I never thought I would say this...

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2005)

The Acting saved this movie. As an avid fan of the books and the previous movies I've always had my complaints about the movies. I was particularly concerend about this movie because there was so much material and so many subplots that all seemed relevant that I wondered how it would be done. I agree with the fact that making two movies probably would have cost too much and may have ruined the series (ala matrix) BUT there were a few key details that were integral to the next book that were left out. Without going too much into that, its evident that the acting of the 3 main stars has vastly improved and to be quiet honest this movie would have failed without them. If you watch the movie from the beginning you can see that not only have the characters developed but so have the actors. Their working with very limited material and they do a heck of a good job. I will not say too much of the directing because the previous two directors took many liberties and Mike Newell is no exception. To be quite honest I think it lived up to my expectations and not more. If we want to go into technicality I would give it an 8.7/10 but its just easier to round up.