Without Daniel Radcliffe, reach for the stars!

Rating: 5/10 (14 November 2002)

(probable spoilers ahead, so be warned)
I have said it once, and I'll say it a million times to convince people: Daniel Radcliffe is the worst thing that happened to Harry Potter.
He's bland, and unexpressive, and gives off the impression of being painfully stupid. During his little diary-writing session, WHY OH WHY did he have to speak it as he wrote it? The whole scene was so tedious and repetitive that I very nearly started snoring. Ugh
Of course, he wasn't helped by terrible, jerky scripting (who REALLY talks like that?) and clumsy directing, but as the leading character I would have expected something more than 'I think we found the train' said in a monotone.
His supporting actors are brilliant, almost without exception. Rupert Grint is precisely how I imagined Ron, and Emma Watson was equally convincing as Hermione. Although neither of them seemed to feature hugely in the film. The two of them have improved notably, although some of my friends are getting fed up with Rupert Grint's gormless expression. I also thought Tom Felton's performance as Draco was great, although his voice really did scare me at first!
If you look even further back into the maze that is Hogwarts, you will encounter the fantastic actors that are the professors. Maggie Smith is particularly impressive, a perfect MacGonagall. And Alan Rickman ... well, maybe I'm biased, but I love him a lot. And I think his Snape is wonderful, albeit a little concerned-looking. Although he was FAT!!!! Noooo ... Richard Harris was a excellent Dumbledore, if a little calculating, and the list goes on ... I was particularly impressed with the narcissicistic Kenneth Branagh as Lockhart - I can't imagine a more perfect portrayal! What I do want to know, though, is why all these incredible actors are demeaning themselves in a Harry Potter film when they could simply get together and make a much better film, possibly with a convincing main character?
Daniel Radcliffe, though, needs changing. I live in hope that he will decide he doesn't suit the role of Harry Potter (s**t a brick!), and hand the part over to a competent, expressive actor so we can watch the film with a straight face. And please, get rid of the cheesy grins.