The Best of them All!

Rating: 10/10 (12 July 2007)

This movie had a crap load of money go into it...and boy is it noticeable! With stunning visual effects, fantastic sets, and even mesmerizing transitions, this movie is truly a work of art! Now, obviously, this movie doesn't involve everything the book does, but hopefully you can look past that and only see this as a great movie (i did). Quidditch is out of the movie, along with many other things from the book that Harry Potter fans should notice, but you should be able to let that go and enjoy the movie and the book as two different things.
The kids have become much better actors and actresses. Emma Watson, whom in my opinion was the weakest of the trio in the previous movie, has really improved. Rupert, whom I have always thought had the best performance of the three did not disappoint either. We can really start to see chemistry between Ron and Hermione and he performs it well, like when he attacked Grawp to try to save Hermione. Dan's performance was better as well. His reaction to Sirius's death was much better than I expected and he seemed to really embody the character.
The new people in the cast were also fantastic. Imelda Staunton, who plays Dolores Umbridge was so good at being evil. By the end of the movie she really had you hating her, which is the feeling you are suppose to have for this character. Evanna Lynch plays Luna Lovegood in her first movie role. If you have read the book, then you should agree, she is the PERFECT Luna! She really steals the show in every scene that she is in.
Now the effects of this movie are just great! The Weasley fireworks were fantastic (which was one of the best scenes in the movie). The final battle in the Department of Mysteries is just jaw dropping! It's just too good for words. It's an all out magical epic battle. This would definitely be worth seeing in IMAX 3D.
So in closing, i most certainly recommend this movie. It really doesn't matter if you have even read the book to understand what is going on, but it might be good to see the other movies first. You will definitely have a magical experience!