Best of the lot...so far

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2005)

This is -- IMHO -- the best of the series so far.
While much will be made of the "darkness" of this film, it must be remembered that the characters are growing up as is the audience for them. There are a few levitation scenes (those 'boo' scenes that make the audience levitate 6-12 inches off their seats), and there is a tad more violence. Fortunately, these scenes are frequently leavened by humorous scenes and/or bits which take the edge off. Still, I would no more take a child under 8 to see this film than I would read them the book it came from.
Speaking of the book, the director did a great job compressing 700+ pages into 2 1/2 hours. Regrettably some material had to be deeply abbreviated (such as the Quiddich World Cup subplot) or jettisoned entirely as was the subplot involving Hermione trying to 'save' the 'poor, oppressed' house-elf workforce of Hogwarts. No Dobby this time.
Another area that bothered some, but not me, was the snarkyness of Harry and Ron. It must be remembered that they are going through puberty at this time and subject to typical young male adolescent behaviors. Kids get sullen, snarky, and their hormones run absolutely amok. Those of us who still recall that we were once that age can relate, as did several 15 year olds I overheard chatting after the film.
The only thing I was less than pleased with was Michael Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore. He has an unfortunate tendency to chew the scenery ... a lot. His overreaction to Harry's name being selected by the Goblet was way over the top. The producers would do well to look for a Dumbledore more like the late, much lamented Richard Harris. I suggest Peter O'Toole.
All things considered, however, the film ran well, with few, if any pacing problems and left the audience moved and looking forward to the next episode.