Sitting on the fence

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2010)

The latest installment of the Harry Potter series has many good elements including cinematography and humorous moments but it feels as though the balance is off and often it can be seen as bland, boring, or out of place. There needs to be a balance on all sides and I found myself questioning whether or not it could be achieved.
I would like to begin with the review by talking about the acting. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley) have matured in front of the audience over the years. That, however, does not mean that they are exempt from criticism. At certain times they do give it their all and you can almost feel the passion that they are exerting. The next scene can be entirely different in that they seem like they want little to do with the film and are acting only so that they can move on. The marvel of cinema is that you are supposed to allow yourself to believe that these people are not actors; they are the characters that they portray. This is the first film that has fallen below the standards. In their defense though an actor is only as good as the script he is working with, leading me into the quality of the writing.
While not taken verbatim from the book there are a number of scenes that play out almost entirely like the original story. I understand that writers and directors add their personal artistic liberties and this is a movie that can do it well despite having to change details due to the errors of previous movies. I have heard other reviewers saying that this film is very close to the book. I can debate that as there were a decent number of elements/encounters/details that were completely overlooked. They did have the common sense to point out the inconsistencies on occasion (partially breaking the fourth wall). Still, the timing and pacing of the script felt either really rushed or too slow and/or unnecessary.
Next is the music. Unfortunately there is not much to say about it. This film seems to rely on the lack of music as a means to heighten tension or awkward feelings. While this technique has been used in other films successfully in the past Harry Potter has always been a series that uses a grand musical score to evoke emotions. This one, not so much.
Overall I am sitting on the fence for this film. The one suggestion I have is that if you are a Harry Potter fan then it is worth watching at least once. If you are a fan of the book, be warned that you should keep an open mind to the changes that have been made. It may make the difference between loving it or hating it.