What Was Done, Was Done Well, But HP5 Does Not Even BEGIN To Live Up To Its Potential!!

Rating: 6/10 (24 July 2007)

I wanted to love it. I have anticipated this movie for several years, now, but I have to say I was terribly disappointed by this installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise. This was one rich novel, and one horribly chopped-up film! It's almost as if the director was handed a few sequences and told, "Make a movie," and the remaining 2/3 of the book were left unattended.
If you have no emotional investment in the franchise, and are simply a fan of the movies and not the novels, then this movie will be adequate in propelling the story into the next installment.
If you ARE a fan of the books; however, you will discover that 3/4 of the work is left to the book! This work is nothing more than a shadow of its literary self.
While the children are growing into fine young adults, and their performances are growing with them, the peripheral characters in this chapter are nothing better than lackluster, at best. As far as the kids go, I do have to interject that Dan Radcliffe has grown exponentially as an actor. He will have a brilliant career ahead of him, should he decide to follow this course. I can't wait to see where life leads him once the HP series is done and done. Emma's performances have grown over the years, as well. She seems more comfortable within her own skin, as Hermione, and Rup is growing up nicely. Dan, the world is your plum...just reach out and pluck it.
Bonnie Wright just can't seem to get a handle on Ginny Weasley. Her weak portrayal seems to make Ginny's character more and more superfluous, installment by installment. If it weren't for the known storyline and her momentary importance therein, I would say the movies would be better without her. Her performances when she was younger, were more convincing and felt more real.
Matthew Lewis is adequate as Neville. Frankly, I can't imagine anyone else who could portray the vacant look, wordless emoting, and complete lack of charisma any better than Matthew Lewis. If he didn't have at least SOME bearing on the outcome of Book 7, we don't seem to need his character, either. His character's presence and on screen time seem to be dwindling, rather than building; contrary to the books. Hopefully, if/when the time comes, he will be able to draw upon his experience as a child actor and enunciate around those prosthetic teeth! You can barely make out what he says! I'm also hoping he gets a grip on those bug eyes, and finds the ability to rise to the occasion, because in my opinion, he was much better an actor, when he was a younger boy. The "actor" he is now seems to be utterly out of place on the screen.
Regrettably, Tom Felton had VERY little screen time, and I can't say I remember a single line, if he even had one. Evanna Lynch, on the other hand, had plenty of lines, lots of charm, and nailed Luna Lovegood's character quite well. Here's hoping she can keep up the pretense, long enough to finish out the necessity of her character.
The Phelps twins got their shining moment, though not AS shining as one might expect due to the plethora of huge plot elements, etc. which were omitted, but it was adequate in its portrayal of the general feeling in Hogwarts at the time, though it did lack something, merely due to the writing, and in no way due to the twins themselves. They were awesome, as usual.
I hope the next screenplay includes their presence, as the book did. Maggie Smith's screen time (as compared to her character's word time in the novel) was significantly less than what I felt it should have been. The best scene of the SERIES involving Minerva McGonagal was LEFT OUT/CUT! But okay. They "had" to do that due to screen time obligations and contractual stipulations. I know. I know.
All in all, it was the hatchet job done on this work that brings it down in my opinion. Performance -wise, you'll get about what we've come to expect from most everyone but the trio who are improved, installment by installment. Otherwise, the enjoyment factor was lessened by a lack of continuity, and the adaptational quality was zilch.
Inconceivably, this installment enjoys a box office gross second only to the initial installment! Just goes to show you how few people read, and how there's no accounting for taste. Read the book. You'll enjoy that immensely more than this film editor's wet dream.
ALTHOUGH, what it DID show, it showed well.
It rates a 5.5/10 from...
the Fiend :.