As the series grow darker, Harry grows older, and in this new installment, adaptation is nicely done but lame visuals.

Rating: 5/10 (11 July 2007)

As a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I can't help but say I left the movie feeling a little disappointed. No, it was not because of the cut scenes that were in the book, but the visuals itself was bad. Acting, I was impressed with. Imelda Stauton as Dolores Umbridge was wicked, and she added a bit of light humor to the dark movie. Evanna Lynch, her first on-screen performance, does a truly believable job as Luna Lovegood, balancing well with her bizarre ways and her light-hearted ways. Helena Bonham Carter, as the psycho Bellatrix Lestrange, proves that she had fun portraying an evil person. Despite her short time on-screen, she leaves us with a haunting effect. The story, I'm not complaining. It was well paced, (not fast nor slow)and I enjoyed the tender moments between Harry and Sirius. The screenplay did not take us right into the action, but had built the momentum for the final sequence. I'm not going to reveal anything, but the final sequence (included scenes with Voldemort vs. Dumbledore, and the gang in the Hall of Prophecy) was visually and actively stunning, but I wished the action was a tad bit longer. The part of the screenplay that disappointed me was Harry venturing through Snapes' mind, where we see a brief look at James Potter, Harry's father, which not well shot at all. Now, the visuals. The howler/envelope at the beginning for Harry, telling him he had done underage magic in the presence of a Muggle, was the fakest thing I had ever saw. The howler looked like it had come out a Blue Clues show, for it was so... aminated, so unrealistic. I remember being so distracted by the fake thing I even didn't hear what it said. Next, the giant, another fake-ish creature in the movie, I mean, seriously, it looked like it was plucked out of a cartoon show. And the centaurs, you know what, let's not get started on that one. Warner Bros. is an extremely successful movie company, and a lot of money went into this movie, and yet they provide us with sloppy CGI. On the other hand, the thestral were impressive, not what I had pictured at all, but will do. The scenes with Harry teaching the DA was well done, to my relief. It had humor, ambition, visually stunning spells, and us viewing Harry maturing as he teaches others. Despite sloppy scenes and visuals, I did sort of like this movie, for its darkness, for the final sequence, for Imelda Stauton, Evanna Lynch and Helena Bonham Carter, and for its steady pace.