The movie was great, but the book was even better

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2005)

I just saw this movie tonight after months of anticipation, and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. So much of the book was left out and it really did make a difference. The way that things were skipped, it seemed to make the movie choppy in spots. I think that some things could have been left in, and made the movie even better than it was, even if it would have added another 30 minutes or so to the movie. An example would be Rita Skeever. In the book, she is a major character, and in the movie, she just seems to be a minor annoyance, so much more could have been done with the character, it was a bit of a letdown.
The Quidditch World Cup scenes were awesome, the cinematography was top-notch, and the scenes immediately following were appropriately frightening. I can certainly understand the PG-13 rating, there was a lot of violence and disturbing images. There was also a good dose of humor- Moaning Myrtle hitting on Harry was hilarious, and the twins taking bets on the Triwizard contestants was a typical Fred and George type of thing.
I would definitely recommend this movie to friends, but would also express my disappointment about the missing elements.