Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (25 November 2005)

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. The other movies have been great, and very true to the books. My favorite is Prisoner of Azkaban. This movie was a decent movie if seen in comparison to a generic action movie, but for a Harry Potter movie it was disappointing.
I think Newell fell in love with special effects. He spend a lot of time on special effects scenes that did not deserve it. For instance he made a huge scene when Harry has to compete against the dragon, and it drags out. Sure its scary. Sure its cool special effects. But there are no character developments, its a cheap thrill.
In comparison the end scene when Harry meets Voldemort is rushed through. This scene really should be an emotional high point. Heart wrenching and scary. Harry gets to see his friend killed, and he is part of the reason that Voldemort can come back at all. Finally he gets to interact with the ghosts of his parents. All these things are rushed through, and not emphasized nearly enough. The dragon scene was longer than this scene.
Finally - Hermione, smart, gutsy Hermione is relegated to a much too small role in this movie. She is also given a very girly girl role.
Harry Potter is supposed to be character driven - not driven by cheap action thrills and special effects.