An emperor without clothes

Rating: 6/10 (22 November 2005)

The new Harry Potter movie is entertaining and has the basic elements of it's predecessors that entertain, but it bogs down in the middle and ultimately sags under it's own weight. While the plot is interesting, the movie suffers from the same affliction that "Lord of the Rings" developed, namely an over-reliance on prolonged action sequences and special effects. It is worth the price of admission to see it in the theater for the special effects, but it is an emperor without clothes and does not live up to the pre-release hype. If you want to see a true piece of cinema verite with a tight script and excellent acting without the need to rely on computer-generated graphics, go see "Goodnight and Good Luck."