Surprised

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2004)

Anybody expecting another kids film will be surprised. Everything has grown up. Hogwarts is no longer a fantasy castle but actually seems real. The 'kids' are young adults and the focus on 'childish' activities to appeal to a young audience has been replaced by something darker and more threatening.
Despite some critical attack my opinion is that Radcliffe, Watson and Grint have risen to the challenge and their acting ability is far superior to that displayed in either Philosopher's Stone or Chamber of Secrets. While there are huge chunks cut out from book to screenplay, the film is remarkably faithful to the story. Most adjustments make the narrative flow smoother especially for people who haven't read the books. My only issue is the ending which leaves a lot of loose ends, but perhaps this is intentional to make more people read the book and find the answers there.