Very good film for fans and readers - may not stand on its own

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2002)

I will approach this review in 2 stages: first to address the film and then to address some of the other reviews which I read before and after viewing the film.
For those who love Harry Potter, have read the books and/or like the first film, this is a good film. It is not as good as the first filme - I suspect, more due to the editing - the scenes sometimes jump in the storyline and missing information (which is in the book and not in the film) does not guide the viewer to full comprehension of the situation. However, it is very entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Harry Potter saga or has children of at least age 8. It is NOT a film for children of ages under 6 - but then in the USA, that makes little difference as I frequently see parents taking thier 10 year olds to see R rated films with violence, rated for 17 year old audiences.
A for the other reviewers - some of those reviewers have no business seeing the film in the first place. This film is targeted at the audience that the books are targeted at: children aged 7-14 or so. Do not expect this film to be on par with a 'lord of the rings' - if you are expecting this, well, then you are an idiot, plain and simple; use your brain. The story follows the books. The children read the books, then they watch the films and the plot MUST follow that of the books. The film-makers cannot deviate from the plot lines in the books - so for those who think the plot is not up to their standards - too bad, make your own movie. If they changed the plot to make it a more 'hollywood' exciting film, then they would seriously dissapoint and offend the primary audience, the children who have read the books. Many things from the books are missing - and those things may help the flow of the plot a bit - but then the film could be 15 minutes longer still. Some complain about the length- the film is NOT too long - in fact, it may be a few minutes short. It needs to be that long to tell the story. If you are an adult that went to see the movie for the hell of it - stop going to these films and why did you go in the first place. I don't go to disney animations for the same reason - I KNOW I will hate them from the outset and save myself the waste of time. Do not go to a movie that is destined to dissapoint you and then go and complain about the film being crap in some review - your standards are NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. For some reviewers, I think the material of the film offended them - get over it and get off of your high horse; we have no need for narrow minded twits in this world.
The film is an enjoyable adaptation of a fine piece of fantasy fiction from a childrens/young adult author. That is what one should expect when going to see this film and it delivers. It does well enough to apeal to this 34 year old adult with several university degrees and it will likewise appeal to an 8 year old. It is a good story and a step in a sequence of at least 5 films, we hope (to match the 5 books). This film is NOT a sequel to the first film, it is a film adaptation of the second book, and there is a difference.
All on its own, this film is not as good as the ticket sales will seem to suggest. However, to those who watch the first film, to those young at heart, or those who have read the books, it is a very good film and worth the price of admission.