An entertaining film

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2006)

Considering that the director had to remove a huge chunk of the back story in the book in order to fit all the important elements into the film, this film works surprisingly well. Some of the deletions, for example, the long-winded story of the missing witch, are probably an improvement, while others, such as scenes with Dobby and SPEW, are understandably not included. The story of Crouch and his son is greatly truncated but nevertheless well-done - particularly the scene where Barty Crouch suddenly realised who Moody actually is.
It is a fine entertaining film, as long as you don't expect great performances from the three teenagers. Some of the supporting cast, however, are wonderful, in particular Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson), and of course, Snape (Alan Rickman). Michael Gambon, however, is disappointing - Dumbledore simply isn't someone so excitable. Ralph Fiennes works well as Voldemort and I look forward to seeing him in the same role in future films.
This movie is an improvement on the first three. The three tasks are well-done and spectacular, in particular the Dragon chase and the underwater scene. The maze scene pales somewhat in comparison, but works fine within the film. The last scene is especially memorable, with the sinking ship and flying carriage, a touch of poetry that compares well with the best of Terry Gilliam such as the dream sequence in Brazil, the waltzing commuters in The Fisher King and dance with Venus in Baron Munchausen.
An enjoyable film for the whole family.