Very Disappointed

Rating: 3/10 (15 December 2005)

Having been an avid Harry Potter reader since I first picked up the books, I have to say that this movie was a disappointment. I realize that the movies are rarely accurate in comparison to the books, but my comments are less about accuracy and more about content and consistency. I'm not familiar with the director, but I found that the constant jumps from scene to scene were difficult to follow, and the characters were not as fully developed as in previous pictures. This director seems to have focused almost entirely on special effects; and while the effects where dazzling, they weren't enough to carry the story. I was also disappointed that once again the managers of the film chose to follow the "time rule" that is commonly used in the film industry today. The "time rule" allows for films to be no shorter than 60 minutes, and no longer than 3 hours. In the past, films have been allowed more time (Gone With the Wind was 3hrs. 42min.; Schindler's List was 3hrs. 15min.). Given the fact that the book was twice the (until then) usual length, the movie should have been allowed more time to flesh out the story and characters. I currently wait anxiously for the final book in the series, and only cautiously for the next film.