The Good, The Bad, and the Harry

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2005)

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said about this movie? I guess I'll start off with the good stuff.
The Good- I really liked the advancement in acting that the central three showed in this movie. Yes, there were some cringe-worthy moments of which I won't get into, but for the most part I really liked them here. The special effects were nothing short of great (in particular the first task). Everything about them was outstanding and didn't look dated or fake. The revealing of the "bad" guy was effin great!! Some people didn't like the look but you know what? He is EXACTLY as I've pictured him for the years that I've read these books.
The Bad- Severely chopped story. Well, I guess I shouldn't complain too much because I knew that with time constraints we wouldn't be able to see the movie exactly how we would have wanted to but some of the stuff could have been put in to help a non-reader understand the plot. I had to explain a few things to my wife about the story just so she could have a general idea of what was going on. Not having Gary Oldman (Sirius) in this one was a huge letdown. He, in my opinion, is an integral part of Harry's life and not seeing some sort of family figure in this movie gave me the sense of basically a teen angst movie with some action put in just for good measure. Dumbledore's portrayal, in particular, I did not care for because he is also supposed to be sort of a father figure to Harry and I didn't feel that here. The lack of screen time for Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter) also perturbed me because I greatly enjoyed (hated) her character. And one last "minor" thing: Fleur is supposed to be very beautiful, almost ethereal and I didn't get that from Clemence. She is very purty, no doubt about that, but I wasn't in awe like the characters in the book , particularly Ron, were.
The Harry- Bad things aside, I thought that this was a pretty solid movie by Newell. The fact that they used the same "landscape" as Alfonso in POA was, in my opinion, a good factor. Newell definitely captured the British-ness (not a word, I know) of the novels. On its own, I felt that this movie was a 10, but as a book-reader I know better and decided to give it an 8 out of 10. This movie, despite its flaws, was extremely enjoyable and I can't wait until Order comes out.