Great film. But wow, is Gambon wrong for Dumbledore!

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2005)

Stunningly filmed, the latest Potter alternates between dark and light. the dark being a scary and forbidden sense of foreboding. The light being some really funny hormone driven teenage angst humour scenes.
A fairly faithful representation of the book. The screenwriters have decided to ignore completely the fairly large parts the House Elves (Dobby & Winky) played in the novel, probably because that may have aimed the movie at a younger audience than they wanted.
The cast, as ever, is well set. Mad Eye Moody is quite excellent. But there is one HUGE problem in amongst the casting.
I know Richard Harris is nigh on impossible to replace, and his natural successor Ian McKellern is already fully wizarded up as Gandalf, but surely the could find someone with more presence and who better portrays Dumbledores sense of Omnipotence than Michael Gambon. Gambon just cannot do Dumbledore. He does not carry enough of that special auror that Harris had.
I cannot wait for book 6 to hit the screens (OK, so I just ticked the spoiler box!!!) *-)