Great acting, true to the book in spirit and detail.

Rating: 10/10 (4 June 2004)

It is such a thrill to see a fine book become a fine film -- more so in this than even in the previous two films in this series. The kids are becoming quality screen performers, and the adult actors are uniformly of high quality. The look and feel of the film are very true to the book, and yet it is clearly very cinematic, not literary, in plotting and style. Our whole family, all fans of the books, enjoyed it immensely.
David Thewlis and Gary Oldman really captured the spirit of their characters, their relationship with Harry, and the sense of their relationship with Harry's parents. Emma Thompson is a delight as Professor Trelawney -- one hopes that all of these fine actors will still be available when their characters return in later films. Michael Gambon had some big shoes to fill as Albus Dumbledore, and (speaking as a true fan of the late Richard Harris) Gambon did an excellent job making Dumbledore his own while maintaining the continuity of the character from the previous films. As for Robbie Coltrane, he's a genius.