Brilliance - drop the ball - Brilliance - drop the ball...

Rating: Null/10 (22 July 2004)

Whew!!! Did the beginning rock your insides or what?! It was fabulous and dark and brain cell burning fast! Quidditch was outstanding, my nose hairs quivered! I wanted more more more! The dementors/flowers-to-ice scene was incredible! I love Dawn French!!! And THEWLIS is the man...I mean Rickman...no Thewlis...wait...
Theeeeeeennnnnnn - what happened? Looks like Cuaron ran out of steam and gimmicks. Looked like a man proud of those pumpkins, Emma, and of the colors pink and orange, who tortured his audience briefly by exhausting us with the "going back in time sequence." We were punished because they mucked up the construction of the shrieking shack (a scene mutilated and short). Cuaron, HEY, you're brilliant BUT, 1) This movie shouldn't have been a tribute to yourself and Mexico 2)I saw way too much YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE MEANING OF LIFE, CITIZEN CANE, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, etc. influence and 3) It's not all about symbolism.
I was heartbroken with the odd character alterations: The DURSLEYS' were almost sedate; FLITWICK looked like revenge on Mexico's President Fox; HERMIONE wasn't stressed. What about her near breakdown? I saw only a sprite creature who was handed all of RON's lines. Speaking of Ron, he acted as though he were a ventriloquist's dummy. He looked like Cuaron's punished child for not completing the assigned essay. His bravery and support of his friends - gone; Julie Christie was barely visible; and MR. WEASLEY, WHAT a waste of talent! I tried theater after theater, but could barely hear the man at all. He suddenly became a hip and cool dresser (for a dad); and what happened to GOYLE? Who was the skinny guy occupying my GOYLE time? Not a bad actor, but I want my GOYLE. And what's this TOM/Quasimoto?
The "pea soup" and constant rain were a little too trite.
Hollywood says movies 1 and 2 were "too long". I sat through HP2 five times in theater full of toddlers and kids and they were enraptured the entire time. In HP3 the children became restless and the adults, bored early.
God I'm scared for HP4!!!! KLOVES, what's WRONG WITH YOU? The Goblet needed to be 2 movies! Are you tired of the whole project? YES, Quidditch is important and so is everything else. I understand artistic license. Cuaron used it brilliantly! Give us back OUR Harry Potter....
CHRIS COLUMBUS: I MISS YOU AND I THANK YOU!