Darkening but enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2010)

Things were dark in the HP universe for Harry right from the start: now they are starting to get darker for everyone else, too. Unfortunately the Minstry of Magic has ostrich syndrome and chooses to manifest this by installing the petty-minded bullying bureaucrat Dolores Umbrage in charge at Hogwarts.
Imelda Staunton's pitch-perfect portrayal of the odious Umbrage is one of the highlights of this movie (joined by Gary Olman's Sirius and Evanna Lynch's delightfully delirious Luna), although (as usual) all the support cast is excellent.
The film works as a coherent narrative telling its own story and carrying on the larger narrative (unlike its successor). And the climactic battle at the Ministry succeeds dramatically, visually and emotionally.
This is one of the better films in the series.