Not a great movie.

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2005)

I just got back, from the theater an hour ago, and I can't stop thinking about how this movie let me down. First off, let me say that from a chaste movie only stand point, this movie would appear much inferior than to someone who have read the book. It is almost a prerequisite to read the book and exercise the movie more as visual companion. There are numerous plot holes, inadequate story telling and the pacing was horrendous.
That brings me to the second point I would like to make, the pacing. The first 45 minutes of this movie is crammed with entirely too much information. It is as though the creators wanted to stuff as much information that was in any one of the three previous movies into that first 45 minutes. Then after what they made the first major action sequence in the film, it slows to what seems like a snails tempo. I say they made because there where numerous other parts in the book that were skimmed over. As for this period in the film, it was the most enjoyable. Much more of the story was developed and the actors themselves were furnished with a chance to shine. This built up to the second major action sequence and from this point on the movie once again moves at a rapid pace. The brake between the second and third action sequence may be 10 minutes at most. Once this is under way the movie is over quicker than it needed to be.
The big question I am sure everyone wants to know however is did the movie hold up to the books? It short, not at all. If you take the book and cut out all sub-plots, most of the foreshadowing for future incarnations and limit the characters outside of the major story to as little screen time as possible (many times not even that) you get what this movie turn out to be.
The last item I would like to bring up is cinematography. This movie, like the last, is very dark and gloomy. This works well until major action on the screen begins, and then it just becomes a blurred mess. Much of the movie's key scenes were hard to see and often it seems like the special effects were often substituted for these burred scenes of confusion.
In closing I know that this movie is going to have a huge backing no matter what happens in the movie. I also know that many critics have already given this movie their blessing. That being said, as a Harry Potter fan (both of all six books and the first and third movies) I will state this is not a great movie. It should have been broken into two separate movies and given the proper amount of screen time to present this narrative.
(Also note that this is NOT a movie for young children, parents should heed the PG-13 rating.)