An Over The Top Extravaganza of Special Effects

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2002)

Okay, if you love Harry Potter nothing I say will matter. Speaking as a filmmaker, this is a film that exists to showcase the f/x. The actors, with the exception of the lead, are so far over the top to be laughable. Kids will probably love the film. Adults will find the 2:40 MTV pacing to be exhausting. This is probably the last of the Harry Potter films I will personally see, because there is tremendous pressure on Chris Columbus and the rest of the team to continually outdo the previous films. If the next one paces any faster, the result will be kinesthetic seizures. Sorry kids, but films are ultimately about acting and story. Special Effects are a wonderful enhancement, but otherwise they are like an orchestra that plays so loud, you can't hear the dialog. 4/10