entertaining, recommended, but lots of shortcomings

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2002)

I recommend the movie. I give it 8/10. However good an entertainment value it is (music, setting, special effects, excellent to adequate acting, etc.), it should not blind us to its shortcomings.
The scenes of any good movie should emphasize the main plot (the detective story - clues, red herrings, etc.) and the background, character and motivations of the characters. Some occasional comic relief might help.
The problem with this movie is that it is more like a variety show - a bunch of unrelated acts, acts that don't build on each other, that serve no purpose other than some quick entertainment, or inconsequential scenery (for example, showing what fun the school and magic are).
*****SPOILERS***********
I saw the movie twice. The second time, I took along a stopwatch and paper for notes. The movie without the end credits is 2 hours and 30 (or 3l) minutes long. The end credits are about 10 minutes. I figure that almost an hour of the movie didn't contribute to the main plot in any significant way. In the first 28 minutes of the movie (ending with Harry's arrival into the weeping willow tree) the only thing useful to the plot (and was not in the first movie) are two slight and brief scenes that could have (and were) duplicated/ explained later on -- Lucius' ranting about mudbloods and his putting (rather openly, it seemed to me) the diary into a student's bag. It took 41 minutes (from the start of the film) for the mystery to begin - Harry's hearing voices in the hallways.. .. The technically wonderful quidditch match was a waste, plot or background-wise; it took up 6 minutes or so. (A lot of critics have criticized the spider cave incident as a wrong turn that accomplished nothing (about 10 minutes), but every good story can have a red herring.) The following are some other incidents that did not contribute to character, background or detective plot: time with Harry's muggle family and the Weasleys, Dobby, Dalgon Alley (except for the two things mentioned above regarding Lucius), the missed train and the car rescues and the weeping willow, Gilderoy Lockhart's amusing doings, the wand duel with Draco, the screaming letter, screeching mandrakes, etc. What is ironic to me is that much of the time spent for the above cited unnecessary (though amusing) events could have been better used in elucidating the many puzzling and unexplained rushed aspects of the plot. How did Ron know Harry had to be rescued from the Dursley's? How did the car know to rescue Harry twice (from the train station and the spider cave)? Two unexplained bird rescues too. Why the whomping willow? What percent of the wizard kids and teachers were full blood wizards? Was Harry? How did Harry know to spike the diary at the end to defeat the bad guy? Maybe I was nodding off, but the entire diary thing passed me over - was rushed and unexplained. I would also like to know what rules Harry broke that such a big deal was made over at the end. And I don't see how Harry putting his own sock into the diary would free Dobby, especially since Lucius didn't give the diary to Dobby!
Daniel Radcliff's acting was disappointing to me. Two examples. In one scene (I forget where) when he was in the background and some characters in the foreground were talking, he had a vacant look and was gazing/thinking someplace else. Near the end when he said something like `Of course, phoenix's have healing powers,' he sounded so flat, as though he was reading the script.
Finally, the `great Harry Potter' didn't seem so great to me. He seemed clueless and hopeless most of the time. He had to be rescued by the car, needed Hermione for her spells and diary research, needed the diary to fall into his lap, had to be rescued twice by the birds and cars, and killed the snake without any magic, spells or thoughts, but by an old-fashioned simple sword thrust (And where did the sword come from? Another mysterious rescue!)!
I'll end with these short comments: (1) best actor and scenes, Kenneth Branagh; (2) cutest scene, Hermione showing disappointment when the exams were cancelled; (3) darkest most ungrateful scene (really), when Dobby and Harry ruined his uncle's important business dinner; (4) scariest moment for little kids - on opening day I was sitting on the aisle. Across from me I noticed a group of little girls (about 5 years old). A few rows back was the maid for one of the little girls. When the snake appeared the girl on the isle quickly shot up and raced to the maid and leapt into her lap. After the scene was over, she rejoined her friends; and (5) second best scene: Gilderoy, at the very end of the 10- minute end credits. Stick around.