Magic

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2007)

I can still remember the thrill of reading my first Harry Potter book. I was slow starter - the first three books were already out by then. What made the books so enthralling was that the magic was presented matter-of-fact and without fanfare which made it at once seem all the more believable and more exciting. While I haven't disliked any of the films and actually enjoyed parts of all them, this is the first Harry Potter movie that made me feel the magic all over again. Yes, there will be a lot of complaints about what was left out, but what was put in was way more important. For the first time, parts of the film are actually subtle and give you pause for thought. A single glance conveys the information from many pages of text. The cast is as fine as usual, but Imelda Staunton (Delores Umbridge) is brilliant!