Very well adapted!

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2010)

A very nicely executed film, remaining true to the book where possible- although changes made from the book were usually for the best to work on film- such as the limited use of Polyjuice Potion in the film, purely because it doesn't work on-screen very well. The use of Hedwig as the trigger for Voldemort's appearance was a much more successful way than the use of a spell. Much comedy was used throughout- but mainly from Ron or Dobby, who dominated every scene he appeared in (adding much needed tension relief to the plot). Steve Kloves has adapted a much more down-to-earth feel to the Harry Potter franchise in his screen-play of the book, but could be argued that it has lost some of its younger audiences due to heavy underlying issues and complicated plot, which can be hard to follow if you haven't read the book. Saying that, they did cut lots of the unnecessary sub-plots that are in the book, but fans may miss some of these 'meaningful' moments from the it.
In conclusion, the film was very successful in adapting the book to film- especially with its superb performances from Bill Nighy and Ralph Fiennes- whilst adding its own elements to enrich the story. A must see film!