Finally an adaptation worthy of Rowling's name!

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2007)

Note: this review is for those who already read the book!
Being an avid fan of the books, I was extremely appalled and disgusted by "Goblet of Fire," a bit entertained by "Prisoner of Azkaban," and giggled at "Chamber" and "Stone." This, however, redeems Hollywood's greed, and is truly worthy to be attached to J.K. Rowling's name.
**Spoilers begin here** The movie begins with the dementors in Surrey, and everything is accurate (except that Harry's patronus didn't materialize - it was just a puff of smoke), right down to Mrs. Figg and the Order members coming to collect him on brooms. Number 12 Grimmauld Pl was a bit weird - I had pictured a mansion crammed inside the little gap between the houses, not a stretch/extension of an apartment building. Nevertheless, they got the creepiness of the Black house. Sirius and Harry's relationship was awesomely done; very caring and paternal. Unfortunately, neither Kreacher nor Dobby have any significant role in this movie, and now I'm particularly concerned as to how they'll convincingly explain the issue of the locket in "Hallows." The Wizengamut scene was done pretty well, and every single character (Fudge, Umbridge, Bones, Figgs, Potter and especially Dumbledore) were portrayed flawlessly.
The year at Hogwarts and Luna's introduction was very well made. The thestrals came right out of my imagination. A brief note should be added here that the actress who played Luna got her part down extremely well. It was the Luna we all had imagined.
The D.A. practices were done very well, and Staunton was a fabulous choice for Umbridge. Although she wasn't "toady" and fat the way Rowling had painted her for us, she still was extremely good and CREEPY. For those of you who want to see Fred & George's big fireworks bang, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! :D A note on Trelawney: in this movie, it is not clear whether she makes the prophecy, and Emma Thompson hardly has any playtime. Moreover, you never get to know that it was Snape who betrayed the Potters to Voldemort.
For those of you who wanted to see more of the ambiguity of James Potter's nature will be a wee bit disappointed, as Harry quickly finds out about the "Snivellus" incident when Snape's legillimency charm backfires when Harry blocks it. As such, the hatred between James and Severus isn't too well explored in this scene, but effective, nonetheless. Also, it is not Hannah Abbott (or whoever it was) who gives the D.A. away, it's Cho under Veritaserum.
Lastly, the battle at the Ministry of Magic was fantastic. The wand fight scenes were very well-choreographed, and Helena Bonham Carter was born to play Bellatrix Lestrange. Even Tonks, who barely had any screen time looked all bad ass. Although Sirius' death was completely different (Bella actually mutters the killing curse), it's quickly overshadowed by Dumbledore's and Voldemort's showdown. Even his possession of Harry was done extremely well, and in that scene, you finally get to see that Radcliffe can act.
Lastly, Grawp makes an appearance, Firenze and his dynamic with the centaurs isn't addressed, but it's an easily overlooked minor detail.
**Spoilers end here** In sum, there were changes, but they were so minor you can't really penalize the producers for it. Yates and Goldenberg did a fantastic job of capturing characters' meticulous details, i.e., Ginny's powerful hexes, Tonks' annoyance of her first name. The movie progressed so seamlessly, it was truly a worthy adaptation. Can't wait to see what Yates and Goldberg will do with "Prince"!