Our favorite book turned into a freakin soap opera...

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2004)

This third movie, whether being ravaged by a new director or simply dressed up by Hollywood, was a total let-down. How many of us Harry Potter fans walked out of the movie theater with either a frown or a nasty glare?! The movie seemed to lack a great deal of what the book is based on--magic. The kids were mostly pictured in normal street clothing instead of robes, and the usual air of mystery and fantasy was completely absent. I felt that the story itself didn't change all that much (it was pretty accurate), but the key minute details just weren't there. It was too modern and there was too much of an effort to make Harry and his peers mainstream and modern. The book is based on a world far removed from our own; why did the producers/director try to capture an average high school with wands and freaky creatures? We don't read the books in hopes of seeing another representation of our reality. We read them because the magic, mystery, and adventure captivates us. The dementors, hypogriffs, and animagi were great, but they just weren't enough.