Don't (re)read the book before

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2007)

This fifth installment of the Harry Potter series does not quite live up to the previous two. The longest book so far was condensed into the shortest movie. Although it does get the major story lines across, many liberties have been taken with the details. I re-read the book just before seeing the movie, and perhaps would not have noticed all these 'creative liberties', if I hadn't. Some details essential to the plot have just been scratched on the surface, and quite a bit was changed.
A lot of the 'minor' story lines add richness to the books, and that richness is missing from this movie.
That being said, I thought the acting was great. All of the young actors, especially Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, are coming into their own, and are really inhabiting their characters. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape is, as always, a pure delight, as is Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, and Jason Isaacs playing Lucius Malfoy. I hope they will shoot the next two movies quickly, otherwise the young actors will be too old to be believable.
Effects and camera are superb, although I liked the dementors better in the previous film. Most of the action, as in the book, is towards the end of the movie. There is a lot of character development before that, and because the movie doesn't and can't capture all that, it may be a bit slow to some viewers. Also, if you have not read the books, and/or have not seen the previous movies, you will be lost a bit, trying to figure out what's going on, since it is, after all, a continuing saga.
All in all, still worth seeing.