Very Enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2007)

I am a HUGE fan of the books, which can either be a good or bad thing when it comes to the movies.
Now, I am going to be a bit critical, but not because it's a bad movie. Just expressing some of my frustrations with it.
It is always very interesting to see a movie of a book you have read, just to see how each scene and character is adapted and see it played out as it did in your head. That is the fun part. But it can also be frustrating when the movie leaves out a lot of the plot. In this particular movie, some big plot points and even a few characters that have crucial parts in the books are left out.
That said, it was still a wonderful movie. I think people could enjoy this whether they have read the book or not. It explains everything it needs to in order for the viewer to understand what is going on and has a fast pace. This is also much more engaging than the last ones, some of the scenes are just fantastic.
The acting is great and it is so fun to see all of the characters grow up.
But just a few points of the movie that weren't my favorite: 1) It seemed a little "dark" to me. Not the story, because I know the story is supposed to be dark, but actually just the lighting and the filming. Sometimes it was just to hard to see stuff, and was kind of depressing.
2) I didn't like that they don't develop the character of Harry as much as they do in the book. I wish they could have a way of showing what he is thinking. To me, it kind of seemed like he was just this happy-go-lucky guy for most of the movie, just smiling and having some fun. But this isn't how it is in the book at all. Harry is a very troubled character, and I wish they could show this in the movie better.
3) Dumbledore is not at all how he is in the book. In the book Dumbledore is a very calm wizard and never raises his voice or anything, but several times in the movie he yells and even grabs and shakes Harry. It is just so completely opposite of the character in the book.
But really, despite my frustrations it is an amazing movie and certainly worth watching.