A few jarring moments

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2008)

After the theatrical viewing: Wow, the production hit the highlights, though severe pruning remained obvious and, in places, greatly disappointing. The big battle scene was impressive, though impossible to follow who was fighting whom. Couldn't wait for the DVD to rewatch that scene.
Alas, even in slow motion the tiny figures are mostly indiscernible between the black and white whooshing around and the fast cuts. And the other disappointments become glaring.
The noncanon bits of "atmosphere" -- sugar spooned into cup, overlong closeup; portraits tipped out of paintings; pounding decrees into the castle wall -- even more so on repeated viewing feel as if they steal time better occupied by other missing moments, such as Molly's boggart or the brooms being impounded, or by fleshing out the twins' bits, which are astonishingly anemic.
Imelda was truly inspired casting, but OotP is her film at the expense of everyone and everything else, which is a shame. Yates goes too far in having McGonagall cowed as well, with the ham-fisted (and frankly, insulting) stair-stepping oneupsmanship about "loyalty." He already had Sybil Trelawney to cow to his heart's content (and Hagrid, though Hagrid was largely overlooked, too). McGonagall never caved to that woman, an inspiration sorely lacking in the film, where most of the adult roles are reduced to caricatures.
Gambon does well as an aloof Dumbledore, especially his exit with style, though his final sentiments almost prove too hard to swallow.
One uncomfortable gaff was using levicorpus in D.A. sessions. Though seen in memory, the jinx isn't introduced until HBP. The spell's execution is also off (a floaty levitating body, rather than a nonverbal wrenching of someone into the air), but that's a quibble.
Another quibble is where the effects work goes inconsistently thin. Hagrid in the forest and Mad-Eye in the photo spring to mind.
There's a lot of "floaty" going around OotP (particularly obvious was Sirius's bit about being "a good person"). There is enough atmosphere and plenty of inspirational lines within the texts as written for the director to pick something else; attempts to invent more, while cute once, fall flat and have as much perseverance as candyfloss.
Here's hoping Yates does better with the content as well as the flash in HBP, slowing down the action just a *tad* for comprehension and serving the story. And if not, here's hoping he's replaced for DH.