Riddikulus

Rating: 2/10 (11 July 2007)

I feel cheated. I really do. Too much omitted this time.
WARNING: DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE or READ THE BOOK.
Firstly, Harry stabbed the dementor in the eye with his wand! What?! Secondly, did anyone find Kingsley Shacklebolt's hat mildly unnecessary? Just asking. Then, there's the complete omission of Hermoine's and Ron's elevation to prefect, AND of Harry becoming captain of the Quidditch team. In fact, there was no Quidditch at all. Frowny faces abound. They skipped the visit to St. Mungo's, and it would've been funny to see Gilderoy Lockhart again. It also seemed like the Weasley brothers' grand exit was stolen from them. The fireworks were cool, but there was none of the flair, there was no speech, and there was (yet again) no Peeves. Sad times. And then, despite all these omissions, they find time to have a scene of everyone from the DA in detention writing lines with blood-ink quills, which never even happens in the book. Booo. However, through all this, there was one glimmer of hope: The fight in the Ministry. "The battle at the Ministry will make it all better," I said to myself. Not so! I mean, sure, it was good looking, but the entire Hall of Prophecy collapsing? Surely the shelves in that kind of room are sturdier than that. The distinct lack of almost ALL of the Department of Mysteries? Where was the brain room? Where was the hummingbird in the hourglass? And most importantly, where was the prophecy?! We get a snippet of it, but it comes out before the thing even breaks. And now we come to the saddest part: Sirius's death. (I told you, you shouldn't be reading if you haven't seen/read it already.) It was definitely as sad as it should've been, but it wasn't nearly as abrupt as it was in the book. It's shocking because of its suddenness. It becomes more real that way; it shocks the reader as much as it does Harry. It just didn't seem jarring enough. Also, the young wizards were casting nonverbally, which will (presumably) create confusion when Harry duels Snape in Half-Blood Prince. Oh, and the Priori Incantatum thing with Voldemort and Dumbledore? What?
I will say that Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange were perfect for their roles, and the thestrals were very cool. The acting was all extremely well done, the content just left a lot to be desired.
But what do I know? It's hard to write movies. I just wish the film has included more of the important, meaningful content.