Not the best, but definitely not the worst

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2007)

As a foreword, I'll say that this is definitely one of my least favorite out of the seven books. No question about it. However, as far as film-making goes, Yates managed to put it in at least a somewhat tolerable light.
The film concentrates on Harry's isolation as he and his group of friends - and later on, his Army - are ridiculed for even suggesting that the dark lord Voldemort has returned to power from what seems like death. The Ministry of Magic has deemed him nearly a threat to national security and has started running a smear campaign against him and his idol, Albus Dumbledore. However, looming over all of this is the fact that Voldemort *is* still alive and that he is trying to kill Harry, but for a reason that few people know or understand.
The movie manages to omit nearly half of the book, but does so in a way that makes it proceed with grace instead of clumsiness. The tone of the movie is considerably darker than most of its predecessors (the notable exception being Alfonso Cuaron's Azkaban) but brings a new dimension to the films. The musical score gives a gentle but powerful feel to the film for the viewer. Harry's character is moderately more three-dimensional than his performances in Goblet, and seems to take the screen time at face value and perform accordingly. A few of the more minor characters are given their due, including Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley. This is all, however, at the cost of the development for Ron, who seems to have been relegated to a humorous sidekick role rather than Harry's most trusted friend and confidante. Emma Watson as Hermione seems to fill the role somewhat but it doesn't bring about the feeling of compatriot-ship that Harry and Ron share.
The biggest flaw is Michael Gambon's portrayal of Albus Dumbledore. As a self-professed disliker of Gambon's performance from the start, I will admit that his performance was marginally better than that of Goblet (throwing Harry against the trophy cases killed that one for me) but he eschews the book's serene, majestic Dumbledore for that of a Gandalf in Harry Potter's world - that too, an angry Gandalf. In fact I have no doubt Ian McKellan would have fit into the role with much greater ease. Gambon doesn't deny these allegations - he admits having never read the Potter books - but scenes which would have been pivotal in defining the audience's view of the headmaster, such as his meeting with Harry after Sirius's death, and his explanation of the prophecy, were completely botched. Gambon simply doesn't fit into the mold, and viewers can recognize it.
Other than that, Fiennes' Voldemort and Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange were fantastic additions. Jason Isaac's Lucius Malfoy was no less well scripted. A must-see for a Potter fan.