After much anticipation, I finally got to watch the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, last Tuesday. Many say this is the darkest movie of the series so far, and I can’t help but agree. Gone are the days of child-like innocence. No more childish “play-magic”, which is now replaced by dark spells and potions (such as those named “living death” ).

On a slightly lighter note, the kids have all grown up to beautiful young men and women. So naturally, amidst add that teenage angst, is romantic feelings beginning to sprout. It is obvious in this movie that love is in the air. The youngsters begin to pair up, and I’m are still left wondering why Harry and Hermione are not an item. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Steven Greydanus of DecentFilms.com shares my sentiments too.

Heck, I’m not sure I buy Harry not taking a pass at Hermione (or at least thinking about it) while their respective romantic interests are both snogging others, with her vulnerable and them both available.

Voldemort does not appear as Voldemort per se in this movie. Instead, we get a peek into his younger days as Tom Riddle. And we see hints leading to the next book in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

One particular theme of this movie that struck me deeply was Dumbledore telling Harry that “he’s older and less important“. That had me squirming in my seat. The ending in particular, hinted at euthanasia or mercy killing. I didn’t like it.

Overall, this is more of a linker between the previous Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the next book. I personally preferred Order of the Phoenix. This one is a little too dark for my liking. particularly the ending. Looking forward to the first of the 2-part Deathly Hallows movie that’s tentatively coming next year.

Meanwhile, I’ll like to point you to a very well-written article I read on CatholicExchange.com, titled Harry Potter and the Terrifying Order to Obey.

First of all, I must admit.. I’m not a Trekkie. I only have vague memories of watching the series on TV with my dad, who was quite the sci-fi geek in the family. (Dad loved watching Star Wars, Star Trek and Babylon 5, while mom and I would rather he turned in early so we could catch up with the Hong Kong dramas that was on the other channel ) I don’t remember any of the punchlines or quotes from the series. All I remember was the pointy-eared commander, whom I later learned was Spock.

However, it turns out that most of online friends are avid fans of the franchise, just like my dad. So if I wanted to counted among the “in” kids, I better start gaining some “Trek cred” now. Besides, all the reviews that I’ve so far on this latest installment has been highly positive. Plus there was the cute Zachery Quinto (who plays my favorite villian, Sylar in my favorite TV series Heroes) taking up the role of Spock.

So I woke up bright and early to catch the 10:30am show at a cineplex in town. There was only 1 word to describe the experience.. AWESOME!!!!

The visuals and special effects were STUNNING! The dialogue was witty and humorous. Quinto was a joy to watch, as was Chris Pine, who plays James T. Kirk. I also found Anton Yelchin’s role as the Pavel Chekov very amusing. The final battle between USS Enterprise and the Narada kept me at the edge of my seat. Well done, J. J. Abrams and team!

Overall, this was a truly enjoyable movie, even for someone like me who has practically zero background on “Trek history“.  A must watch, whether you’re a Trekkie or not! If only dad was still around to enjoy this with me.