A modern masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2007)

I'll admit that I adore the Harry Potter books, but was never a huge fan of the movies. The first one was mediocre, the second good for only one reason (*cough* Sexy Jason Isaacs *cough*), and I LOATHED the third one. The movie that opened my eyes to its cinematic potential was the grandly staged fourth one. And now we have the fifth one: a modern masterpiece in itself.
Harry Potter wears converse chucks. The students listen to rock music in the common room. While my friends were mocking these details, I admired them. Harry Potter is a hero for our generation. This isn't some out-of-this-world fantasy (no offense, LOTR, I love you!) This is a teenage boy with problems and anxieties we can all relate to. Sure, not all of us have battled an evil wizard, but we can still relate to the darkness of war and the death of a loved one.
I was incredibly proud of the improvement in acting for the main three. Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson have developed into quite the young actors. Sure, Mr. Grint could use a diction coach, but they know their characters inside and out. Quite astounding, if you ask me.
Of course, I *heart* the majority of the adult cast. I hated Gary Oldman in the third one, but he's proved himself in this one. Brendan Gleeson is a delight as Mad-Eye, and I've always loved David Thewlis as Lupin. And being one of the many who suggested Helena Bonham Carter for Belltrix at the very beginning, her knockout performance wasn't a shock to me. Umbridge and Luna were pitch-perfect. Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, and the unsinkable Alan Rickman are always standouts for me.
The scenes involving the D.A. were fabulous: exactly how I imagined them. I didn't find Grawp very impressive, but the movie had many golden moments. I was a fan of the scene in the common room after Harry gets his first smooch. We all have those moments where we burst out laughing with our friends. I loved how they added that scene in there...
I don't like Ralph Fiennes as Voldy, but I can't picture anyone else doing the role. The duel between the Dark Lord and Dumbledore was one for the ages. My favorite scene was where Harry, haunted by hundreds of bad memories, recollects the happy ones and says to Voldemort, "You'll never know love or friendship". It was the rare HP moment that made my eyes fill up. I felt emotionally involved, a rarity in films nowadays.
Overall, this is a contemporary classic. What more can you say about that?