The best Harry Potter movie to date

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2007)

Even though this movie doesn't follow the book exactly and doesn't contain all the plot lines that the book does, it still is my favorite Harry Potter movie to date. David Yates definitely did a great job with capturing the tone and the spirit of the fifth Harry Potter book (which happened to be one of my favorites in the series), and Dan, Emma, and Rupert's acting just continues to improve. Dan especially shone in this movie, displaying Harry's complex emotions and his relationship with Sirius perfectly. Rupert's acting caught me off guard with how good it was as well- his scenes really showed that there's more to Ron than just the comic relief he's served so far in the movies. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD--- The scene in the Ministry of Magic where Harry is possessed by Voldemort was, by far, one of the best in the movie. I personally liked that scene more in the movie than I did in the book- but that's just my opinion, of course. Also, the kiss scene was excellent and followed the book perfectly, and the scene following it in the Gryffindor common room was absolutely hilarious. --END SPOILERS
The soundtrack to this movie absolutely blew me away; I thought it was even better than- dare I say it?- John Williams' compositions for the first three films. Nicholas Hooper's compositions seemed to perfectly possess the magical yet dark characteristics of the movie. The special effects were amazing as well- the thestrals looked almost exactly as how I had pictured them in the books, and the scenes of them flying over London were excellent. Do I hear another special effects Oscar nomination for the film?
Basically, if you're not one of those people who insists on the movies following the books exactly, you should like this movie. I laughed, I cried, I sat on the edge of my seat with anticipation (even though I knew what was going to happen); I tip my hat to David Yates for a job well done and can't wait to see what he does with the sixth movie!