Somebody slap the director!

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 2004)

Warning: This may contain Spoilers
I have mixed feelings about this movie, but I do know one thing. Chris Columbus likes his Quidditch waaaaaaay too much. Apart from that, (and the script, it's hardly improved from the last film) the film is pretty good. I made the mistake of using it as a book substitute while re-reading the series, as I had copies of all the others at hand, but not this one, and we had it on video, so I decided to watch the film instead of reading the book.
BIG mistake. The film was switched off in disgust before Gilderoy Lockhart's first lesson. It made me realize, compared to the books, the films are as flat as steam rollered pancake.
The acting is still good, despite the miserable script. The anonymous children making comments, and pointing out back characters make me want to puke, and I cringe every time it happens, also, the bit with Hermione saving the day from the pixies, slightly amusing, but why didn't she just do that in the first place? Hermione's good, but not that good. (Yet)
I'm glad Chris Columbus has packed in the directing, because so far, all I've seen him do is sacrifice valuable plot pieces to squeeze in intricate Quidditch scene's that never happened. I mean, that bit under the stadium chasing the snitch, it was ridiculous. The whole tension build up, it's pointless, we've seen it all before, change the record! Going for the shorter, snappier ending to the match that happens in the book would have made the film more effective in my point of view. Also, do you know what happens when that number of supports are smashed to pieces? The stadium falls down!
It does.