Bruno v Harry Potter

Bruno v Harry Potter - which character's big screen adventure impresses?

Bruno and Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince are both in cinemas this weekend

It’s a mixed time at the cinema this weekend. On offer are two very different types of film.

Hard to miss, Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) has been frolicking around the world in a series of bizarre outfits, sprouting off offensive quotes to drum up publicity.

While anxious Harry Potter fans have been forced to wait for months after, a relatively unexplained, release pushback saw the film come out nearly 2 years after its predecessor – building the anticipation to near hysteria.

But which film deserves the hype?

While Bruno got there first, the film fails to live up to the hype. Following a near identical format to Borat, (Sacha's critically acclaimed previous film) Bruno sees gay fashionista Bruno attempt to become a star in America. While Borat seemed fresh and original, Bruno, at times, seems too similar and safe.

This being said, it does offer some genuinely funny moments and when it does manage to shock it shocks big-time! Just watching people's faces during the numerous explicit sexual scenes was worth the ticket alone.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, never fails to entertain. Magical and whimsical, The Half Blood Prince is, of course, a darker film, but what it manages to do is draw you into a strange world through familiar characters and situations, making the darkness feel all the more real.

As Harry, and the magical world, comes to terms with the return of Lord Voldermort, the students return to Hogwarts for a year of romance, fights and suspicion.

The film, at times, lacks the impending doom of the books and is decidedly low on action sequences - making it seem more of a set-up for the finale (which it was always intended to be). But with the closing scenes (and the death of a major character) all failings are forgotten as the tears begin to flow.

Harry Potter has the emotional pull lacking from Bruno's shock-fest and while both films are entertaining (and by no means perfect), it is Harry Potter who wins this round.

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince 4/5

Bruno – 3/5