Good, really good, but not as good as the first two...

Rating: 8/10 (6 August 2005)

Don't get me wrong, I do think this is a very good movie. It's well directed, the music is excellent, the acting is great; however, I don't feel as though it's got the same "Harry Potter" feel as the first two, Columbus's two.
For me, the first two Harry Potter movies "felt" perfect, they felt right. To be frank, they felt like Harry Potter! I've read the books a dozen times each, and from what I read, I had my own vision of what Harry's world would be like. Chris captured it amazingly, exactly as I'd imagined it. Alfonso's was OK, but he seems to have changed an awful lot and tried too hard to get the movie into a "new" style, his style. This, I feel, is why I'm opposed to his version to Chris's. However, despite all that, the movie is very good (excellent for the last 30 minutes). The acting is good, and the movie moves at a great pace; you really feel it has been a year at Hogwarts. There are a handful of "cringe-worthy" moments, which really bug me. You'll know them when you see them, trust me.
Anyway, definitely see this movie and form your own opinion. It's not all bad, seriously. I just wish Chris had directed it, I have the strange feeling it would of been better and "fitted" in with the first two.
(4/5)