Great movie, but tell Hermione to calm down...

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2005)

Overall I enjoyed this installment of the Harry Potter series and I agree that it is the best so far. There were some aspects of this film that I took issue with however, although I will openly admit that I am an avid fan of the book and therefore I realize that I might be more critical than the average viewer.
First, the positive: The visual direction is superb. The screenwriter did an excellent job of condensing such an extremely long book while keeping true to the integrity of the story. While I felt the previous movie lacked faith in the viewer and gave way too much away (thereby spoiling the ending) this movie in contrast made necessary story adjustments but skillfully kept the suspense the book had. Ralph Finnes was extraordinary as Voldemort, and Rupurt Grint is, by far, my favorite of all the regular characters in the movies. He has made the transition from innocent child to angry teenager so smoothly and his portrayal of the character was spot on. The same goes for James and Oliver Phelps, and Daniel Radcliff. All of the new actors in this movie were phenomenal.
The negative: Emma Watson's Hermione seemed to be on the brink of an emotional breakdown in every single scene she appeared in. She cycles from hysterical to belligerent then back to hysterical continually throughout the movie. Aside from the fact that this is opposite of the book's portrayal of the usually level-headed Hermione, it is annoying to the point that I found myself hating her character. Another issue I had was with the portrayal of Dumbledore. In this movie he strikes me as an angry, weak, and desperate old man. From slamming Harry into the trophies, to pitifully lamenting that he sensed something was wrong but couldn't figure out what was going on, Dumbledore's character lacked the transcendent wisdom that made him such a powerful character in the book. I hope these two elements are fixed in the next book.