Disappointment for all die-hard Harry Potter fans

Rating: 5/10 (26 November 2005)

After the release of the latest Harry Potter movie, I anxiously awaited the day in which I would watch the 4th installment. I wisely decided to view this film on the weekend after its release, in fear the mob of Harry Potter fans flooding the theaters. After seeing this movie, a great sense of disappointment engulfed my heart. I, being one of those obsessive fans who annually re-read the series, was outraged because Mr. Newell simply did not do justice for the beloved book. It was quite obvious that the director was in a race against time to try and fit everything into the movie. It ran at such a fast pace that I could scarcely begin to enjoy one scene when it suddenly jumped to another. Also, I cannot begin to speak of the great irritation I felt every time a portion of the book was left out, mind you these were parts that I enjoyed. At the end of the movie I was just so greatly relieved that the agony was over.
The most odious part of this movie was the complete obliteration of scenes that I so dearly longed to see, such as: the Hagrid/Madam Maxine ordeal, Rita Skeeter's bigotry article, Harry's button attack at Ron, the capture of Rita Skeeter as a beetle, Sirius/Dumbledore/Harry discussion, and many more that I don't have time to list. And, to add insult to injury Mr. Newell completely rewrote a few scenes to accommodate the absence of others. So much was skipped that I do not know where to begin, but I was absolutely appalled at the incredibly brief participation of Sirius, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Malfoy, and other characters in the movie. Even more appalling was the complete absence of the Creevey brothers, Bertha Jorkins, Winky, Dobby, and Mr. Bagman - all of which played significant roles in the book.
In all honesty, I realize that Mr. Newell had a great amount of content to cover, and also I take into consideration that his film was completely under budget. However, it would have been a wise move for him to create two separate films instead of trying to fit all the action, adventure, romance, drama, and etc of a 734 page book into a 2+ hour film.
Overall, the movie was an incomplete summary and cannot even compare to the book. There were just too many scenes that lacked content and were merely "glossed over" with insufficient details that could not make them as interesting or adventurous as the scenes in the book. It was not an accurate adaptation and I highly recommend people to save their money, lest he/she would like to be deeply disappointed as I was. Mr. Newell left out the many small details that J.K. Rowling meticulously implements, and those details prove to be vital aspects of the book that make it so great and enchanting to the readers. There is much more that I would like to add however, my great anger and disappointment calls me to re-read the Goblet of Fire so that I may be left with the euphoric sensation that I did not receive after watching the movie.