A one off watch maybe....

Rating: 6/10 (19 November 2005)

I'd have to say, if you haven't read the book don't go and see it. It misses out so many crucial details that if you don't already know the story you will be completely lost and confused. New characters that are prominent in the book are given their own scene to be set up in honour of the original story but only appear for about 5 seconds in the rest of the film (Rita Skeeter as an example).
As in all the other Harry Potter films there are some incredibly cheesy lines that are cringe worthy and you feel really sorry for the actors who have to say them. The filmmakers should really have spent more time developing the characters of the actors who can actually act. Alan Rickman is sorely under-used, as is Robbie Coltrane and I don't think I even saw Julie Walters!
But after all that it is quite fun. Complete mindless tosh but it has some good lines. If you're a die-hard Harry Potter fan you may be disappointed because (unsurprisingly) there are many character and plot cuts, but if (like me) you think Potter is just a fun story, and not particularly a good book, then you'll have a laugh. Nothing too intellectually challenging or hard. But not a film you'd want to watch twice!