microcosm, with each film a huge success regardless of the competition. But will it prove the gem in an otherwise average summer?

It’s a new year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), and hormones are raging as Hermoine (Emma Watson) is filled with jealousy over Ron’s (Rupert Grint) new girlfriend, whilst Harry pines after Ron’s sister. Unfortunately, he also has a lot on his shoulders once again this year. Being proclaimed ‘the chosen one’ in the oncoming battle with the dark forces, he must look into the past of Lord Voldemort to find out as much as he can about his ultimate enemy. He is also given a heavily edited Hogwarts textbook, belonging to the ‘Half-Blood Prince’, which gives him access to very powerful and dark spells.

Bookworms may disagree, but on the whole the series has been a success in terms of quality. With the exception of a ho-hum second film, each film has had something in it’s favour; the first film had bags of charm, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Order of The Phoenix the delicious dark tone, Goblet of Fire the gob-smacking ending. Yates certainly keeps the quality level high, and the film is very well made. Comedy seems to be it’s biggest strength, the love triangles and Ron’s sudden popularity providing the funniest moments. The problem is, with the two previous having devastating moments, the story feels a little uneventful. The action is good, the script is good, but it lacks anything jaw-dropping. Huge sections of the book have been culled, and as such a main theme of the book (Harry looking into Voldemort’s past) becomes almost a sub-plot, with only two ‘flashback’ sequences in the film.

Yates benefits from a cast that is now very comfortable with their characters, bringing personality and depth to even some of the more background characters. The old-school Brit actors - Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore, Alan Rickman’s Snape - are as great as ever, and even supporting actors, such as the delightfully wacky Luna Lovegood and Helena Bonham Carter’s brilliantly evil Bellatrix Lestrange, are a delight. The main youngsters also develop, with Watson and Grint in particular providing more than the comic relief they once were. Radcliffe himself continues to be an engaging lead, but despite a big climax doesn’t get the chance to showcase his acting prowess as much as last time.

It doesn’t have the impact of previous films, but with such a sleek look and entertaining execution it should keep HP fans content at least, and sets up the two-part finale rather nicely.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is released in the UK on July 15.