Left wanting

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2005)

This is a good film. The problem is, it could have been a great film. Of the series to date this film above all fails to do justice to the magic of the book. There was simply too much there to cram into 157 minutes and while some may be convinced that you can strip away non essential plot lines, conversations and events, what you inevitably get is a frame without substance and feeling of frustration. Certainly the action scenes are very well done. Daniel Radcliffe handles a very difficult role with a maturity belying his age and Emma Watson is superb in the few scenes in which she is stretched. So why am i not raving about how brilliant this movie is? The truth is, that in making this movie the director has given us something to enjoy, but i can't help but feel sad for the pages we have lost.