A hurried, dark, loveless affair

Rating: Null/10 (17 December 2007)

Despite the hysterical protests of Harry Potter fans who seem willing to accept anything Hollywood dishes out, OotP is such a poor serving it wouldn't give anyone enough soulful nourishment to make even a wispy patronus. As one of the most important books in the series, OotP has to bring the movie audience along with Harry and his friends as they finally start to take a more adult portion of life. Unfortunately most these elements are left out and the three friends' time together seems uncomfortable and disconnected for the first time in the film series. The director's shallow emphasis on 'darkness'' totally misses the point of this film, which is Harry fighting his feelings of isolation, vulnerability and guilt as he begins to access Voldemort's thoughts and feelings. And it is Harry's developing sense of leadership as he takes on the mantle of the number one foe of Voldemort. I first saw the film in IMAX and the 3D sequence was dazzling, but when watching the film on the small screen, one misses the human moments which make up the core of the Potter stories. One also misses the sense of wonder the first films managed to convey. As a fan of the books, some compromise is needed in order to enjoy the films because so much is left out, but this time the journey seems not worth the effort. I'd give this film a 6 out of 10.