Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth film in the HP series. By the time the eighth and final film comes out the stars will be old enough to be cast in the remake of Trainspotting. The goody two-shoes footsteps they've been walking for the last decade must be getting tiresome. Goodness knows the film sure is long in the tooth.
HPATHBP plays out like a transition to the conclusion by setting up certain situations, introducing new characters, revealing nuances of existing characters and getting rid of at least one major player altogether. The production values are so top notch as to seamlessly meld reality with otherworldly magic.
The real charm belongs to the target audience (teens) who want to wallow in every growing pain and youthful challenge faced by Harry, siblings Tom and Ginny, and Hermione. It's all there, the darkness of impending adulthood all painted with epic strokes. For real adults the few joys that exist are in the all too brief appearances of the star studded supporting cast members. Timothy Spall literally bounces in and out of the film in less than a few seconds. A little longer on screen but still brief, Helena Bonham Carter has the hottest goth look ever and gives viewers the remote possibility she'll takes over the franchise as reigning Queen of the Darkside.
The Harry Potter films have become too comfortable in their length and girth to realize that at this stage of the game less is more.