the only reason I will see this again is because ...

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2004)

I am clearly addicted to Harry Potter stories.
This third film, however, leaves a great deal to be desired.
It has many interesting small segments, but it is so choppy and lacks so much that it feels disjointed to watch it. Four of us went to see it, the two of us who had read the novels were very disappointed and the two who had not needed several sections of the film explained in order to really understand what they had seen.
I feel that the biggest mistake was the new director, the direction he took the characters and the sets. It felt too sloppy. I didn't agree with the kids looking so disheveled with shirts sticking out, etc. This is a proper school and two previous films have shown us just how proper it is. They would not tolerate such sloppiness and would deduct points from the houses! The truly magical feel of Hogwarts in the previous films is lost in this one. The sets are great, but they are not magical! By the way ... why would we be happy with an entirely new location for Hagrid's house? I was prepared for a difference in the Dumbledore character, but not to the point of being a bumbling idiot.
What scares me is that by the time of the release of this third film, the fourth one is already in the can. Although they may still be deep into the editing process, they can only edit what film they have shot. If they thought they were on the right track with the third film ... well, you can see what I am worried about ... they might go even farther out of character with the next one.
I can only hope that they have had enough feedback that they can compromise in the final presentation of the fourth film. Yes, the kids are getting older and the plots darker, but why do we have to loose that magical feeling that makes adults wish they could be young and a student at Hogwarts??!!??