Ridiculously overrated crap

Rating: 4/10 (23 November 2005)

Rating this or any other Potter movie thus far an 8 out of 10 can be described only as irrational hysteria. Every one of these movies suffers from a confused and flippant narrative structure bordering on the incoherent. I realize there is a larger and more detailed back-story in the books, but the movies should work on their own, and I don't think they do. They comprise, at best, mediocre (if often visually spectacular) fantasy adventures for children, executed in a manipulative and commercial style. If you want good, all-ages fantasy, see The 10th Kingdom.
Specifically, I thought Harry Potter 4 was pretty much identical in quality (or lack thereof) to the previous three movies. I was left unmoved by all four movies, finding only Kenneth Branagh's "Magical Me" character in the second movie to be amused about. I have rated every Potter movie a 4 out of 10, which amounts to just below mediocrity. There is nothing in these movies I can take seriously, much less be enthused about, and with such boring stories, no amount of great special effects can make any real difference.