Good in parts, bad in parts, but needs to be watched!

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2004)

What I liked most about the movie was its ending. Harry zooming on his Firebolt and appearing really happy was, in my opinion, a different, but good ending. And just prior to the ending were some disappointing parts. Like the part where Peter Pettigrew is seen on the Marauders' Map, the complete absence of the concept of the Marauders, the Firebolt coming in pretty late into the movie, the werewolf looking like something that I could swat away with a tennis racquet, no Cho Chang :-) ... I could go on.
But then when I sit to analyse the good parts, I see a lot more of them - the handling of the dementors and the Patronus charm, the slick handling of the time turner related scenes, the very realistic Buckbeak, the funny way with which the whomping willow was handled, lots of good effects, improved acting in general.
While Cuaron has done a really good job of explaining concepts like the time turner to a viewer not familiar with the books, at some places you do wish that he had handled things better. Not mentioning facts like who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs really are can really leave some viewers in a lurch.
But on the whole I felt the movie was handled very well. Giving the movie a sinister touch only gears up the viewers for what is to come in future movies (as is the case with the books). I would definitely recommend the movie to any person who loves Harry Potter - it is worth seeing.