Extended clip from the Half-Blood Prince

Early word says Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may well be the best of the series so far. I used to wonder why the frequent change in direction with various directors in the beginning has now settled in on David Yates for the final four installments. Maybe it’s thought that he strikes the best balance between expectation and departure from the source. Maybe the consistency is meant to steady the helm on the last leg of the journey to ensure no unfortunate accidents occur to throw things off course in the final stretch. Maybe it’s to provide an indelible stamp of auteurship to ultimately give the franchise the same sense of sovereignty Nolan has over Batman and Jackson has over the Rings trilogy. Whatever the reasons, while the tag-team handoffs in the early episodes came with their own exciting set of unknowns, it’s nice to feel we’re in good hands with Yates, isn’t it?

[UPDATE: Ryan Griffin points out that there’s another good extended clip on trailer addict too, so I’ve imported it after the cut.]